career development plan essay

Essay on Career Development

Students are often asked to write an essay on Career Development in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Career Development

What is career development.

Career development is the journey your job takes from the start to the end. Think of it like a video game where you move up levels. You begin at an easy stage, learn new skills, get better, and then move to harder challenges. It’s about growing in your job.

Why Plan Your Career?

Planning your career is like using a map on a trip. It helps you decide where you want to go and how to get there. Without a plan, you might get lost or take longer to reach your goals.

Learning New Skills

To move up in your career, you need to keep learning. This could mean going to school, taking training courses, or practicing new tasks. Just like in sports, practice makes perfect.

Getting Experience

Experience is when you have done a job and know how to handle it. It’s like riding a bike. At first, it’s tough, but the more you ride, the easier it gets. Jobs are the same way.

Making Connections

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250 Words Essay on Career Development

Career development is like growing a plant. Just as a plant starts small and needs water, sunlight, and care to grow, a person’s career starts with their first job and grows as they learn more and work harder. It is the path your job follows, which sometimes goes straight, sometimes turns, and sometimes even climbs up.

Starting Your Journey

When you first start thinking about what you want to be when you grow up, that’s when your career development begins. It’s like picking what kind of seed to plant. You might think about what you enjoy doing or what you are good at. Maybe you like drawing, so you think about being an artist. Or you love helping people, so you consider becoming a doctor.

Learning and Growing

Once you have an idea of the job you want, you need to learn how to do it well. This can mean going to school, getting good grades, and maybe even getting extra training. It’s like giving your plant the right food so it can grow strong.

Experience is like the water for your career plant. You get experience by doing jobs that are like the one you want. This could be a part-time job, an internship, or volunteer work. It helps you understand the work better and shows future employers that you are serious about your career.

Building Your Path

Career development is a big adventure that lasts your whole life. It’s about finding what you love to do and getting better at it every day.

500 Words Essay on Career Development

Career development is the process of choosing a job, getting the right education, and growing in your work. Imagine it like a long road trip to your dream destination, which in this case, is the job you want to have when you grow up. Just like you need a map to reach your favorite holiday spot, you need a plan to achieve your career goals.

Choosing a Career Path

Getting the right education.

After you know what job you want, it’s time to learn the skills you need. This could mean going to college, taking special classes, or even learning from someone who already does the job you want. It’s like training for a sport – the more you practice, the better you get.

Gaining Experience

Learning in a classroom is important, but so is real-world experience. You can volunteer, do internships, or work part-time jobs related to your dream job. It’s like trying out a mini-version of your future career to see if it’s really what you want.

Building a Network

Moving up the ladder.

Once you have a job, the next goal is to do well and move up to better positions. This means learning more, taking on new responsibilities, and sometimes even going back to school for more education. It’s like leveling up in a video game where each level brings new challenges and rewards.

Adapting to Change

Jobs can change over time because of new technology or new ways of doing things. It’s important to keep learning and be ready to change your plans if needed. It’s like being ready to take a detour on your road trip if you find out there’s a better route.

Career development is an exciting adventure that lasts your whole life. By knowing what you like, getting the right education, gaining experience, meeting helpful people, doing well in your job, and being ready for change, you can build a career that makes you happy and successful. Remember, it’s your journey, so take the steps that are right for you and enjoy the ride to your dream job!

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

Apart from these, you can look at all the essays by clicking here .

Happy studying!

How to Write an Awesome Essay About Your Career Goals

Before you begin, ask yourself a few key questions like:
What are my short-term and long-term career goals?
Where do I see myself in ten years?
What events in my life have led me to have these goals?
What major will help me reach my goals?
What skills do I need to reach my goals?
What impact do I want to have on society?

Career Goals Essay Template

Need more inspiration.

After you brainstorm the responses to these questions, look for common themes, or pick out the most interesting stories. You can build your main essay “thesis” or idea around this.

Once you’ve got the main idea, create an outline to put your ideas into essay format. This will give you a general idea of structure.

You can use the career essays template below to give you some ideas. But remember that some rules are meant to be broken, so don’t be afraid to be innovative and think outside the box!

Also, when you’re done, head over to Going Merry to apply for the Career Goals scholarship essay bundle (one essay, one application, multiple scholarships!). You might as well make that essay count. Sign up for Going Merry to apply for scholarships more efficiently.

Here’s a paragraph-by-paragraph breakdown:

Paragraph 1 : Establish the main theme of what you’re going to talk about. It should also grab the reader’s attention. For example, instead of starting your essay with something generic (e.g. Ever since I was a little girl, I wanted to be a zoologist), get creative with it! Try something like My greatest memory as a young girl was going to the zoo for the first time or While most kids play house or school, I always wanted to play zookeeper.

Paragraph 2 : Elaborate on what inspired your career goals. Perhaps it was a relative, a TV show, or simply an experience that you had. Remember that old writing adage, “Show, don’t tell.” In other words, try to demonstrate your interest with story or description.

Paragraph 3 : Discuss your short-term career goals and your intended major. How will your intended major help you reach these goals? What skills do you need to learn to reach them? At the end of the paragraph, try discussing how your short-term goals can help you achieve your long-term goals.

Paragraph 4 : Focus on your long-term goals and the impact that you hope to have on society. If you’re not sure what your long-term goals are, don’t sweat it; they’ll probably change anyways. You can instead focus on the difference you’d like to make overall. And don’t worry too much about the size of the impact…remember that just doing what you’re truly passionate about has a massive impact on those around you.

