Career planning during studies
It is a good idea to start career planning at the beginning of your studies. Career planning can be started by considering one’s own skills to date, for example through a life course. What have I done, what have I been doing and what have been my specific interests? Behind these are often found competencies, the articulation essential for identifying competencies.
Sectoral competencies also act as a mirror of professional competence. It’s good to start by thinking about what are the highlights of your skills and identifying them. It is also important to think about your own aspirations, goals, and plans for your career.
One’s own career planning during studies is influenced by e.g. internships, the topic of the thesis and different course assignments, and where to apply for summer jobs.
By field of study (social field and interpretation of sign language and speech disabilities) or advanced (health field) studies, you can delve into a specific field or client group that interests you. If you do not know where you want to go, it is a good idea to choose the one that is most interesting to you and one that you feel will help you in many different careers in the future.
Placement and thesis
In all placements, you get to expand or deepen your skills and you can learn new things about yourself as well as find new angles for career planning.
- Placement
- Students in projects
The thesis is one of the key elements of your polytechnic studies and its goal is to develop the skills with which you apply your knowledge accumulated in your studies. In addition, through the thesis, your ability to apply this competence in practical expert tasks related to professional studies will develop. It is possible to choose a perspective for the thesis, with which you want to accumulate certain skills also from the perspective of your career planning. If you go to do a topic in the so-called on a ready-made topic, such as a Diak project, you will also gain valuable project expertise, working life expertise and special expertise in one of the subject areas, also for career planning.
The working life orientation is essential in the Bachelor’s thesis. The working life partner of the thesis and its networks is one of the most significant working life networks during the studies. You can find a partner, for example, in internships, partners in other courses or at the department. You may start to notice collaborators right from the first course, so keep them in your mind as the thesis process begins. More about the topic selection of the thesis on the website for Thesis.
Feedback supporting career planning
During your studies, you will do a self-examination of the things you are good at and want to develop, as well as the things that interest you the most. In addition to self-examination, it is important to gather feedback on how others see you. The evaluations of the trainings and the feedback you receive on the team processes and outputs of the team assignments serve as a great mirror here. You should take them as a gift and collect them for yourself.
Reflections on feedback will also take you forward in your own career planning. Consider what kind of things you want to develop in yourself and your competence in the light of the feedback, and focus on, for example, internships, learning and work tasks where it is possible to develop these. Identifying one’s own skills is also important for job search.
Networking during studies
Today, the importance of networking is growing all the time, as a large proportion of jobs are acquired through networks. Networks can also provide new information on working life and various career opportunities. For this reason, it is worth starting to make contacts already during your studies, for example in internships and projects, and by getting to know your student colleagues. Networks can be outlined and documented for yourself, even on a professional network map, which also includes contact information for possible future contacts.
New networks can be created at seminars and various events in your field. In networking, it is also worth utilizing various channels, such as some groups in your field, LinkedIn and Facebook. Your own network can consist of several different aspects of life, such as work, study, personal life and leisure contacts.
Support from a mentor
Towards the end of the studies, many issues related to graduation, working life and profession become topical. While waiting for graduation, the graduation phase and the transition to working life can also evoke a wide variety of surprising feelings and thoughts. It would be important to have them shared with someone who understands and who has gone through the same steps.
In Diak’s mentoring program, you have the opportunity to be mentored by Diak’s alumni. Mentoring means the guidance and support that a more experienced person gives to a mentee. Discussions with the mentor are confidential and appointment times are agreed between you (the mentee) and the mentor. The process lasts for one semester, including a joint opening and closing meeting of mentees and mentors, as well as about five bilateral meetings. Read more and apply!
Mentoring can help you find answers to for example the following questions:
