Bright Future: My Strategic Career Plan

People who have successfully completed an academic degree, or course of study are graduates. Actions that is carried out and planned by an individual with an assumption of advancement in their career relying on the estimated skills and attributes they would gain which will have market in the future in order to make triumphant, fruitful and pleasurable career is called career planning. Career planning are developed after understanding the time and situation. Career planning is not only about setting the goal and getting the career of one`s want rather it is a continuous and long lasting exercise which teaches to acclimatize all through the life to reach the target. Career plan are developed considering the possible options they can have for them like if they do not have the previous experience on work how can they develop the career in it, grab the opportunity when it is available to maximize one`s development. Career planning has great importance among graduates, as many of them might not be able to land on their dream job its importance are; it might help graduates to develop certain expertise and attentiveness so they can be working as an assistant. Career planning helps them to understand the work they have to perform in their career that makes them to be an effective for that role by developing the critical knowledge and professionalism in the particular field of their interest. Career planning also helps in empowering them to make refinement on their ability either for a furtherance in career or in selecting an alternate career.

Furthermore, by analyzing the career plan they feel a sense of maneuver when they complete a stage on their career which leads to the personal and professional success, this accredit them to subsist challenges that might come in their life to lead a healthy, happy and prosperous life. Career planning helps to figure out what skills they have and what are their passions, which career suits them, what type of job they can perform. All of the above, strategic plan gives them motivation to set first concern in life. Moreover, career planning supports them in selection of the career choices, finding out factor motivating them to make those selections, determining their area of their strength and sector in which they need development. Overall, career planning executes the upcoming career desire along with the possible opportunities to give them a breakthrough in the career.

In recent times, strategic plan is an eye for a future. It is an ability to analyze a situation effectively so that they can generate objective on that by setting goals, determining prime concern, probable difficulties and opportunities. Likewise, I have made my career plan to be a water treatment engineer. Now, I am studying the Masters in Chemical and Biomolecular Sciences. I prepared my strategic career plan to understand in a better way and easily in four step.

Step 1: Scoping - Key Facts of the Situation

In this step I studied my situation, figured out my interest, strength and skills and outlined each step that I will complete for my career development.

Step 2: Analysis with PMI and OPV

In this step, I kept myself in other shoes to think from their perspectives so that I can understand about the point of view of the people associated with me and my career. The advantage and disadvantage in the career of my choice. As they are the source of inspiration and important part for my career development.

Step 3: Visioning (Great Outcomes)

It is the important step where I can see myself being successful and moving forward for my career advancement. Here, I planned about the achievement that I will complete in the given timeframe which will indicate that I am moving forward to achieve success.

Step 4: Implementing Ideas into Actions

It is the most critical step while outlining the career plan. Here, I inscribed all possible answers that explains the reason, person, place, time and the element that inspired me to take a career I am passionate about.

Without guidance and grooming from the career coaches, mentors, external advisors, I cannot just establish myself as a water treatment engineer. Along with that, I need to have capabilities and skills. To get guidance from the mentors I searched for the people ranging from researcher to the administrative person who are working in the water treatment industries. I want to get connected with many of them as their work was inspiring and motivating for me. For me, connecting with them is also moving a step forward towards the career advancement as they could be the potential mentor and employer for me. They can provide the advice, insight view of the career, challenges and required skills and knowledge to me. As one can do a lot better with the help of the coaching from the advisors. I have to establish network with many people. Among them, I wanted to learn from Dr. Ralf Cord-Ruwisch. He is a senior researcher in biological water treatment and currently working in improved biological removal of water pollutants and commercializing improved nitrogen removal technology waste water treatment. To be able to learn from him I have to get connected with him I had to know about him for which I searched about him on Google and sent an email to him. It was uncertain to get response from him. I had the fear of rejection to get reply from him. My confidence was low. It took time to get a response from him. Despite that, I had hope to hear from him. Indeed, he replied, he said that he was busy and does not have time to talk with me on phone. Instead, he said that he can reply to my queries via email. In that way, I got answers to my every questions, his opinions about the roadblocks in the career advancement and his advice. That was helpful and invaluable for my knowledge and personal growth. This activity helped me to develop social skills and self-confidence. I even got his reference to get connected with other people in the water industries.