The last paragraph is your conclusion. You can use this paragraph to summarize what you discussed in the previous few paragraphs. If you want to be even more creative, try ending your essay with a question for your readers or a new insight. Good luck!

And now that you’re ready with that essay, put it to good use! You can recycle that same essay, when applying for the Career Goals Scholarship Bundle. We’ve joined together multiple scholarships (all requesting essays on career goals), into just ONE simple application! See more info here , or just sign up to get going.

Check out examples from other students just like you. Here are links to some great career goal essay examples:

Example 1
Example 2
Example 3

Or maybe you’re looking for help with an academic goals essay — we’ve got you covered there too.

Also, check out this helpful list of the 10 most common scholarship essay topics !

Top 10 Most Common Scholarship Essay Prompts Graphic

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Career Essay

Career essay generator.

How do you see yourself 5 or 10 years from now? That question kicks start your imagination and make you visualize yourself in your future career. Maybe you are thinking about it now, but you are likely confused about expressing it in words. Unlike other essay writing , writing your career essay is exciting because you are writing about yourself, your plans, passion, and aspiration. Learn how to make your career essay impressive by reading this article.

10+ Career Essay Examples

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What Is a Career Essay?

A career essay is a text people write to detail their goals or plans for the future. In this essay, people talk about the career they want in the future and the things they have achieved so far. People often ask you to write a career essay when you send an application letter for a scholarship or submit your resume for a job.

How To Write a Rousing Career Essay

You should write your career essay seriously because it might be a deciding factor for your future. That said, in writing your essay, there are a lot of things to consider and a process you need to follow. Your end goal in writing your essay is to convince people that you are determined to walk the talk and make the things you wrote in your descriptive essay to reality.

1. Devise an Engrossing Title

The first thing to think about when writing an essay is coming up with an attention-grabbing title. When people read your essay, they pay the most attention to your title. Also, another benefit of coming up with your title first is that it will serve as a guide for you for the whole essay.

2. Introduce With a Hook

After devising a title, deliver the next blow with an introduction that piques their curiosity. To do that, begin your essay with a hook. Your hook can be a quote, a question, or you can even provide a statistic. If your introduction is good enough, it will secure the engagement of your readers.

3. Organize Your Ideas

Writing an essay is like taking your readers for a ride. You need to set the vibe and organize the flow of your thoughts. Don’t start too strong it might make the rest of your essay bland. You need to properly build up the development of excitement and make sure the order of your ideas makes sense.

4. Polish Your Essay

Finalize your essay by proofreading it. When people talk about their passion, they tend to talk too much and include several unnecessary things. Make sure not to do that. Omit all the details that don’t contribute to the overall impact of your reflective essay. Also, don’t forget to review your text for grammatical errors.

Why is career planning important?

People hustle every day to reach their dream careers. Having a target career gives you a direction and sets your path. Planning your career is essential because being indecisive about it might negatively impact your life. Not having a fixed goal is like not having an end destination. Preparing for it would also make your career action plan achievable.

What is a career genogram?

A career genogram traces back an individual’s family tree and examines the career timeline they pursued. The scope of this genogram reaches the grandparents, extended family, and even the person’s close friends. This graphic representation is helpful when a person has a hard time deciding about his or her career development plan .

What is career assessment?

Career assessment is the process of identifying what career would work best for you. Most assessments are in the form of a questionnaire . It includes questions about your interests, your skills, your hobbies, and your strengths. These are some examples of questions that would help assess your future career. The result of your career assessment might give you ideas on what path to take.

The moment people read your career essay, they often rate how likely you are to succeed. Show them a piece of your mind that would erase all their doubts about your success. They say manifesting works wonders, so manifest the future that you want best by composing a rousing career essay.

Text prompt

Instructive
Professional

Write a career essay on the benefits and challenges of a career in medicine.

Discuss in a career essay the skills needed for success in the digital marketing field.

Personal, Professional, and Career Development Reflective Essay

To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
As a template for you assignment

Personal and Career Purpose

Career decision.

The ideal development of a person follows a unique route directing resources, facilities, capabilities, abilities, potentials, and interest among other in a line of presumed achievement. Most researchers argue that there are intuitive characters and motivations that shape how an individual grows and becomes prevalent in a community.

Essentially, these developments are associated with personalities, professionalism, career and career paths. There are processes and tactical handling of issues that must be conjoined to direct growth and development on these four aspects. In this regard, it is apparent that the fundamentality of managing and planning these attributes is beyond reproach.

An individual needs to set a line of interests to ensure that his or her working path has objectives and goals. In this manner, the person can develop personality, career and become a professional in his or her area. This paper evaluates a case of development in various aspects and comparisons. In a bid to perform this task, I have evaluated my strategy while striving to develop into a career warranting me a sustainable future.

The presence of a goal or a future aspiration allows me to plan and change my attitudes and characters. Primarily, individual characters determine the people I can interact with and set my social class into a disclosed discourse. The most tactical strategies may involve developing skills and experiences through employment and education.

First, education has allowed me to gain skills and attain credential for employment with reputable and well paying firms. Several personalities like patience and persistence have developed subconsciously and through training systems. Such personalities have significant outcomes in the real life. They make me competitive while searching for employment or any other work related issue.

These situations revealed that I knew how to outline my plan in creating meaning to every situation. At several instances I have managed to create and organize peoples into groups handling various issues as well as lead them tactically pursuant of my leadership dreams. Furthermore, I had managed to identify opportunity where I could develop my talents as I proceeded with further studies.

