Sketch out your career plan

Posted on 31 March 2025 • Career planning

“Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success.” – Pablo Picasso

When Pablo Picasso created his masterpieces, he always began with sketches – of ideas, of smaller parts of a bigger picture, trying out the direction he might take in the final work. Like Picasso’s paintings, your career plan can start with an outline, keeping it simple and experimenting with ideas. Visit our career planning help page and follow our 5 top tips to start sketching out your future:

1. Be creative with your goals

Picasso’s success came from his ability to adapt and innovate. Career plans are meant to be fluid. Start with the 3-minute careers check-in to review your goals and open up your creativity. Then, work out your next steps using the Navigate Your Future tool. This structured set of exercises is tailored to you, giving you a palette of career ideas you can start sketching with. Stay flexible and you’ll be ready to take advantage of new trends and unexpected opportunities.

2. Paint a full picture for employers

Don’t forget to paint a full self-portrait of your skills, experience and interests so you’re always ready to talk to potential employers about what you can bring to a role. Take stock, recognise the skills and qualities you have to offer and learn how to talk about them in ways that employers notice. OU students have a wealth of qualities and transferable skills that employers value – including initiative, digital and information literacy, problem-solving, self-management and resilience, communication and commercial and sector awareness. And that means you too.

3. Exhibit your work, online

Picasso was fifty when he first exhibited his work widely, in the 1930s. It’s much easier to do so in the digital world. Create a professional portfolio, create your online presence and optimise your LinkedIn profile. Join us for one of our LinkedIn online workshops to learn how to exhibit your professional identity and make career connections.

4. Keep trying new things despite setbacks

Picasso struggled to fund his art early in his career, but he persisted with the tools that he had. Your career is a lifelong journey and everyone comes up against setbacks from time to time.  Build your future with career confidence and never let temporary setbacks stop you from trying new things. By successfully dealing with career challenges you will learn to approach change with confidence and seize opportunities that pop up when you least expect. Develop your career resilience and remember there is no wrong path and no wrong destination. Like art, what you respond to is subjective and reflects your uniqueness.

5. Learn new skills and transfer them to new areas

Picasso copied the well-known Spanish artists to learn their techniques and apply them to new ideas. Volunteering and work experience will teach you new skills and give you insights into different sectors and job roles. Find what works for you, what excites you – so you can match your passions to a future you find fulfilling.

Your career path is your artform. The OU’s Careers and Employability Services offers a wide range of resources and services to help you sketch a career path to success. We can help you achieve your goals while you study and for three years after you graduate. Enjoy the process.

 

References

The Pablo Picasso Organisation (n.d.), Famous Pablo Picasso Quotes. Available at: https://www.pablopicasso.org/quotes.jsp (Accessed: 20 February 2025).

 

Annabel Bennett is a Development Coordinator in the OU’s Careers and Employability Services. She supports careers-related activity both within the service and across the University, helping students to achieve their ambitions and fulfil their potential. Explore the rest of our blog for more articles from your careers team.