IndexAbstractIntroductionConclusionReferencesAbstractTimes are changing, especially when it comes to the working class and new generations. You need to ask common questions, for example, do you know the difference between a job and a career. Are you currently employed in a job or career? It's never too early to ask yourself these questions, in fact, you should start quite early. Career planning takes years of work and should constantly evolve as you do. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Keywords: career, job, planning, future Among the number of topics to choose from, I decided to do my own research paper on career planning. This essay discusses the importance of career planning and how it can impact one's future success. Based on my personal experience, this was the one thing that stood out to me and it made perfect sense. Not only to educate others, but to educate myself in the process of this assignment. Introduction Before I go into detail about what career planning is and why it is so important, I would like to introduce myself to my reader. To help you understand better why this topic is very important to me. First of all, I am considered "second generation", meaning I have a parent born abroad. That would be my mother, born in Jalisco, Mexico. This would make my son a “third generation,” meaning both of his parents were born here in the United States. I am one of my parents' three children. This makes me the middle child and the only girl in the family. I got pregnant my freshman year of college and refused to become a statistic. I took a break and when my son was three months old I re-enrolled in community college full time. I had no idea what I wanted to do, so I focused on my general education. I was a sophomore and had many units under my belt, enough for me to graduate early. But then I realized I didn't have a major, I honestly didn't know I needed one to graduate. So I looked up all the lessons I had achieved and narrowed down the level I fell into. I had taken several courses in child development, psychology, and sociology with my friends. It turned out I was close to a degree in social and behavioral sciences, so that's what I focused on. Eventually, I graduated and looked into Cal States. Turns out I couldn't get a degree in Social and Behavior, but I could do so in Sociology with all my transferable units. Eventually, I graduated again and got my bachelor's degree in Sociology. I imagined that with my degree I could easily get hired as a social worker. I was so proud, I was the first and only one in my family to graduate from college, even though I got pregnant so young. My family was very supportive of me focusing on school and allowed me to live rent-free as long as I stayed focused on my studies. My son was seven and I felt like school had taken so much of his time; I took a year off before looking for work. I never worried about pursuing a career, because growing up, my father always told me: “You can major in knitwear if you want, as long as you have a degree, you can get a job anywhere!” Of course, career planning was unfamiliar to both my parents and me. When I was ready to go out and look for a job, I realized very quickly that it wasn't that easy. It's great to have onedegree, but what you need for a job are years of experience in a related field. Everything I worked so hard for came to a screeching halt. I may have been the only person in my family with a college degree, but I'm also the only person without a career, and it seemed like it would be a few years before I got one. According to Rue, statistics showed that college graduates had held between 8-10 jobs and at least three careers in their lifetime. At this point in my life I only had four jobs, mostly retail and a year of working with children. No real experience where I can use my degree. My experience has shown me how important it is to plan your career as early as possible. Career planning can be something you start in eighth or ninth grade. This will give you plenty of time to research your options, set a timeline, and see what resources are available to you. This can also guide you in the type of part-time jobs you can do that would be great experience for your future career. During my research, I began looking into early career planning and the benefits that come with it. In an article I found online there are a number of reasons to start early, some of them: knowing yourself, researching majors and careers, participating in job shadowing, and using career services in college. There are many resources available and even a counselor willing to help. In high school, each student is assigned an advisor, my advice is to build a trusting relationship with him or her, and they can be very helpful in pointing you in the right direction. My fiancé has a very different experience than me, and he has known what he wanted to be since he was little. In high school he met his counselor who asked him those important questions. What do you want to be when you grow up? He initially said: NBA player, which the counselor supported, but also recommended having a plan B. His second choice was a police officer. His counselor immediately prepared him for ROTC, criminal justice electives, and the police exploratory program; that was the turning point in his life. Today he is a Los Angeles County deputy. All the jobs he held before his career were related to security, which gave him much more experience for his future. He has mentioned many times in the past that if his advisor hadn't done this, he might not be where he is today. My fiancé's experience touched on all the key points I listed above about why it's wise to start early. He met himself in the police scouting program. Criminal justice courses were the stepping stone to the major he took in college. And he worked as a scout alongside the Ontario Police Department and worked as a scout. Rue also mentions in the lyrics that career planning isn't something someone else can do for you, it has to come from within. And although each person is responsible for their own career planning, it has been proven that those who do not receive encouragement make little progress. I believe this to be true based on my experience, as mentioned above, and based on my fiancé's experience. Career planning and development should be ongoing and evolve as you do. I think starting early also gives you room to change your mind. As previously mentioned, a study conducted in the 1990s showed that those who attended college held between 8 and 10 jobs and at least three careers over their lifetime. I changed my mind a few times while I was in college. I thought about a nursing major and took a few.