I have become an experienced and competitive artisan in a way that I can use it to earn a living. Furthermore, it is apparent that people are convinced by my inspirational encouragements, which attract them towards personal development. Therefore, I have become a person to encourage and motivate others.

These aspects are part of a plan developing my skills and experiences to facilitate the integration of huger ideas and knowledge. They have allowed me to attain insight into various levels of my career. Tactically, there have been adequate concerns regarding the credibility of ideas.

Motivation is an aspect that can be implemented to improve the performance of employees and boosting their tactical approaches in attaining customer satisfaction. Essentially, maintaining the workforce of a business in a critical tool for ensuring that secrets and skills are retained within the business. This aspect implies that a business must be conscious about the working conditions of its esteems employees.

In fact, most of the employees working in such a business as the Luxury Hotel undertake shores within a career path where they improve their skills. The employees become the managers and end up becoming significant operators for business proceedings. In this regard, it is vital to create a system that allows employees to show their competitiveness and abilities.

The management may formulate model involving increment in salaries, elevating the working class, and initiating competition plan involving winning prizes among others. All these aspects do not only improve the overall business performance, but also isolate the dedicated employees to work and become future managerial workforce.

The employee would view this process of reward as an opportunity to earn extra income and attain better-working conditions within the business. In essence, some issues related to authoritative management may be transformed to situations where employees work under minimal supervision since they have set goals at a personal level.

This research presents these incentives and shows how they are applied to become beneficial to an organization. In so doing, it reaches the managerial and non-managerial workforce to attain all diverse incentives that may assist businesses to become productive and inspiring.

In essence, the process of making this decision was consistent to some of the theories of decision making. It is an indication that people make decisions in ways that can be generalized to apply to majority. Evidently, the process was characterized by some aspects envisaged in bounded rationality.

The theory of bounded rationality reveals that there are two systems of thoughts, including emotional and rational approaches to decision making (Schiavone 2011). When the parents were making this decision, the mother had taken an emotional approach while the father was rational. Clearly, the mother feared that the financial and moral destructions were beyond repair.

She felt that the family might become financially incapacitated if they bought the private school. However, she did not have the actual figures to support the fact that the current financial capability of the family could not handle the destructions. In essence, it was a decision that was based merely on the outward perception of the school rather than facts.

On the other hand, the father argued that the mismanagement prevailing in the school wasted the lives of many pupils. As a result, it was important to offer a solution to the problem. In his case, he stated that there were two options that included building another school or acquiring the existing one. However, he argued that building another school was more costly that acquisition.

Further, he pointed out that the family cannot make a conclusion on whether the investment was too taxing without getting all the facts first. He also indicated that the family would invest despite financial incapability because he was confident that the school could bring good returns if it were managed correctly.

The theory of common biases was also evident in this entire scenario and the holistic process of making the decision. In this regard, the misconception of chance was the most evident bias. The theory states that people have a tendency to misconceive that the probability of getting a certain outcome is less than another one (Adair 2010). This perception is informed by emotions and past experiences (Choi 2011).

However, present and future events are not necessarily consistent with the past ones (Xu 2011). In this case, the mother had a misconceived perception that the chances of succeeding in an attempt to renovate and improve the school were minimal. However, this perspective was not informed by factual financial figures that could provide a rationale. In essence, it can be considered as a perfect case of misconceived chance.

In a broader perspective, it cannot be disputed resolutely that people are more pessimistic about success (Dolton 2011). Only a few people who have strong will, passion, and determination envisage optimism. As such, the mother was a victim of this general condition since she did not find a good chance of success.

Besides the two theories of decision making, the process also envisaged clear indications of heuristics. In theoretical understanding, heuristics purports that people have certain ways of simplifying information and factor of decision making (Missier 2011). These simplifications create a situation in which the decision maker does not consider the factors with due diligence.

Further, the theory asserts that simplifying the aspects of decision making might lead to a misconception of the reality (Nooraie 2011). Such misconceptions are informed by concentrating on the wrong focus and disregarding the real one (Su 2011). For example, the father asserted that acquiring a constructed school is less costly than building a new one.

However, it is evident that the school, which was in question, had gained a bad reputation among parents and was in a financial crisis. As a result, the cost of acquisition was not the only factor in decision making. Instead, it was important to consider other crucial factors such as reputation and precedence. Whereas these two aspects were important to the investment decision, the father overlooked them.

This ignorance and assumption were caused by the simplification of the scenario in a manner that considered cost as the only important variable.

As a result, it can be concluded that bounded rationality, common biases, and heuristics were among the critical decision-making theories that characterized the entire process of purchasing the school. Indeed, this process contained two parties and hence the analysis is based on both of them.

Having reflected on the event that took place when the decision was being made by the parents, there were critical undertaking that were crucial to notice. First, rationality is a better approach to making a decision that emotional perspective. When a decision makers embrace rationality, they can conceptualize issues from a sober position. In that regard, their decisions are not hasty.

Instead, they are procedural and sequential in nature. Therefore, the approach allows the decision maker to pass through the necessary steps when making a determination. For example, the father’s rationality enabled him to wait and assess the financial requirements before dismissing the acquisition.

On the other hand, an emotional approach is a fundamentally flawed method of making decisions. In this regard, decision makers who used this method rush to determine the way forward without deep and profound considerations. For example, the mother had already dismissed the acquisition of the schools just because of the fear that the family was going to run short of funds.

Whereas this was the core determining factor of her decision, she did not have any convincing figures to show that the family would become incapacitates if they purchased the school. Biases are also important when it comes to the decision-making process. In fact, it is evident that people become biased even without noticing.