I want to do internship in water treatment industries in Australia by second half of 2020. There are several possibilities for that. I might be able to do internship easily and in predicted time or I might not be able to do so. Every place has their certain rules and priorities and if I be the one to fall on those priorities it increase my chance to get an internship. Next possibility is that there would be competition among the people to do intern. I have to stand above all of them in every way like talent, knowledge, communication skills, inter personal skills to grab that opportunity quickly. When I get call for internship I should be able to utilize that opportunity wisely and prove myself during that time so that they can think of me as a good person as well as a potential employee in the future. But if I could not complete my course in expected time I might not be able to get an internship. There may not be call for internship in the desired industries at that time. There are several reason that might cause the failure of the predicted plan for internship. If everything goes well, following that, I want to get expertise in chemical engineering within 2023 which I will start right after the completion of my internship in early 2021. Firstly, I have to meet the pre requisites to join University for chemical Engineering. Though, it would be a hard to work and study full time. I have to manage time efficiently focus more on study and less on other activities.

While working I should work to get to the positional power within 6 years from 2023 as well so that it would allow me to achieve my vision. This will give a great advancement in my career. I might be able to research on my own. I might be able to discover a new technique and that would be the great achievement. I might be able to contribute to the community. This won`t be an easy task as well. I should acquire the required skills and knowledge to carry out research by that time. I might not get permission from government to carry out the research in that field. I might not get sufficient funding for the research. I might not be able to continue on study and research. I might have to give time for my family and personal life. There might be an unexpected incident within family so I might have to go back to my home country without completion of my study.

Nevertheless, I want to establish myself as a water treatment engineer and researcher by 2029 and continue working on water treatment projects. There are many positive and negative aspects on that. Firstly, I would like to discuss about the positive aspects of that timeline. To be able to establish myself as an engineer and researcher would be a great achievement. I could be able to do something better for community and people. After getting to this point I should have developed certain skills and expertise on my field, social skills and self-confidence. I should have develop excellent engineering knowledge, good skills to communicate in a positive respectful way, comfort to work in a team as a team member as well as leadership skills, ability to be proactive and self-starter and troubleshoot problems as they arise. I might have a job satisfaction, excellent pay and benefits, quality life and happiness. I cannot get all the above mentioned success unless I have dedication, passion for work and continuity on work. It requires lots of effort and hard work to reach there. Moreover, chemical engineer working in water treatment industries is potentially hazardous working condition. It could cause serious illness due to the exposure in such conditions. Chemical engineering has a mixed job prospectus as well as busy life. My parents, husband might want me to stay with them. It is my responsibility to take care of them. But due to busy life I might not be able to balance between work life and family life and spend a quality time with them. The job might be stressful as the work of the chemical engineer in water treatment industries is time consuming. I might not be able to have a quality and happy family life.

However, now there are lots of women working as a chemical engineer in water industries, they can be my role models. I could learn the way to balance my career with a family. One day I will have kids and at that time I will have more people to look after and take care of. I should be flexible enough to manage time effectively for a demanding career and to have a great family life. Obviously, for that I need a lot of helping hands and innovative time scheduling. I should be communicative and efficient to establish a supportive network and relation at work so that I could help them and I can get help from them as well. Moreover, their suggestion and advice would be invaluable. To look after kids I can ask my parents to lend a hand to help me doing that could allow us to spend more time together.

Conclusion

Strategic plan is a process guide for me to make my decision for future and to move forward. Strategic plan for my career helped me to be committed to my study and my career. It allowed me to establish a long term objectives that I will be performing with the time. It includes all my possible decision to get to my career goal and the path that I will follow to achieve those goals. It helped me to prepare strategies to achieve my goals which I can assess when needed. When making the strategic plan of my career, I have set my objectives and define those objectives. At the time of the execution of the plan I can monitor if I am moving forward or in any other direction. I can revise those plan everyday remind myself of what I need to do to keep moving forward in a path so that I can achieve my goals in time. My career goal is to establish myself as a chemical engineer in water treatment industries. Strategic plan gives me a vision when and how to act to get to my goals. It is developed with discipline, foresight and lots of honesty. However, as everything has a two sides only a strategic plan will not be sufficient to conquer my goals. Chemical engineering career is always changing and modifying with time to be in up to date as it needs to adapt with the changing environmental and market conditions. If I only follow the strategic plan and goal I might not be able to change in the required aspects because of that my career won`t get breakthrough and success. Next thing is that after writing the career plan I might not use it or review continually which would lead to be a failure to achieve the goals. I have made my plan to be chemical engineer in water industries but, later if there is no opportunity for chemical engineer in water industries my plan would be a waste.

Nonetheless, while exercising on strategic plan, if I studied the marketplace reality for job on that career, potential problem and put a realistic career direction for future I can definitely improve the opportunity for fruitful execution of my strategy. That will definitely make my strategic career plan a successful career plan.

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