Career Planning
Career planning is a crucial step when it comes to shaping your future. It goes beyond just choosing a job—it’s about understanding your strengths, passions, and values, and aligning them with the opportunities that can help you grow.
By exploring different career options, setting goals, and gaining the right skills, you can build a clear path that leads to personal fulfillment and professional success.
I have no idea what I want to do when I leave school!
Start Exploring!
Take a test to find out what you might like.
Try MyNextMove
Explore FutureForce® Careers Hub Sectors and Career Profiles
Don’t Panic!
Take the pressure off yourself – you don’t have to decide what you’re going to ‘be’, you’re just looking for your next step.
Your career will chop, change and grow with you.
Whatever decisions you make now are just the first steps on your career journey – and you never know where it’s going to lead!
Read up about Job Clusters – what sounds like you?
Keep your school subject choices open (especially English and maths.)
Start working on developing your employability and transferable skills and your work readiness.
Any decision is a good decision, so long as you're doing something postitive!
I have some ideas of what I want to do when I leave school…
Research your options
Talk to people in the job or in the industry
Try it out!
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- Work Experience
- Volunteering
- Internship
- Part-Time Work
- Gateway Opportunities
Look at company or industry websites you’re interested in
Make an appointment with the careers department at school to see if they can help connect you with someone
Ask around everyone you know if they know anyone who works in the job or industry you’re interested in
Read more on Networking
Use the Plan It worksheet to compare different options
How realistic are your goals? Use the Career Obstacles worksheet to help you think through potential challenges and solutions.
When it comes to subject selection time for next year, think about what subjects you will need for each of your key ideas and prioritise subjects they have in common
Start working on developing your employability and transferable skills and your work readiness
Look for work experience opportunities so you can see if it really is for you!
I know what I want to do when I leave school.
Start Planning
Identify what you need for success
Use the Plan It and Career Obstacles worksheets
School subject choices
Check tertiary courses to make sure you’re taking the right subjects. Many jobs and apprenticeships require Level 2 maths and English at a minimum, and sometimes science.
Networking
Start talking to people about your plans – you never know who might be able to help you
Work experience
Paid or unpaid work experience is great for your CV and helps prepare you for your next step.
Driver license
Around 70% of jobs require a driver license. Even if you don’t have a car right now, start working on it.
Money
How much will you need and where will it come from?
Start working on developing your employability and transferable skills and your work readiness
Have a good Plan B!
Even the best laid plans can come unstuck sometimes. It’s always good to have a back-up plan, just in case.
