Planning Career Development Early

I. Introduction

I have researched through various methods like reading and consulting mentors and career coaches and I have concluded that proactivity is essential in leading a career with success. This is because with proactivity, a person assesses their abilities and make the most realistic decisions in line with those abilities and the options available. Reactiveness may lead a person into the wrong career path that may undermine or diminish the potentials.

II. Career Plans

I have designed a strategy to guide myself in my career life, therefore I have listed my plans for the early parts of my career. I plan on pursuing a career as a lawyer. This stems from a desire to champion for various causes of justice. My grandfather had a long and rewarding career. Over the years I have gained a lot of insight into his career and seen the good he has managed to bring into the community. In addition to this, I have been able to see that there are various issues in our society that would need the expertise of attorneys to help with the much needed reform. Some of these issues include deficiencies in the law in regard to civil rights and reforms in the general justice system. My hope is to become a justice in the Supreme Court as the cap to a long and successful career someday. This means that I will have to get a pre-law degree from a respected institution then a law degree from a preferably top law school followed by a distinguished career if I am to become a Supreme Court nominee someday.

III. Skills and Academic Preparation

I have various skills that I believe will aid me a great deal in the pursuit of my prospective career. Firstly, I have quite remarkable writing skills. Throughout high school I have written dozens of papers for class and received commendations from teachers as well as participating in various competitions where I always did well. Having been involved in various activities, I developed my oratory skills and can talk in front of an audience. I shall hone this skill further as I know it will play a key role in the way my career shall turn out. Similarly, I have participated in various debates and thus learnt how to create an argument and justify it with facts thereby strengthening my debate skills. In a similar light, I also have excellent academic records thus I believe I should be able to do what is required to pass through to college and law school. After high school, I will be attending Michigan State University for my undergraduate and prelaw degree where I shall pursue a double major in economics and history. I believe these courses shall equip me with the most relevant knowledge for my career path of choice.

IV. Interpersonal Skills and Campus Involvement

Over the course of high school, I have been able to develop interpersonal skill thanks to various extracurricular activities I was a part of. I have been able to develop ways of relating to people and an ability to exert myself effortlessly. i have also been able to develop the trait of being assertive. This quality enable me to become a leader in several groups and clubs I was a part of and I believe it will help propel me to the top of the professional field in the future. Assertiveness, the ability to exert myself, and great interpersonal skill are very crucial to my career prospects. While in campus, I should be able to use them in a number of ways. Firstly, I hope to run for office in the student's leadership, contribute to the law journal and participate in moot court. I believe I have the qualities needed to succeed. Secondly, I hope to secure an internship and clerkship due to my ability to exert myself and my assertiveness. Thirdly, I hope to stand out due my stellar qualities and impress various relevant figures so as to have a better footing as I start my career.

V. Extracurricular Activities and Building Experience

With college being the next stepping stone in the journey towards a career in law, I have delved in various extracurricular activities in the past that may prove to be relevant. These include debate clubs, essay competitions on various matters of the law, dummy court procedures as a part of my pursuit of my passions. I intend on continuing with this trend all through college. This is especially important since they count even more by aiding in building relevant skills, and creating stronger law school applications if I am to get into one of the best laws schools in the country. Thus, summer internships as paralegal or local law non-governmental agencies would be quite the priority. For instance, I could volunteer to work at a local service project center say to tutor in inner city schools. Similarly, I could sign up for volunteer abroad programs. Alternatively, I could focus on different occupations with more relation to law such as interning or a job in a firm. Interning helps one gain skills such as writing skills crucial for communication or editing.

VI. Job Search and Networking

The Michigan State University through the Handshake Extension on its website has made it easy for students to apply for and secure internships and jobs while still in college. I personally hope to work at the National Youth Leadership Forum: Law and CSI or the National Student Leadership conference Program on Law and advocacy. As far as short term goals in regard to my career are concerned, accomplishing the above prospects for the summer holidays while in pre-law would put me right on schedule.

VII. Developing a Wide Social Network

In this light, it would also be crucial to develop a wide social network that would aid me in later in my professional career. Social networks are a great way to place yourself favorably in the job market. One could get jobs through recommendations or be informed of opportunities through various members of his/her social network. Thus, I will have to take the initiative and create and grow my social network. There are various ways in which could this. Firstly, by taking part in any events organized by the Michigan State University Law School in a participatory capacity as often as possible and making sure I meet new people and keep in contact with them on the regular. Second, I would ensure to volunteer in service projects, internships and other similar activities especially those relevant to the law profession and keep in touch with whichever relevant contacts I shall acquire. I shall also be sure to ensure that my participation in law school is at an optimum especially to get the positive attention of lecturers as I know their guidance and help would be useful especially at the start of my career.

VIII. Building Experience and Career Advancement

Along the way to becoming a fully-fledged judge and eventually, hopefully a Supreme Court justice, there are certain aspects of the law profession that I will need to bag as part of my experience. I would have to ensure that my pre-law GPA is the highest possible, I would also have to ensure that I have at least two law-related internships through college. In addition to this, I would also have to pass the bar exam and the LSATs to ensure that I can get into the one of the top ranked law schools. In law school, I would have to participate in activities such as moot court and all other relevant events organized both in and out of school. I would also need to actively participate in the politics while aligning myself to my political party of choice since this would help later in my career when aiming to be nominated by a president. I would also need to participate in the law review or an equivalent law publication as this would also help me get in the spotlight of top law firms and highly regarded. During and after law school, I would need to exert myself into working as a clerk with a law firm of good reputation or a highly regarded judge. Hopefully, by that point I would have had enough options to weight and decide whether my career would continue along the public sector or private practice at reputable law firm.

IX. Job Search and Interview Skills

However, before getting that far, I would need to ensure that my job search and interview skill are top notch. I should be able to communicate effectively, concisely and clearly to my interviewers. This would be very crucial in ensuring that they get a good first impression of me so as to consider hiring me and also to show that I do know 'my stuff'. For this reason, I shall need to enhance my interpersonal skill, my oratory skill and my ability to communicate my ideas effectively so that I can show my prospective employers that I am the right person for the job.

X. Conclusion

In conclusion, I hope that the above essay has clearly highlighted my career plans and shown and shown what I plan for the short term to facilitate my actualization of the same in a clear and satisfactory manner.