Career Plan

The article provides a detailed analysis of the individual's values, strengths, weaknesses, and career aspirations, as well as the environmental factors that influence career development in the public health sector.

RUNNING HEAD: CAREER PLAN
CAREER PLAN
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RUNNING HEAD: CAREER PLAN
Part 1 – The individual
Analysing career aspirations requires understanding of individual life values,
strengths and weaknesses (Elliott & Coker, 2008). My values and fundamental notion of
important in life is hard work and being honest. I feel through hard work anyone can achieve
any great heights in their career. I aim to work hard throughout my career and professional
life so as to become a manager or director in an organization. Another value which I aim to
accomplish always is honesty throughout my career and professional life. I feel honesty and
integrity are integral values to reach the top of organisation ladder. I have followed these
notions in my life always and will continue doing so. I am a committed person; it is an
important value for my life. In my professional career, I always aim at staying committed in
my job role. This is an integral value of mine, which is appreciated by my seniors. Therefore,
I will aim at staying committed in my job role.
My key strengths are hardworking capabilities, honesty, integrity, professionalism and
motivation (Harrington & Loffredo, 2010). Some of my strengths are integrated within me
whereas some other strength I have developed in my professional career. I possess
tremendous mental strength as well to strive for whichever heights I want to achieve. My
mental strength enables me to take up new challenges and then exert myself to attain them.
However, there are certain weaknesses in my character as well, which I need to overcome.
My weakness includes my emotions, incapability to keep on one thing and lack of
confidence. These weaknesses have hindered my capabilities to achieve heights in my
professional career. The characteristics of my ideal job will provide me ample opportunities
to work hard. It will be such that it tests my motivational and emotional capabilities. My job
will be such that it tests my inner strengths and capabilities. My job needs to provide me with
immense challenges so that I strive continuously (Minkler, 2012). Deriving from this, I can
say that my organisation should be such that it wants to grow to become global organisation
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(Koo & Miner, 2010). It has to be a growing and emerging organisation which needs capable
employees who can make valuable contribution. The organisation needs to have an efficient
HR management system.
Part 2 – The environment
Environmental factors have an integral role in influencing career aspirations. In my
career there have been a wide range of influential factors which includes politics,
globalisation, demography, societal values, economic factors, legislative issues, geography,
organisational and technological factors (Ford & Airhihenbuwa, 2010). These environmental
factors have played a predominant role towards shaping of my career. As a professional with
public health background I have diversified knowledge in managing and tackling complex
challenges. However, due to recent globalisation of human resources, there has been
immense influx of personnel from varied countries, who possess similar skills. Globalisation
has led to challenges arising for not only companies but also for individuals to secure a
decent job role. It has created a competitive environment, where individuals need to be
immensely proactive to secure their targeted job role. In the public health domain, the role of
politics is inevitable in nature. Employees within the public health organisations need to
operate under guidelines that are provided by them. There is tremendous influence from
bureaucratic influences in the public health domain, which makes it necessary for individuals
to be aware of the new legislative policies and guidelines (Jayatilleke & Mackie, 2013).
Employees in the public health sector is impacted by bureaucratic influences for ascertaining
their pay scales, working hours and other employment related factors.
Demographic challenges include prevalence of more female as compared to male
employees; also there is a tendency of employees above 40 years in procuring a managerial
or director level job at a public health organisation. This deters many from seeking
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employment at such positional levels. The pay scales within the public health domain are
fixed and increment does not take place similar to corporate jobs. However, there is security
and guarantee of service. Therefore, the sector gets applications from large number of
employees. This creates an extremely challenging atmosphere within the sector to procure a
job. Societal value attached with this job role is high as the public expects a lot from
employees of this sector. The contribution made by employees in the public health domain is
tremendous in nature as it directly impacts the community (Lee, 2014). Economic factors
impacting this sector are high, as the sector directly receives funding from the federal
government. All expenses such as salaries, administrative costs and other expenses related to
this sector is directly borne by the Federal and State government hence in case the markets
are not stable or have downward trends then the funding is bound to reduce. The legislative
issues which impacts the public health domain is in regards to laws and regulations that has to
be followed. Especially in the case of detection and prevention of diseases, such standards
and legislations need to be followed.
A geographical factor which impacts the domain is the location where such services
are provided. Locational factors such as present in suburbs or at remote locations, affect the
effectiveness of the job (Minkler, 2012). As often it requires employees to shift their homes
or stay at other facilities, which increases their costs. Organisational and technological factors
that affect the job role are organisational rules and regulations, growth prospects and
technological advancements within the organisation.
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Part 3 – The profile
Analysing my strengths, weaknesses, values a profile of mine can be developed. As
an individual I am efficient person in the public health sector domain. I am hard working and
can achieve great heights in my professional role (Gün, 2010). I aim to become a manager or
director within the organisation where I will work. I will achieve my goals to excel in my
professional career through sheer determination and hard work. I am currently working as a
middle level employee and post completion of my professional course; with experience I will
achieve seniority. I have a good and stable academic background which has allowed me to
develop necessary knowledge and skills in the domain. I am determined person and
whichever goal I will set, I generally make plans to achieve them. While laying the path for
goal attainment, I generally set short term, middle term and long term plans (Lew & Schmidt,
2011). In order to become a senior manager or director in public health, I will design short
term plans of completing my tasks on time; I will also make up my mind to attain the short
term goal within a period of 6 months. Middle term plan for my career for goal attainment
will include analysing obstacles in my career path and then designing steps to overcome
them. The middle term and short term plan will be such that it can help achieve long term
plans for the future. My long term plans will be for 5 years and more.
