Lack of awareness on how important the role of Career planning and career development in today’s world of work constantly floors me. Writing this blog will hopefully turn on the light as to why it’s so important regardless of whatever age you are at.

So many still believe that if they complete some free online career assessments, have a great resume and have a few interview skills under their belt, they will follow a linear career path and enjoy job happiness. Sorry to be your reality check but that reasoning is so 20th century, out of date and outright wrong!

I am passionate about Career Development because I see the everyday consequences when individuals lack this vital education. Making a difference to shift and empower the individual so that they live an authentic and happy career life in a fast changing working landscape can be a challenge. Many individuals are entrenched in previous generational assumptions on what it takes to be successful in gaining work and job satisfaction.

Time is money and it’s frustrating to see individuals waste countless hours trying to solve their career problems on their own. We have a society where seeking help has a stigma. One can suffer in silence reading every career self-help book available or trying the DIY online approach searching for the magic answer to ‘what should I do next?’.

The case to actively engage in modern Career Development & Career Planning is a no-brainer when you look at the following reasons.

1. You will spend about 63% of your life working.

From the age of 20 to 70 years of age, you will spend on average 88,000 hours at work. In that time, you will spend 16,000 hours away from work on holiday. If you hate your job this means you are spending the difference of 72,000 hours of your life in a place of pain and making a decision to do nothing about it. You are choosing to spend thousands of dollars on planning and going on holidays to escape the job you hate and yet investing no dollars in yourself.

You don’t need to be whizz kid to see that it makes no logical sense.

2. Your livelihood depends on it.

To have a job must never be underestimated. Work provides you with survival with the most basic of needs being shelter, food, water, clothing and safety. It pays your mortgage or rent, it pays for your child’s nappies, it pays for your first car, a relaxing holiday and the list goes on. The idea of having cradle to grave employment with one or two employers is dead and buried.

What you prioritise is always your choice. Not prioritising Career Development & Career Planning in today’s world of work however does have consequences. If you lose your job or your work situation changes (which by the way is guaranteed to happen), not being agile, resilient and career knowledgeable will have you scrabbling.

You wish you had done something about it earlier when you were able to think with a clear & stress-free mind.

3. Your well-being depends on it.

As humans we are hard wired for connection to others. Regardless if you are introverted or extroverted, we all need the ability to form meaningful connections and have relationships. These relationships allow us to negotiate the ebbs and flows of work. To not have this connection, can isolate you and can have a significant negative impact on a person’s mental well-being.

It makes sense to actively engage in Career Development while you are working so that you can ensure that you always have continuous work to maintain those connections.

4. Increases your motivation, learning, personal development and confidence.

Regardless of where you are in your career journey, if you are not motivated to get up in the morning your career life becomes a chore. Dissatisfaction kicks in and your negative feelings ultimately affects your self-confidence and flows on to affect your relationships with family and friends. Put simply, your Career Life needs to work for you and those around you.

Life is too short! Attend a funeral and the reality will hit you pretty hard.

5. Find work that has meaning and purpose.

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could be your natural self at work and you wouldn’t need to fake it every day! Performing work that ticks every box that makes you feel like you matter is the most fulfilling work you will ever do in your life. If you can’t say that you love your work, chances are you are in the wrong job.

Unfortunately, it is quite common amongst many Australian workplaces that people are unhappy, unfulfilled with the work they are performing.

To have a job is one thing, but when you have a job that gives you meaning and purpose, this takes you to a level of happiness and fulfilment that others will envy.

Getting that meaningful and purposeful job in an unpredictable work environment requires career strategy and career smarts, only modern career development and career management can provide.

6. Your career knowledge may be out of date.

While there is an overwhelming amount of career information on the internet, your specific career life situation is unique. Getting to the heart of your career issues with a professional qualified career practitioner will save you time, money and pain. The world of work is chaotic, changing, unstable and unpredictable.

Learning how to drive your own career will only happen if you make use of a knowledgeable career driving instructor who understands the new road conditions.

Career education gives you the power to control your own destiny if you are prepared to engage in it. It simply gives you a competitive edge and moves you to work that matters and motivates you.

At the start of any new year, I challenge you to take stock of what you are doing in those 72,000 work hours and ask yourself ‘Am I currently happy with my Career Life and do I have the career skills that will make me resilient for the many changes I will encounter along my career journey?’. If your answer is No, what actions are you going to take this year to change and be prepared.

The post Career Development & Career Planning Matters at Every Age- Find Out Why appeared first on Extraordinary You.