Lastly, I would have made this decision in a pretty different manner than how it was done in this case. Personally, I would have talked to some able parents and friends about the challenges facing the school and the community. In the discussion, the issue of poor management and quality of the education provided in the school could be the core agendas.

Afterwards, I would propose to join hands with those colleagues and acquire the school as a group. This decision could have been better than the latter because the potential financial risk would be shared. Additionally, acquiring the school as a group would eliminate the notion of private school and bring a picture of a community-based school.

In essence, this would be an appropriate strategy for removing the bad reputation that had been painted by the previous management. Further, managing the school as a group would allow the availability of diverse intellectual ideas of improving it.

The management of virtual teams may depict various fundamental challenges. The researchers laying arguments in the literature depict the need and effectiveness of virtual teams. They are identified as prevailing businesses effective in reaching the final outcomes of the researchers. The developments of the virtual teams are improving continuously as the information technology proceeds to attain integration across the globe.

The review indicates the proper management allows the teams to attain clients and loyalty for the services they offer. The use of internet in reaching their target members depict the impending quorum required. Presently, the teams have managed to penetrate and unity many people across the globe making the accessibility of services such as marketing easy. The virtual teams have allowed globalization to take place easily.

In fact, such social companies do make not only huge profits due to the prevalence of members and common interests, but also creates global civilization and understanding of cultural differences. Such interactions are similar to the application of virtual teams in handling issues throughout the globe. They bring the human resources at one point where they may be accessed and exploited by firms or business easily.

The most fundamental achievement of the development is attaining a workforce striving the meet the company goals in a willing manner. In businesses that do not consider motivating the employees, their work is usually directed by the salary earning the get from the business.

However, the motivation oriented workforce does not target the salaries solely. The workforce works hard to attain salaries among other benefits being offered. In fact, businesses managed through authoritative systems fail the employees in working effectively due to lack of peaceful and free mind. In this regard, there must be proper developmental capabilities to deal with issues personally and organizationally.

Adair, J 2010, Decision making and problem solving strategies , Kogan Page, London.

Choi, A 2011, Multiple-Criteria Decision-Making Based On Probabilistic Estimation with Contextual Information For Physiological Signal Monitoring, International Journal of Information Technology & Decision Making , vol. 10 no. 1, pp. 109.

Dolton, T 2011, Medical Decision Making: Supplement Policy. Medical Decision Making , vol. 31 no. 3, pp. 376-377.

Missier, F 2011, Decision-making Competence, Executive Functioning, and General Cognitive Abilities, Journal of Behavioral Decision Making , vol. 7, 127-129.

Nooraie, M 2011, Decision’s familiarity and strategic decision-making process output: the mediating impact of rationality of the decision-making process, International Journal of Applied Decision Sciences , vol. 4 no. 4, pp. 385.

Schiavone, F 2011, Strategic reactions to technology competition: A decision-making model, Management Decision , vol. 49 no. 5, pp. 801-809.

Su, Z 2011, A Hybrid Fuzzy Approach to Fuzzy Multi-Attribute Group Decision-Making. International Journal of Information Technology & Decision Making , vol. 10 no. 4, pp. 695.

Xu, Z 2011, Approaches to Multi-Stage Multi-Attribute Group Decision Making, International Journal of Information Technology & Decision Making , vol. 10 no. 1, pp. 121.

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Career Goals Essay For Scholarships (With Examples)

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Scholarship programs often want you to write a career goals essay to see that you have a clear plan for how you’ll apply your education to a specific career path. This helps show a scholarship committee why you’re seeking funds for the next step on the path toward your success. Answering “what are your career goals” effectively can help increase your odds of impressing landing a scholarship opportunity. If you’re a prospective student applying for scholarships, this article will provide tips on how to write a career goals essay, along with essays on career goals examples to help you get an idea of what scholarship committees are looking for. Key Takeaways: When you’re writing a career goals essay, make sure to write about the goals that are relevant to the scholarship. Be honest and use your own voice to stand out in your scholarship essay. Go into detail about how the scholarship will help you achieve your goals. In This Article Skip to section What is a career goals essay? Why scholarship essays ask about career goals Example career goals essay prompts Career goals essay examples Tips for writing a scholarship essay about career goals What to write in a career goals essay if your goals have changed Career goals essay for a scholarship FAQ References Sign Up For More Advice and Jobs Show More What is a career goals essay?

A career goals essay is a personal written explanation that discusses your background, why you’re interested in participating in the program, and what career you’d like this degree to lead into. A scholarship essay functions to explain why you want to achieve your professional goals and how you intend to get there.

In almost every application process, a portion asks the candidate to answer an essay question. When applying to an educational program, like an MBA, the essay prompt usually relates to your career goals .

Why scholarship essays ask about career goals

Scholarship essays ask about career goals to assess your enthusiasm for the program, learn more about how the scholarship will help you, and ensure that you’ve considered how the program will help you achieve your goals for the future:

Assess your enthusiasm. Passion is important for scholarship administrators, and if you’re able to articulate your enthusiasm for a specific career path , it will show that you’re determined to meet the requirements to reach that goal. The most specific and well-thought-out your essay is, the easier it will be for a reader to understand your devotion and commitment to the program and the field it will allow you to enter.

Learn how the scholarship will help you. Having a firm grasp of your career goals is great, but it’s equally important that you express exactly how the specific program relates to those goals. This shows that you’ve researched the merits of the program and understand exactly how it fits into your professional goals.

