How can you start planning your career path?

Consider these steps as you build your career path:

Learn about potential career options
Explore growing job markets
Identify careers that match your skills
Understand career qualifications
Evaluate salaries and other benefits
Compare possible career paths
Create SMART goals
Develop a career action plan

1. Learn about potential career options

Start learning about career options by asking friends, family, and colleagues about their profession. Find out what skills they use and what qualifications they have. Ask them what they like and dislike about their job and what experience they have gained prior to their current position.

Next, research top companies and look for professionals in the field. Attend face-to-face or online networking events or engage in informative conversations with experts. Try pursuing volunteer opportunities, internships or on-the-job experience to gain hands-on experience in a potential job.

2. Explore growing job markets

Growing job markets tend to offer the most professional potential. Try talking to experts in your field to learn about some of the most exciting opportunities they have to offer. Read the best publications and online news sources for your field and watch for new careers that interest you.

For a more comprehensive view of growing job markets, check out data-driven studies such as the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics's list of fastest growing occupations. With a quick glance, you can identify which jobs have the highest potential and offer the highest average salary.

3. Identify careers that match your skills

Consider the technical skills you learned at school or work to choose a field that makes you feel secure and successful. For example, you may know how to teach concepts to a class, operate heavy equipment, or develop a media buying plan.

Next, think about your soft skills, which are the behaviors and traits you have acquired. For example, you may know how to critically analyze a topic, or you may be good at communicating clearly. Match your list of technical and social skills with the career paths you are considering to see how suitable they are.

4. Understand career qualifications

Start by reviewing the degrees you will need to work in your chosen field. Determine whether you will need a bachelor's degree in a particular subject and whether you will need a master's degree for advanced positions.

Next, review the professional certifications that can help you succeed in your field and review the licensing requirements for your profession. Make a note of the licensing process in your area to ensure you are legally qualified for the job.

5. Evaluate salaries and other benefits

To assess the earning potential in your field, try exploring salaries on Indeed or browsing careers by industry. Here you can find the average annual salary for common occupations and identify factors that can increase your earning potential, such as getting a master's degree.

As you review job listings, note the benefits each position offers, such as healthcare, vacation time, and telecommunications opportunities. These benefits can reduce your expenses and improve your quality of life, making them essential to include in your total compensation.

6. Compare possible career paths

After considering several potential career paths, compare your options. It can require much more skill and an additional degree, which can be more time consuming or expensive compared to other options. Another may have significantly higher earning potential.

Then compare how well each career path matches your core values. The person may allow you to develop more of the personal qualities and relationships you desire to have. Another can inspire you to produce your best professional work. Review your list of pros and cons to assess which professional path can help you achieve your goals.

7. Create SMART goals

Because it can take years to follow a career path, break up broader goals into smaller ones you can pursue. Try setting SMART goals to guide you through the process:

Specific: Make your goal as precise as possible. If you are aiming to become a teacher, set a specific goal, such as teaching high school biology in your local school system.
Measurable: Measure your progress. Identify criteria such as completing a bachelor's degree in education or applying for 10 jobs that meet your requirements.
Attainable: Set goals that you can reach. To verify that your goal is achievable, consider the steps one by one and consider how realistic they are.
Related: Any career-related goal you set should be really important. Consider how important the goal is and whether it will help you achieve your long-term goals.
Time-based: Give deadlines to your goals. If you stick to a certain time frame, you will have an easier time reaching the final result and motivating yourself to take action.

8. Develop a career action plan

Review the action items in your SMART goals and chart the steps you need to take to create a map for your professional future. Then put them on a paper or digital calendar to create your schedule. Have your career action plan ready so you can review it regularly. Mark each step you complete and reward yourself for both big and small achievements.

Review and revise your career action plan as needed. New opportunities, technological advances, personal priorities and trends in the economy can all cause fundamental career planning changes.