Career Planning (Working Adults)

A guide on how to plan for your career as a working adult

Ikigai and Career Planning

• Meaning of Ikigai: A reason for being; living with a sense of purpose

• Importance of career planning:

Work makes up a significant portion of our lives — an average of 90,000 hours of a person's lifetime is spent at work.

The work that we do contributes significantly to our sense of self.

How to find your Ikigai 

Finding your Ikigai means finding the intersection of these 4 following entities:

1. What you love

2. What the world needs

3. What you can be paid for

4. What you are good at

   
   

   This list is not sequential (e.g. you may choose to venture into something you love first, then figure out how you can get paid for it)

   It is a journey — you may not be able to find something that fulfils all4 of the entities now; it takes time and patience to find a fulfilling vocation

   
   

1) What You Love

• Are you passionate about your current career?

• Are you emotionally connected to the product/ impact of your work?

• Would you continue with your current career if financial renumeration was not an issue?

  
  

2) What the World Needs

• Does your work help to alleviate an issue in society?

• Is there a demand for your skills and knowledg

• Will your skills and knowledge still be in demand in the future(e.g. 10 years from now)?

  
  

3) What You Can Be Paid For

• Recently, have you received financial renumeration for your work?

• Are you comfortable with your current salary?

• Is there a healthy amount of competition in your field?

  
  

4) What You Are Good At

• Is the impact of your work useful?

• Do you feel that you are good at what you do?

• Given more education and experience, can you become an expert at what you do?

Upskilling and Reskilling

• It is important that we remain open to learning new skills and knowledge in an ever-evolving job market. Given the unpredictability of the current Covid-19 pandemic, being adaptable has become evenmore vital.

• Resources you can tap on for upskilling and reskilling:Resources provided by the government (e.g.SkillsFuture SG)

  • Resources provided by the organization you are currently working for (e.g. continuing education courses)

  • Tap on Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) platforms (e.g. EdX, Coursera)

  
  

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Written by: Jasmine Tan | Designed by: Jasmine Tan | Edited by: Jonathan Kuek