Exploring the Importance of Career Planning for University Graduates

This essay examines the critical role of career planning in the professional and personal development of university graduates. It emphasizes that having a realistic career plan helps students to grow in a proper direction and stay focused. The essay highlights the benefits of career planning, such as enhancing skills, competencies, and employability, as well as achieving personal and professional goals. It references the importance of career planning in understanding multi-skill and multi-tasking trends and adapting to changing career paths. The essay also stresses the role of universities and mentors in guiding students through career planning, including assessing strengths, weaknesses, and industry requirements. Ultimately, the essay concludes that career planning is essential for graduates to define their career goals, enhance their skills and employability, and establish a professional identity.

Running head: IMPORTANCE FOR CAREER PLANNING FOR GRADUATES
Importance for career planning for graduates
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author note:

1IMPORTANCE FOR CAREER PLANNING FOR GRADUATES
Importance for career planning for graduates
Career planning is a crucial activity for the personal and professional growth of the
students. Having a realistic career plan helps the students to grow in a proper direction. A proper
career planning is beneficial for paving a secure path in life of the students as well as in their
profession [1]. It helps them to stay in a focused track and prepare themselves for the challenges
of life as well as in the challenges of professional world. Career planning gives the graduates a
direction and a vision on where they want to see themselves in the future. With the help of a
career planning and schedule, the students not only can focus on enhancing their skills and
competencies as per the job market, but also can achieve their personal goals in a specific career
of their choice. Jackson and Wilton mention that with the aid of proper career planning, the
graduates can learn about multi-skill and multi-tasking trend and that is beneficial for them to
change their career path when required [2].
Career planning refers to the process of increasing the future value of an individual. It
must be done during the student life as that helps the students to follow a particular goal or
dream as their job in future and make themselves prepare to fit into that job role [3]. Hence,
career planning not only helps the students to have a better understanding of their skills,
knowledge and abilities, but also helps them to realize their goals and intentions in the future life
by adopting the right measures.
Proper career planning is useful for enhancing the employability of the graduates.
Majority of the universities conduct career planning counseling to help the students to make
them understand their abilities, strengths and weaknesses, to inform them about the industry

2IMPORTANCE FOR CAREER PLANNING FOR GRADUATES
requirements and help them adopt the appropriate career path or choice as per their ability and
choice.
Mentors or professors have a pivotal role in the career planning of the graduates. They
help the graduates in assessing their strengths and weaknesses as well as their knowledge,
abilities and skills before choosing a particular career path and pursue the future goals. In
majority cases, the graduates cannot understand which professional they want to be in, and career
planning helps them to get a professional identity [4].
As highlighted by Bridgstock, career planning works as an effective way for ensuring that
the students never lose the motivation while pursuing their dream career. It helps in setting a
specific timeline along with step by step goals, which also helps in enhancing the self-
management ability and skills of the students. The planning for career is also beneficial for
achieving the educational targets in a much effective way. If a student has a plan to become a
banker, he would pursue studies on finance and accounts to gain specific knowledge about
banking [5]. Thus, career planning is a highly essential step for the graduates to not only have an
idea about their future career goal but also to enhance their skills, knowledge, ability and
employability and create professional identity.

3IMPORTANCE FOR CAREER PLANNING FOR GRADUATES
References
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planning and optimism, and subjective career success: An intervention study. Journal of
Vocational Behavior. 2015 Apr 1;87:134-44.
2. Jackson D, Wilton N. Career choice status among undergraduates and the influence of
career management competencies and perceived employability. Journal of Education and
Work. 2017 Jul 4;30(5):552-69.
3. Jackson D. Developing pre-professional identity in undergraduates through work-
integrated learning. Higher Education. 2017 Nov 1;74(5):833-53.
4. Rae D, Ruth Woodier-Harris N. How does enterprise and entrepreneurship education
influence postgraduate students’ career intentions in the New Era economy?. Education+
Training. 2013 Nov 18;55(8/9):926-48.
5. Bridgstock R. The graduate attributes we’ve overlooked: Enhancing graduate
employability through career management skills. Higher Education Research &
Development. 2009 Mar 1;28(1):31-44.