Education and Career Planning and Management

 

Education is a process of facilitating learning or the acquisition of knowledge, skills, values, beliefs, and habits. The method of education includes teaching, training, storytelling, discussion and directed research. Education can happen under someone who holds experience and expertise in a particular field or skill. It can happen in a formal or informal setting. Education makes people capable of interpreting things and makes them more aware of their rights, duties towards the family and society. It is not just about lessons in textbooks, it is more than that. Education does include a way of living and help in learning the lessons of life.It helps in creating and changing a perspective towards the world. Education makes the world a better place to live in. With education comes career planning. Career planning is an ongoing process in which an individual decides what and how to make the best out of him or her based on the skills, knowledge he/she has or will acquire in future. It’s a plan that is laid by an individual to achieve his/her goals and vision to live a meaningful and fruitful life. A career can be planned based on the education (which includes training and specialised skills) that an individual has learnt. According to Forbes, three simple steps can help to develop a career plan:

1. Self-reflection - Scientific researches prove that reflection is a key to success. It facilitates reflecting on your skills, values, passions which plays a major part in planning what career you want. It increases a person’s progress and productivity.

2. Goal setting - A person should work within the framework of SMART goals. These are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound goals that all set up a person for success in goal setting and achievement. Studies have proved in the applicability of SMART goals.

3. Develop a plan - A person needs to dig into developing a plan to reach his/her goals. It starts with figuring out what one needs to do to get where one wants to go. It can be done by evaluating each path, pros and cons, future consequences, happiness etc. Hence, It is rightly said by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry that “A goal without a plan is just a wish.” With education and career planning comes the management. Management is to handle and organize things, events, plans in life. Management is requisite in achieving and working on both the minor and major levels.

Management is necessary for making the optimum utilisation of time. Managing things is a life skill that is significant in planning for example a career. Good managerial skills can be developed by knowing yourself. This can be done with a management tool SWOT: S - Concentrate on your Strength to put your best foot forward. W - Recognise your Weakness so that you can improve on them. O - Evaluate your Opportunities to make the best use out of them. T - Research your Threats for caution and preventive measures. Therefore, for good managerial skills, a person needs to thoroughly know about himself/ herself first. By evaluating and analysing his/her virtues, weakness etc. These definitions show how Education, Career Planning and Management go hand in hand. The three components are close- related and the combination of these three components help in happy and successful living. A person cannot plan a career without having a basic skill and a career plan cannot be executed without proper management. An individual should always be keen on learning and educating himself/ herself on those things which interest him/her. When a person follows his/her interest he/she gradually becomes passionate about it and that plays a major part in an individual’s life when he/she lays out a career plan. When a career plan is laid out based on a person’s interests and skills, he/she certainly enjoys doing it and that’s how he/she learns to manage things. Management and career planning is an ongoing process until the termination of a person’s professional life. Managing your career effectively and efficiently involves taking risks, learning new skills, and adapting to changes occurring in the work environment. If a person learns how to plan strategically, he/she will be able to make effective career choices throughout your professional life. To manage things does not only mean to look after your professional life but also means organizing your personal life. It means to attain a balance between your professional life and your personal life. An individual has more to life than career and education and that is his/her personal life and relations. Managing out your career with keeping your personal life and relationships in balance is very important. Education, career planning and management not only works on micro-level but on a macro level as well. When the people would be educated they would help in creating a better society to live in and any of them certainly would have career plans which would boost the country’s economy and help in surfacing out the talent. If the citizens will be educated and career-oriented this would help in better and sophisticated management of the country by the government. This shows how these three components are intertwined and are important in the evolution of the nation.