Show you’ve considered your future. This goes along with the first two points — show that you know how to set goals and consider the path toward achieving those goals, and you’ll have an easier time convincing the reader that you’ll know how to set goals while participating in the program. They’ll see that you know how to prioritize education because you have a clear vision for navigating your career path.

Example career goals essay prompts

While some scholarships might come right out and simply ask, “What are your career goals?” most will rework the question into something different that still accomplishes the same goal.

Below are some examples of career goals essay prompts that a scholarship program could pose to its applicants:

Discuss your career goals. Many scholarships prefer the most direct approach when giving an essay prompt to their applicants. This type of question gives the candidate a lot of wiggle room to discuss their passions, motivations, and career goals.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years ? This question is often used as a prompt for a career goals essay because it gives the applicant a timeline to describe their aspirations. It forces them to be realistic about where their career will be and how they will accomplish this within the next ten years.

How will this scholarship contribute to your professional success? A scholarship committee wants to be sure that the money they’re giving will contribute to a student’s overall professional success. This question asks about the applicant’s game plan in the long-term and evaluates how this program is going to assist in their future.

What is your dream job ? Since a dream job is often categorized as a person’s career goals, this is a common question phrasing in scholarship essays. Asking about a candidate’s dream job answers whether this program aligns with the student’s long-term career goals.

What matters most to you and why? Sometimes, a scholarship essay prompt won’t ask about your career or future at all. Instead, they’ll ask a question like this that assesses your motivations , values, and character.

Career goals essay examples

Use these examples of career goals essays for scholarships to help write your own. Pay special attention to how they’re organized, rather than the content, to inspire your own career goals essay:

Career goals essay example 1 – Discuss your career goals

When I was six years old, I was riding bikes with my older sister around our neighborhood. She had just taught me how to ride, and I was excited to have to freedom to explore with her. When she was rounding a particularly difficult bend to see around, a car happened to be coming along at the same time. It struck her. That bike ride changed our lives forever. Over the next year, I went with my sister every Tuesday and Thursday to her physical therapist ’s appointments to help her regain walking strength. Watching her physical therapist patiently assist my sister back to becoming herself awoken something in me. A passion for helping others in the same way eventually turned into a career goal of becoming a physical therapist myself. I decided to get my bachelor’s degree in exercise science. After graduating in 2019, I knew that the next step for me was to attend a graduate program in physical therapy. I was accepted to Lassell University Master of Science in Rehabilitation Services. This presented me with my latest goal along my career path, and I’m eagerly waiting to start. This scholarship would help me afford the wonderful opportunity to be a part of the Lassell University class of 2023, allowing me to continue working towards my ultimate career goal of becoming a physical therapist and helping others to become themselves again.

Career goals essay example 2 – Where do you see yourself in ten years?

In ten years, I will have been successfully running my own construction business for about five years. I’m currently a second-year student at the University of Texas, pursuing a master’s degree in business administration. I decided to get my MBA because I knew it would be a positive asset toward my long-term career goal of owning a construction business. In my high school years, I worked as a construction apprentice for a local business. I loved many aspects of the business, such as building something from nothing. I knew that I wanted to incorporate this work into my long-term career, but I didn’t want to work as an apprentice . This led me to pursue business. In ten years and with the help of this scholarship, I will have graduated with my MBA almost a decade prior . After graduation, I plan to take a business administration internship with a carpentry business to help myself get a footing in the field. After about two years of this, I will have started my own construction business.

Career goals essay example 3 – What matters most to you and why?

The people I surround myself with matter most to me. Whether it be my relatives, friends, or professional acquaintances, I always care the most about the happiness of the people around me. Making the people around me happy matters the most to me because I truly because we find our happiness through others. I believe that this drive to make a positive impression on the people around me is what drove me towards a career as a nurse . I always thought of hospitals as places where people need someone to support them and make their day a little happier. I wanted to be one of those who spend their careers positively impacting people in need. This scholarship will enable me to finally afford nursing school and go after my dream job full force.

Career goals essay example 4 – What are your short- and long-term career goals, and how will earning this degree contribute to achieving those goals? Please provide a minimum of 200 words.

My short-term career goals involve working directly with underprivileged young people to increase the literacy rate in my community. As a student of an underfunded and understaffed school, I’ve seen firsthand how much of an impact early literacy education makes on long-term achievement. It broke my heart to see my peers embarrassed at their struggle with reading at an advanced age, and this shame added another dimension to their lack of opportunity. Being a literacy educator for young people would allow me to serve this community directly to show them not only the necessity of strong written communication skills, but the joy of reading for pleasure. This program focuses specifically on early literacy, and would provide me a direct route to a career in serving the community I hope to serve. As for long-term career goals, I hope to one day create a program where socioeconomically parents can bring their children for literacy education, not only to increase their ability to navigate the world of language, but also to instill confidence and joy in the written word. What drew me to this program was that it also has administrative, legal, and business dimensions that would set me on the path toward achieving this goal.

Tips for writing a scholarship essay about career goals

Here are some tips to keep in mind for writing a career goals scholarship essay:

Write about goals relevant to the scholarship. Although you may have many different kinds of goals for your personal and professional future, a scholarship essay only discusses objectives that are relevant to the program you’re applying for.

Be honest. Applying for a scholarship is stressful because the applicant’s education is usually reliant on receiving these funds in one way or another. Even though it’s tempting to exaggerate your skills or pretend you’re more passionate about something than you are to make yourself a more competitive applicant, it’s a bad move.

