"Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?"

"That depends a good deal on where you want to get to," said the cat.
"I don't much care where," said Alice.
"Then it doesn't matter which way you go," said the cat.
"So long as I get somewhere," Alice added as an explanation.
"Oh, you're sure to do that," said the cat, "If you only walk long enough."

Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

You do not want to embark upon and meander through your professional career in the same way in which Alice navigated in Wonderland; you must positively manage your career. In the same way as companies work from a business plan as a road map so professionals must take control of their own career, set goals and milestones and monitor their progress.

A career plan is a document that outlines your 'current position'; your 'target position' and the steps you intend to take to move between the two. A timeline is an integral part of a career plan. Your plan should be a fluid and evolving document that is reviewed and refined over time as your circumstances, interests and career objectives evolve.

A career plan will assist you to behave more strategically when it comes to:

• pursuing employment opportunities
• undertaking further education and professional development
• broadening your skill and knowledge base
• broadening your professional network
• growing your professional profile

A career plan will allow you to regularly review your achievements against your planned objectives so that you can track your own progress in moving towards your identified goals.

Career Plan

The following framework can help you plan your career

1. Knowing your career preferences: Understanding yourself through a self-assessment of your skills, interests, abilities, values and personality.
   The APESMA Career Workbook is a valuable tool for reviewing who you are and your personal strengths and abilities. APESMA Members can access the Career Workbook through www.apesma.asn.au. This information can help you plan your career both now and in the future.
2. Explore Options - Explore your options (study, career, volunteer work, vacation work, part-time and casual work, industry training and internships). Gathering information about your occupational options is an integral part of mapping your career. Information about your options can include:
   • job descriptions
   • working environment and conditions
   • training
   • other qualifications & advancement opportunities
   • future job prospects
   • rates of pay
   This information can be obtained from media clippings, jobs advertised, recruitment firms or organisations that specialise in these careers.
   Some suggested sources that can assist you with career exploration include: university listings of graduates and employers, Internet, job advertisements, business directories, in house publications, trade journals, professional publications and career services such as ETM.
3. Making a decision – Successful career decision making
4. Taking Action - Including setting goals, developing career management skills (such as self-reliance skills, and maintaining career health), and how to evaluate your progress and how to start taking action with your career.

The downloadable spreadsheet here provides you with a format to enter your short and longer term goals, to identify the steps you need to take to reach your goals, to identify what assistance or information you may need along the route and milestones for periodic review. Do map your career, do plan your path and do che