Navigating post-secondary education can be scary. At each transition phase, we dread the question, “So, what’s next?” because, for many of us, we have no idea! The challenge of knowing how to take ownership of our careers and begin to manage them strategically can be daunting. Here at TheCOMonline, it is our goal to share resources that will help you take ownership of and strategically manage your education as an important step towards your desired career. This will help you be best prepared for that perfect opportunity whenever it comes along. As with most things, the best place to start is at the beginning. Here are a couple of related posts to get you started: Chance Favors The Prepared Mind & What’s Next?
Now that you have the basic overview, it’s time to begin strategically managing your career. What is Strategic Career Management? Well, the best way to define it is to look at the definitions for each of the words:
Strategic: relating to the identification of short-term or long-term overall aims and interests and the specific means of achieving them.
Career: a commitment undertaken for a significant period of a person’s life and with opportunities for progress and advancement. The time spent by a person while committed to a particular profession.
Management: the process of dealing with or controlling components or people.
So, to put this together, we can define Strategic Career Management (SCM) as: “A committed effort to identify short- and long-term professional aims and interests and the specific means of dealing with time, resources and people to achieve opportunities for advancement towards those defined goals.” As the definition for “Career” indicates, this is about pursuing a particular profession and will likely involve holding many different jobs or positions. Many of our interests – including the professional ones – change and/or mature as we go through life. So fight the urge to strap on the blinders that come with pursuing a specific job title! Finally, although internal reflection and personal ownership are an absolute must, here at the Community of Minds we strongly recommend you draw on the wisdom and support of your community to help you in this process.
The SCM pages are designed to give you a bit more information and resources specifically relevant for each step. They are organized into 4 categories:
- Identify: career option exploration
- Defining “The Void”: identify the skills you need and are lacking to be the best at what you most want to do
- Commit: set SMART goals with milestones for reflection
- Community Perspectives: perspectives & advice from others navigating various science career paths
Click on a category above or use the drop down menu under “SCM” in the main tool bar to access associated content. Because we are a Community, please feel free to share any resources you have found useful using the Comment box at the bottom of the page. Remember, this is a process. Skill development takes effort over time!
The SCM pages are currently a work in progress. Be sure to check back for new additions, or subscribe to our newsletter to receive updates of new content. As always, if you have suggestions for related, relevant content, please share it with us!