Use your own, unique voice. The essay portion of a scholarship application is your chance to stand out by using your voice. Nobody else, regardless of their academic or professional achievements, is you. Make this clear in your career goals scholarship essay by keeping your unique written voice engrained in the words you produce.

Be specific. A big reason that scholarship committees ask applicants to write a career goals essay is to determine how prepared they are in planning their long-term professional goals. They aren’t interested in providing a scholarship to students who aren’t going to follow through with their career plans.

Explain long and short-term goals . Even if the essay prompt asks you to describe where you see yourself in ten years, you still need to tell them the steps leading towards this picture of success.

Include the short-term goals that add up to your larger career objectives in your essay response. Explain how accomplishing the smaller goals gives you an advantage when tackling long-term ones.

Explain how the program and scholarship will help you. Before writing your career goals essay, consider how this program and scholarship will help you in your career. The answer to this question is essential.

Follow the essay formatting guidelines. This may sound obvious, but it’s surprisingly easy to forget this step when your essay is finally flowing and when you’re scrambling to get it submitted on time.

Check, double-check , and triple-check the essay guidelines for content, word count, and formatting requirements. If you miss any of these steps, your essay may be immediately disqualified no matter how good it or the rest of your application is.

What to write in a career goals essay if your goals have changed

Many times career goals essays are written by students who have already completed at least some college or are applying to a post-graduate program and need more money to continue.

There’s a good chance that your career goals have changed since you started or graduated college. For example, say you wanted to be an engineer , so you got your undergraduate degree in engineering but realized you didn’t like it after working in the industry for a few years.

You decided that nursing would be more up your alley, and now you’re applying for a scholarship for a nursing program. While this isn’t unusual, it can make it more difficult to write a career goals essay since your past work doesn’t necessarily match your future goals.

In this case, you’ll simply need to explain why you changed your career path and why this next one is the best choice for you. Share your decision-making process to show that you haven’t taken the switch lightly, and talk about what you’ve already done to try to pursue this path.

Career goals essay for a scholarship FAQ

How do you write a career goal for a scholarship essay?

You write a career goal for a scholarship essay by sharing your passion, explaining both your long- and short-term goals, and relating your goals to the scholarship.

Explain why you want to pursue the career you’re pursuing, where you hope to be in the future and how you plan to get there, and how the scholarship will help you do this.

How do you describe your career goals in an essay?

You describe your career goals in an essay by explaining what you want to do in your career, why you decided on this career path, and what you’ve done so far to make that a reality.

You can usually work these factors into any prompt you receive, so think through them before you start writing so that you can use them as an outline of sorts.

What are career goals examples?

Examples of career goals include:

Working as a grant writer for a nonprofit organization.

Becoming a department manager and eventually an executive in your field.

Owning your own plumbing company.

Caring for underserved communities as a nurse practitioner .

What are some goals for success?

Some goals for success include growing in your role, building your network, and finding joy in the job. Most careers don’t just happen overnight and require you to set the right milestones that work best for you. Not everyone will have the same goals for success.

How do you start a career goals essay for a scholarship?

You can start a career goals essay for a scholarship by directly answering the prompt. Most scholarship prompts include a word count of between 200 and 500 words, so it’s essential that you immediately respond to the prompt. Attention-grabbing sentences and narratives can be helpful for setting the scene, but an efficient and direct answer will show a clarity of mind that helps enhance the quality of your answer.

BLS – Career planning for high schoolers

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Sky Ariella is a professional freelance writer, originally from New York. She has been featured on websites and online magazines covering topics in career, travel, and lifestyle. She received her BA in psychology from Hunter College.

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104 Career Development Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

Inside This Article

Career development is an essential aspect of personal growth and professional success. Whether you are a student exploring different career paths or a working professional looking to advance in your current field, writing an essay on career development can help you gain clarity and insight into your goals and aspirations. To help you get started, here are 104 career development essay topic ideas and examples:

