SWOC Analysis for Students Personal Development

Lets SWOC Yourself !!

SWOC is an analytical technique used primarily for business but can help students for personal development. Personal development is essential to build self esteem and remarkable career. 

SWOC is an evaluation tool which scans your internal and external environment. It identifies your strength so you can grow and also explore your weakness so you can overcome. When your internal environment matches your external environment, it makes you successful. It is also called as strategic fit.

Lets understand what SWOC means?

S - Strength    

           This area gives you advantage over other students.

W - Weakness 

            This area give disadvantage relative to other students.

O - Opportunity

                    You can explore here. 

C - Challenges 

                     This area will cause trouble/problem for you.

Strength-

This is your internal environment and in your control. 

Everyone is unique and has some special characteristics. You may have some special skills, education, courses attended, extracurricular activities, certificates, connections, knowledge, strong personality, confidence, passion. These are some examples of your strength.

To identify your strength ask some questions.

1.What do you have that others don't?

2.In which thing you are better than other students?

3.What other people see strength in you?

4.Do you make some achievement that feel proud?

5.Which skills you build?

Write answers to the  above questions from your perspective and other person's perspective also.Be honest, while writing answers to get best result.

Weakness-

This is also your internal environment and in your control.

As no one is perfect, you may have some weak areas in your life. Find those weak are so you can overcome it. 

To know your weak points ask following questions to yourself.
1. Which work you always avoid?
2. In which task you feel less confident?
Are you confident on education you are pursuing?
Which negative habits you have?

Here are some examples of weakness.

Lack of education, lack of focus, No goal setting for life, Distraction by social media, Lack of career direction, No or less connections with people, Anger, Laziness and many more.

Opportunity-

This is external environment which is not in your control.

It is area where you can explore yourself by utilising your strength to full potential. In this area you have to find new opportunities where you can grow.

Ask some questions to yourself to know opportunity.

1. How new technology can help you to achieve your goal?

2. