What Does Career Mean?
Many of us use and hear the word ‘career’ on a regular basis but what does career truly mean? A career can be defined in various different ways. In the end, a career is a series of jobs over a period of time that you take with a basic aim of progressing within your chosen field.
Components of a Career
Most careers are made up of three components – knowledge, experience, and achievement. Below we will look a little deeper into each of these components and what they mean.
Knowledge
Knowledge is essential to have a successful career. This can include having qualifications, or being educated in the sector you are interested in. This knowledge allows you to career plan and enter into industry areas with less risk and be on the path towards progress and success.
Experience
Experience is wholeheartedly looked upon by employers. Experiences are often what allows you to stand out from other candidates as it shows you have gone above and beyond, as well as understanding the sector. Gaining new experiences shows employers that you are passionate and want to go the extra mile.
Achievement
Achievements are what boosts your progress and takes your career further. This is when you reach certain goals; either personal or professional, like gaining qualifications or identifying an ambitious goal. Achievements show that you are able to set clear goals and have strong motivation, as well as showing you can finish what you started.
Developing Your Career
In order to develop your career, there are things you can do to ensure you move your career in the right direction:
- Career Plan – Develop a career plan to ensure you know what you want to achieve in the long-term and how to get there.
- Gain New Skills – Identify what skills you would want to gain and how you can gain those skills, for example, taking a course.
- Gain Experiences – Identify how you can gain experiences to help your career development; for example, taking part in an internship in the same sector you want to progress to.
- Set Goals – Make sure that you set achievable goals throughout your career path and work towards them.
In conclusion, career means different things to different people however career can mainly be defined as a series of jobs and experiences over a period of time with a basic aim of progressing within the sector. Your career is made up of three components – knowledge, experience, and achievement. Work on developing your career by career planning, gaining new skills, gaining experiences and setting goals.