The importance of career development in achieving personal and professional goals.
How to create a career development plan that aligns with your skills and interests.
The impact of technology on career development in the digital age.
The role of education in career development and advancement.
Exploring different career paths: How to discover your true passion.
The benefits of career development programs and workshops for employees.
The challenges and opportunities of a career change.
The role of mentorship in career development.
How to effectively network for career growth.
The importance of continuous learning and professional development.
The impact of globalization on career opportunities.
The skills and qualities needed for success in the modern workplace.
The influence of family and cultural background on career choices.
The role of internships and apprenticeships in career development.
The impact of social media on personal branding and career advancement.
The benefits and challenges of freelancing and remote work.
The role of emotional intelligence in career success.
The importance of work-life balance in career satisfaction.
The impact of gender and diversity on career opportunities.
The role of self-assessment in career decision-making.
The impact of economic factors on career choices.
The benefits of volunteering in career development.
The influence of societal expectations on career choices.
The role of personality traits in choosing a career path.
The impact of automation and artificial intelligence on future job prospects.
The benefits of having a career mentor.
The role of leadership skills in career advancement.
The impact of organizational culture on career development.
The benefits of international work experience in career growth.
The role of goal setting in career planning.
The impact of career development on job satisfaction.
The benefits and challenges of entrepreneurship.
The role of communication skills in career success.
The influence of role models on career choices.
The impact of economic recession on career opportunities.
The benefits of continuous feedback and performance reviews in career growth.
The role of emotional well-being in career development.
The impact of job insecurity on career choices.
The benefits of developing a personal brand for career advancement.
The role of negotiation skills in career progression.
The impact of work environment on career satisfaction.
The benefits of lifelong learning in career development.
The role of resilience in overcoming career setbacks.
The influence of societal trends on career choices.
The impact of job automation on future career prospects.
The benefits of cross-functional experience in career growth.
The role of networking events in career development.
The impact of organizational support on career advancement.
The benefits of mentoring others in your career field.
The role of adaptability in navigating career changes.
The influence of personal values on career choices.
The impact of job market trends on career opportunities.
The benefits of professional certifications in career development.
The role of feedback in improving career performance.
The impact of flexible work arrangements on career satisfaction.
The benefits of continuous self-reflection in career growth.
The role of social capital in career advancement.
The impact of job mobility on career choices.
The benefits of attending industry conferences in career development.
The role of work-life integration in achieving career success.
The influence of organizational values on career choices.
The impact of job outsourcing on future career prospects.
The benefits of cross-cultural experience in career growth.
The role of professional associations in career development.
The impact of work-life balance policies on career satisfaction.
The benefits of seeking feedback from colleagues in career development.
The role of mentorship in promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
The impact of job insecurity on career choices for millennials.
The benefits of building a personal brand on social media in career growth.
The role of negotiation skills in achieving work-life balance.
The influence of personal interests and hobbies on career choices.
The impact of artificial intelligence on the future of career development.
The benefits of pursuing advanced degrees in career advancement.
The role of emotional intelligence in managing workplace conflicts.
The impact of job satisfaction on career choices.
The benefits of participating in professional development programs for career growth.
The role of mindfulness in career development.
The influence of organizational structure on career choices.
The impact of job insecurity on career choices for Generation Z.
The benefits of building a personal network in career advancement.
The role of negotiation skills in career transitions.
The impact of workplace diversity on career satisfaction.
The benefits of pursuing side projects and hobbies in career development.
The role of resilience in adapting to technological advancements in the workplace.
The influence of parental expectations on career choices.
The impact of job automation on the future of career paths.
The benefits of cross-industry experience in career growth.
The role of emotional intelligence in effective leadership and career advancement.
The impact of job security on career choices.
The benefits of continuous professional training in career development.
The role of work-life balance in reducing occupational burnout and enhancing career satisfaction.
The influence of societal norms and stereotypes on career choices.
The impact of job market competition on future career prospects.
The benefits of workplace mentoring programs in career growth.
The role of negotiation skills in salary negotiation and career progression.
The impact of workplace culture on employee engagement and career satisfaction.
The benefits of international assignments in career development.
The role of self-confidence in career advancement.
The influence of personal experiences and challenges on career choices.
The impact of job security on career choices for the gig economy.
The benefits of continuous learning and upskilling in career growth.
The role of emotional intelligence in building effective workplace relationships and fostering career success.
The impact of job satisfaction on overall life satisfaction and career choices.
The benefits of pursuing a portfolio career in career development.

These essay topic ideas provide a diverse range of perspectives on career development. Whether you choose to explore the impact of technology, societal expectations, personal values, or any other aspect, remember to back your arguments with examples and evidence to make your essay more compelling. Good luck with your career development journey and essay writing!

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Career Planning

How to Write a Career Development Plan

Last Updated: July 10, 2019 Approved

This article was co-authored by Adrian Klaphaak, CPCC . Adrian Klaphaak is a career coach and founder of A Path That Fits, a mindfulness-based boutique career and life coaching company in the San Francisco Bay Area. He is also an accredited Co-Active Professional Coach (CPCC). Klaphaak has used his training with the Coaches Training Institute, Hakomi Somatic Psychology, and Internal Family Systems Therapy (IFS) to help thousands of people build successful careers and live more purposeful lives. wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. In this case, 96% of readers who voted found the article helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 196,616 times.

A career development plan is a useful tool for anyone attempting to progress deliberately through a specific career path. Learning how to write a career development plan forces you to critically consider where you are in your current career, where you'd like to be, how you think you can get there, and how you'll measure your actions.

Establishing Your Overall Goals

Step 1 Start by writing down your primary field of interest.

For example, say you want to work in an academic field. You could write something like, "My primary career interest is teaching at a college-level."

Step 2 Consider how you identify professionally.

Try to write down some of your personal skills. Even if you're just starting out, you may have general qualities that can be an asset to an employer. For example, maybe you're hardworking. Maybe you're easy to get along with and tend to be helpful to others.
Discuss your hobbies and education. These can help establish the skills you have already learned that you can bring to the work force.
What drives you as a worker? Are you driven by passion, the aspiration for success, or something else? Write down your main motivational factor before continuing with your plan.

Adrian Klaphaak, CPCC

Your personal strengths and interests can help you choose your ideal career. Career coach Adrian Klaphaak says: "Your strengths have built you to do certain things well and with ease. Your passions have programmed you to love some things and not others, and your personality has wired you to thrive in a specific type of work environment. You have a unique purpose that will bring meaning to your life and create a positive impact in the world."

Step 3 Establish where you are at the moment.

What is your current position in your field? Have you just finished your education? Are you beginning your educational path towards your goal career? Are you working an entry level position?
Write down exactly where you fall on the career ladder right now. For example, "Graduate student and teaching assistant in literature."

Step 4 Think about where you want to be in the future.

Leave aside any barriers here when you considered your dream career. If there was nothing holding you back, where would you ideally be in 5 years? 10 years? Do not worry about dreaming too big.
Write down your ultimate career goal. For example, you could write something like, "I would like to be a tenured literature professor at a four year university."

