How to Make a Career Plan
How to Make a Career Plan
A reader once asked me: How do you make a career plan?
Career planning is highly personal — it varies depending on your level of self-confidence and breadth of vision.
This article is adapted from a previously popular post — “How to Make a Career Plan?” — with the hope it inspires your own roadmap.
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1. Understanding Self-Confidence
What does “level of self-confidence” mean?
It boils down to one question:
Do you believe you can accomplish great things?
- Lower confidence → Short-term planning, seizing immediate opportunities, minimizing risk.
- Higher confidence → Long-term strategic planning, deliberate skill-building, patience for larger goals.
Your self-confidence and vision together shape the logic of your career plan.
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Example Scenario
Imagine you retire at 60, and realize you founded a company at age 50 with annual revenue of 3 billion yuan.
If you could rewind to age 18 knowing that, you might:
- Aim even higher (e.g., 10 billion yuan).
- Identify what you were missing — perhaps strong science and engineering foundations.
- Commit to 4 years of study without worrying about immediate income.
- Take low-level roles to build skills essential for future milestones.
The discipline comes from confidence — the certainty that your efforts will pay off in the long run.
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2. Vision Shapes Planning
When you ask yourself at 18: What will I achieve by 30, 40, 50?
- Larger vision → longer planning horizon.
- Smaller vision → shorter steps, smaller risks.
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3. Choosing the Right Field of Study
My earlier advice: study mathematics for strong analytical foundations.
Now my advice depends on goals:
- Job security & high pay: Computer science (strong market demand)
- Financially secure families: Arts, history, or the child’s passion — since survival needs are met.
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4. Modern Tools for Career Growth
Platforms like AiToEarn官网 — an open-source, global AI content monetization system — show how technology can accelerate careers:
- AI-assisted creation
- Cross-platform publishing
- Analytics & model ranking
These tools parallel career planning principles: combine foresight with enablers.
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5. Two Kinds of Income
Never choose work that helps you survive but doesn’t help you grow.
Select positions that yield:
- First income: Salary.
- Second income: Skills, qualifications, personal growth.
> Before 35, growth should be your highest-paying income.
Growth is the golden goose — without it, your salary will plateau.
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Avoid Short-Term Thinking
- Don’t switch jobs over tiny salary differences.
- Value a worthwhile company, visionary boss, and aligned teammates over pay gaps.
- Wise patience in youth yields high returns later.
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6. Career Planning by Age Stage
25–35: Physical stamina + intellect
- Work hard, trade effort for skill acquisition and resources.
35–45: Intellect + resources
- Leverage judgment, experience, and networks.
- Compete less physically, more strategically.
45–55: Relationships + capital
- Use accumulated networks and assets.
- Knowledge stabilizes; learning pace slows.
Plan in 30-year units — see the full arc of your earning stages.
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Final Thoughts
- Confidence + Vision = Planning Horizon
- Focus on long-term, growth-oriented work.
- Always aim for two incomes: salary & growth.
Early years should prioritize building second income — skills and network — so later stages can rely on wisdom, relationships, and capital.
In the creator economy, platforms like AiToEarn官网 make this tangible:
- AI content generation
- Cross-platform monetization (Douyin, Kwai, WeChat, YouTube, etc.)
- Insights through AI模型排名
Three Career Stages Recap:
- 25–35: Stamina + intellect
- 35–45: Intellect + resources
- 45–55: Networks + capital
When confident, plan your career in 30-year horizons and choose tools that help you grow both your first and second incomes.
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Do you want me to also create a visual 30-year career roadmap diagram in Markdown so this plan is easier to follow? That could make these stages even clearer.