My career aspirations and determinations play an integral role in my life. All my life I
strived to become a leader in my professional career (Jeffrey, Dumont, Kim & Kuo, 2011).
Through reading and going through case studies, I developed my skills such as leadership,
communication and collaborating with team members. I believe that developing these skills
are integral to becoming a professional and be recognised by my organisation. I believe that I
will easily achieve my career goals within my 40 years of age.
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Part 4 – Career stages
Career aspirations are integral factors in everyone’s life as they enable people to go
forward (Eldredge, Markham, Ruiter Kok, Fernandez & Parcel, 2016). My career aspirations
have gone through tremendous transformation from the past. My career aspirations 20 years
ago were to secure a government job in my country, as I thought it to be secure and a lifelong
employment. During that period, I was a fresh college pass out and needed a job desperately,
which would allow me to start off with my career venture. Such career aspirations
transformed 10 years back, when I decided that I no longer needed job in government
organisation, rather required job that was dynamic in nature and drove me to attain higher
levels. At this stage my career aspirations changed highly as at this juncture I had become
established as a professional. I had developed practical skill and knowledge which other
organisation could use easily. Career aspirations since last 5 years are to become a manager
or director within an organisation. I think that a manager or director has tremendous amount
of responsibilities which I can easily bear and carry out. With hard work, commitment and
determination, I had become an efficient professional with capability to make contribution
into an organisation. Through these various career aspiration stages I had been able to
establish myself in my career.
Through the various career aspirations, there have been multiple observations, which
have transpired (Lee, 2014). From my starting point of career, I had been hard working and a
leader in my second organization had provided me with inspiration. The majority influencing
factors, which has been inspired I had been my leader. He had provided me guidance and
tremendous support towards developing my aspirations. Other influencing factors that affect
my career role are my short-temperedness. Often I lose my control and unable to regain
control over the mood swings. This has affected in many areas to attain goals in an easy
manner. I do not have much control over my mood swings and I feel this has harmed me in
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many possible ways. My short-temperament has affected my ability to gain control over my
mood swings (Richards, Campenni & Muse-Burke, 2010). I will practice meditation to
overcome this short-temperament of mine and become a calmer person.
My career aspirations changed as I progressed in my career path. My career aspiration 15
years ago was to secure a job and become team leader. At that time, I was very in-
experienced and did not possess much practical knowledge. Then I started working and
gradually there was development in my career path. My career aspiration 1 year hence is to
become a senior manager within my department. As I have achieved most of the goals that
my organisation had provided, I can easily become a senior leader within a year’s time. In 5
years hence, I aim to become the departmental head (Stuckey & Nobel, 2010). Though
becoming the departmental head will be a tough strive for me, I will easily attain the same my
catering to the organisation specific goals. In 10 years’ time I aim to become the director of
the organisation. Then in 15 years’ time, I will aim at staying committed and growing within
the current organisation. These gradual increments of mine are well charted through my
career plans.
My role in the current organisation is that of a manger in my department. My organisation
is currently growing and emerging to be a leader in public health. The growing and emerging
organisation currently requires tremendous number of employees, who are hardworking and
can contribute to the organisation immensely. The organisation can help me realise my plans
of becoming a future director within an organisation (Li, Dey & Forlizzi, 2011). Thus, it will
allow me to realise my future plans. Other influencing factors include my motivations and
desire to attain more in my professional career. I will ensure to stay on track my reminding
myself regularly the goals and objectives. These goals and objectives will be broken down
into smaller plans, which will also enable me to stay on track.
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Part 5 – Synthesis, reflections and the way forward
The above analysis related to career aspirations and career stages have revealed a lot
regarding me. I am aspiring to become a manager or director in an organisation and from my
public health background; I feel that I can easily achieve the same (Ayduk & Kross, 2010).
However, there still remain some hurdles that need to be diagnosed and overcome by me.
Overcoming these hurdles will open up my prospects on future career planning and goal
attainment. I possess certain strengths but have weaknesses as well. With my strengths, I will
aim at overcoming possible threats that I face in my professional career. I will try and
working on my weaknesses specifically to overcome them over long period of time. My
weaknesses can act as deterrent in achieving future prospects. I had a past which was filled
with diverse professional experience, which gives me with immense confidence to exert
myself as a capable person in the future. Determining my future goal, I feel that I will easily
be able to attain to the same and have a successful professional career. However, while
analysing my current status, it can be said that I have been able to achieve considerable
amount of professional success. Through my goal focus and determination, I have been able
to become a successful person, but I feel lonely at certain times. Sometimes I feel that I have
dedicated too much time towards my professional goal and ignored my personal life. I have
become a work alcoholic; this is my revelation and realisation from the current reflection. My
previous views were primarily concentrated upon achieving professional career goals but
now I realise that I am very lonely. If I could at all go back 10 years in my life, I would
advise myself to attain more balance between professional and personal life. It is important
that one attains the balance between personal and professional career by making almost equal
contribution to both. The path forward that I see includes a highly successful career with
attainment of professional goals.
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RUNNING HEAD: CAREER PLAN
Overall: Critical analysis & approach
The career plan submission is extremely focussed and centred on providing path to
career development and career plan achievements (Smith, 2013). Though I had analysed my
career plan detailing out strategies to attain the same, I realise that sometimes it is impossible
to do so. Stating such goals are easier said than done. I can understand that I might face
certain obstacles from my personal aspects that might deter such goal attainment in totality.
My professional career is oriented towards personal accomplishments only and there are no
particular mention regarding contribution that will be made towards the organisation.
Moreover, in this career plan there have been no mentions regarding ways by which
strategies can be made to attain higher goals. Overall the career plan designed is focussed
towards particular career aim and is not broad based view.
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