Breaking Your Goals Down into Smaller Steps

Write down a series of short and long term goals that will help you achieve your dreams. These goals should be relevant to your career at hand and obtainable. They should also be tangible goals so you can measure your progress along the way. Have a sense of when you want to achieve certain goals. For example, "Be a better teacher" is somewhat vague. To make it a SMART goal, think about what areas you want to improve in and write goals that cater to those areas.
You could narrow down the following goal more. For example, you could say something like, "I would like to improve the sense of support in my classroom by fostering more one-on-one time with the students." This is a measurable, specific goal that's relevant to your career. You can also set a time table for this goal. You can plan to foster more one-on-one time by spring semester.

Step 2 Write down concrete means to achieve your goals.

Returning to fostering more one-on-one time in the classroom, think about how this could be done. It's okay to consult other teachers and mentors here for advice. Maybe you could require three conference days where you talk to students one-on-one about their progress each year. You could also try to be more available electronically. Be more vigilant about returning student emails so students feel they can come to you with concerns.
From here, figure when you want to get this done by. These could be your goals for the coming semester. You could strive to improve the level of one-on-one support by the end of spring semester. The results, which should be measurable, could be your student evaluations. Write down something like, "I hope to see improved ratings in my student evaluations due to the increased classroom support."

Step 3 Identify any barriers to your goals.

These can be personal issues. For example, you may be a disorganized person by nature. Therefore, it may be hard to keep up with things like student email and grading. You could write down something like, "Being disorganized reduces the time I have available for my tasks". Or maybe you purposefully avoid doing certain tasks that you don't enjoy, which you could list as "My tendency towards procrastination may hold me back."
There may also be larger factors at play holding you back from your dreams. For example, academia is a competitive field with a limited number of jobs. You could write something like, "The job market for academic careers in the humanities is very competitive."

Step 4 Figure out means to defeat these barriers.

If you're a procrastinator by nature, what steps can you take to combat this? You can say something like, "I will limit my time on Facebook and Twitter." If you're disorganized, you could say "I will start using a calendar to track deadlines".
As for larger barriers, like a competitive job market, what can you do to set yourself apart? In academia, connections and active participation in the community can help set you apart. You could write something like, "I will maintain positive references with my contacts from graduate school" and "I will join a variety of academic organizations relevant to my field."

Evaluating Your Progress and Setting Deadlines

Step 1 Figure out how to measure career progress.

Know means of evaluating your success. For example, you could strive for improved ratings in student evaluations each semester.
You should also focus on participation in the community, maintaining contacts, and achieving certain awards, honors, and publications. How many publications you have, and any academic honors you receive, can be concrete measures of success. The time you've committed to an organization can also speak to success. For example, you could pledge at least a year to working on the student affairs committee in your graduate program.

Step 2 Order your career development on a timeline.

You can start at the beginning. Look at the goals you want to achieve by the end of this month or year. Write them down in order at the beginning of your timeline, including how you'll achieve these goals, any possible setback, and how you'll evaluate your success.
Then, move forward. What do you want to achieve in the next two years? The next five years? The next ten years? Keep adding on your goals in order, including setbacks, means to measure them, and means to achieve them.
For the example, your career path may start with activities in graduate school. These could include solid student teaching experience, obtaining awards and honors, and participating in graduate school organizations. As you move forward, you may want to gain an adjunct position, then move on to more permanent work. Eventually, your path should lead you to obtaining the role of a tenured professor of literature.

For an academic path, a milestone may be something like obtaining your master's degree, and then your doctorate. You also want to include things like accruing a particular honor or award, like gaining membership into an honors society.

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About This Article

If you want to write a career development plan, start by writing down the field you want to work in and where you're currently at on the career ladder. Next, add the qualities you bring to your work, like being hard-working. Finally, show how you'll reach your dream job by writing down the goals you need to achieve to get there and concrete steps to achieve each goal. For example, you could say you want to improve the amount of 1-on-1 support you give by offering your students more office hours. For tips on how to evaluate your progress and how to create a timeline, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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How to Develop a 5-Year Career Plan

by Mary McNevin, Ed. D.

Summary .

Having a long-term plan for your career can help you reduce career-related stress, increase your perceived employability, and allow you to connect more deeply with your purpose. But how do you move beyond yearly career goals and create a five-year plan?

Brainstorm. Start by thinking about how you want your career to develop and what you need to do to get there. This requires self-reflection. You’ll need to identify your primary goal, your passions, how your existing skills contribute to both those things, and your areas for improvement.
Gather feedback. We’re not aways the best judges of our own capabilities and strengths. That’s why it can be important early in your planning process to gather feedback from your superiors, mentors, and peers. They may help you discover career opportunities you never considered for yourself, clue you into strengths you may be overlooking, and share insights regarding your areas for growth and development.
Map it out. After doing some self-reflection and gathering feedback, it’s time to organize the information you’ve collected. Consider keeping track of your plan in PowerPoint. For example, slide 1 should outline the career goals you identified in your self-reflection. Slide 2 should list out the skills you already have and the ones you would need to achieve your ultimate career goals. Slide 3 should highlight the development activities you plan to pursue over the next five years to help you achieve your goals. And slide 4 should present all of the possible obstacles that might prevent you from achieving your goal and how to address those challenges.
Iterate. Unlike year-long goal setting, the process of creating a five-year plan is never complete. One way to ensure you’re keeping your plan updated is to set a quarterly calendar reminder. This will help you address any new developments in your life or career and make changes where necessary.

“Where do you see yourself in five years?”

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