Why you should plan your career in pencil, not pen

When you go to university as well as once you’ve graduated, there’s always a pressure to buy a one-way ticket to success on the well-trodden path to a career.

Despite this being a favourable route, it doesn’t mean that you should rush.

Never take life too seriously. Source: Giphy

Planning your career in pencil means your plans aren’t permanent. You aren’t pressured to stick to a certain structure.

But if you plan every single detail of your future in permanent marker, what happens when things don’t go to plan and you feel a deep sense of disappointment?

To loosen that grip and to ease your mind, here’s some advice to guide you through the expectations:

Meet with a career advisor, but only if you want to

While studying or after graduation, the magic answer to your career confusion can often be found with the help of a career advisor.

But you should only meet with one off you’re own back if you really want to.

As much as we’d love them to be, career advisors aren’t mystical genies that from the future, ready and waiting to shed light on your fortune.

These professionals will simply present you with a range of options, which you may even be able to discover yourself before seeking help. Take time out for yourself to assess what you want out of life before you’re pointed in a misleading direction.

Choose a career that prevents clock-watching

There’s nothing worse than being at work and watching time pass by.

If you’re doing that while on an internship that resonates with your current degree subject, you may want to think seriously about your future career choices.

Unfortunately, we’re often programmed to follow other people’s expectations, meaning that we frequently neglect our inner passions.

So, if there’s a subject you love doing but you’re concerned about the return on investment, you should still pursue it. You’re more likely to succeed in a field you love than a field you simply entered for financial or other reasons!

The key to happiness is to let your career unfold by itself. Source: Rawpixel/Unsplash

Loosen your grip

When designing your future, loosen your grip on the pencil and try to think outside the box.

If you’re someone who loves to travel but you can’t find a job that takes you all over the world, perhaps you could freelance all over the world instead.

Or, if you’re someone who loves accounting but you don’t want to end up in a corporate role, why not put your skills towards an NGO?

By loosening your grip on the pencil and the expectations of others, you’ll transform into a happy, balanced graduate.

There’s a demand for agile graduates

Most global employers are looking to hire graduates with a great set of soft skills; confident individuals who can quickly adapt to change.

By producing agile graduates, universities are giving students a chance to find a suitable career.

If you keep adding to your skillset and don’t restrict yourself to a rigid framework, you’ll have a broad assortment of job opportunities waiting for you once you graduate.

With a greater demand for agile graduates, planning your future in pencil is not such a bad idea after all…

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