✨ Activity: Career Planning

Introduction

"Dreams are made possible if you try."
- Terry Fox

This is a multi-page guide to help you in your career planning. You can navigate through the pages using the Table of Contents on the right of your screen (you may need to scroll down to the bottom if you are on a mobile device). You can also advance through the pages using the 'next' and 'previous' buttons at the top and bottom of each page.

Note: Career planning and exploration can be challenging because it requires slowing down for reflection. It is worth the effort and time! 

Ensuring that you have support to discuss challenges, bounce ideas, debrief situations, and receive objectivity will help you move through the career planning process.

Download the Career Planning Worksheet (PDF)

This worksheet has four components:

1. Clarify your vision.
2. Evaluate personal assets and external factors to inform your career direction and decision-making.
3. Review two strategies to maneuver through uncertainty.
4. Establish current and not-too-distant goals.

1. Clarify Your Vision

How would you like your career story to unfold and evolve?

Whether you're creating a vision for the first time or revisiting established goals, use the questions below to clarify your career direction.

Think of visioning as a dreaming activity.

• How would you love to live in all areas of life—like relationships and activities—if there were no challenges?
• What would your ideal lifestyle look like?

Capture your thoughts in the downloadable Career Planning Worksheet, or in your own journal.

"Interests are preferences for activities that are expressed as likes or dislikes. These could include activities, hobbies and subjects or topics. Some examples include: sports, music, art, and topics like science or fashion, etc.” - (CERIC, 2004-2012)

Interests can change over time. Sometimes interests can become your  career focus. For example, an interest in social justice could evolve into a career in social enterprise.

Strategies For Creating Your Vision

Still unsure of your direction? Try these strategies to help clarify your vision.

Follow Your Themes: Review your Career Planning Worksheets for recurring ideas—these are your themes that reflect what matters to you and what motivates you. For example, if “helping people”, "working outdoors" or “solving problems” appears often, write that in the Themes section of your worksheet.  

List Your Core Values: Use the next step in the worksheet to identify what values guide your decisions.

Connect with People: Talk to people in roles, industries, or organizations that reflect your values or interests. The Discovering Connections unit shows how to network and learn directly from others’ experiences.

Identify Skills You Enjoy: Use the worksheet to note skills you like using or want to develop. Search these along with “occupations” (e.g., “critical thinking + occupations”) to explore related careers.

Find Opportunities: Look for opportunities—paid or volunteer roles—to practice these skills. These experiences can help you uncover direction.

Pay Attention to Your Interests: Notice what naturally draws your attention in daily life and explore it further. For example, if you’re drawn to sustainability content, look for professional groups, such as Green Drinks, to connect with. 

Apply Career Theories: Try new things and meet new people. The Chaos Theory of Careers and Happenstance Learning Theory suggest that experimentation and reflection often lead to meaningful insights and direction.

Career Change? Evaluate Your Options

For those considering a career change, take time to reflect on your situation and options. Ask yourself:

• What’s driving my need for change?
• Is it your career your want to change, or is it your current employer or work environment?
• Are you self-employed and looking for stability?
• Do you feel bored or unfulfilled?
• Is this a manageable time for change?
• Can you make a small step now?
• Do you have capacity to invest in learning new skills or gaining experience?

Remember: career development is a journey. Discovering what doesn’t work is an important part of the process. Stay curious, persistent, and open to change.

Next, choose a vision or a “now” direction (which can evolve) and note it in your worksheet.

If you don’t yet have a direction, revisit the Strategies for Creating Your Vision section.

2. Evaluate Personal Assets & External Factors

Use Personal and External Insights to Guide Your Career

Refer to your findings in the Professional Assets module and External Influences module to further your career planning. If you haven’t completed them, consider doing so now—they provide valuable input for this worksheet.

Your values shape your choices, often subconsciously. Review the values you identified in the Uncovering Personal Assets Worksheet and list them in the Values section of the Career Planning Worksheet. Highlight those that feel most core to who you are.

Do the same for:

• Skills you enjoy or want to develop
• Interests (from the Professional Assets Inventory)
  
• Personal factors

Record these in the spaces provided or in a personal journal.

Next, review your External Influences Worksheet. Add relevant insights—such as a growing interest in the healthcare field—to the worksheet. These are clues to explore further.

Also, reflect on your reasons for working. What role does work play in your life? Possible motivators include:

• Financial stability
• Status or ambition
• Identity, purpose, or meaning
• Skills challenge
• Colleagues or work community
• A desire to make a difference, support a cause, or build a legacy

Use these reflections to help clarify your direction.

If you want to debrief all of your findings and someone to bounce ideas with or you are struggling to make sense of your summary, please book an appointment with a Career Advisor in Career Services on Libcal.

3. Three Strategies to Maneuver Through Uncertainty

Many professionals seek dependable full-time, permanent roles to feel they are advancing in their career, but in today’s world, that security can be seen differently. Empower yourself by focusing on what you can control: your approach to change, growth and, adaptability. (See the Demonstrating Skills unit for more.)

1. Scenario Thinking

Scenario thinking helps you plan for an uncertain future by imagining different outcomes:

• Realistic scenario – based on current trends
  
• Best-case scenario – everything goes right
  
• Worst-case scenario – key challenges arise

Identify a few possible obstacles in each scenario, then brainstorm contingency steps to create a proactive vision for your career direction. Don't worry about perfection—this is about preparing, not predicting.

Use the Career Planning Worksheet or a journal to map out:

• Your 3 scenarios
• Contingency ideas for each

This approach helps you move toward your vision—which may be your backup plan that keeps you moving in the right direction.

Here's an example of the 3 scenarios

2. Contract or Gig Work

Short-term opportunities offer flexibility and variety, help build a broad skill set, and diversifies income sources. Freelancing may offer you a short-term bridge between jobs or a long-term path if you value freedom through diverse experiences. It also:

• Builds adaptability
• Expands your network
• Keeps you agile in uncertain times

This employment form aligns with the Chaos Theory of Careers (Bright, 2013) and Happenstance Learning Theory (Krumboltz, 2009)—both of which highlight the value of experimentation and chance in career development.

3. Strategic Volunteerism

Strategic volunteerism is the intentional and planned engagement in volunteer activities to achieve specific goals or outcomes that align with your interests, objectives, and skills attainment. You may also:

• Gain new mentors and professional connections
• Put your academic learning to practice in your field
• Introduce you to new career avenues and industries

4. Establish Near And Not Too Distant Goals

In uncertainty, setting goals is even more valuable!  Align goals with your vision and stay flexible about outcomes.

Use the Career Planning Worksheet or your journal to answer:

• What 4–5 specific, short-term actions can you take soon? (Include timelines.)
• What 4–5 medium-term actions can you plan for next?
• If freelance or contract work is an option, what steps would help you pursue it?

Stay focused, flexible, and action-oriented.

Next, continue on to Summary: Career Planning.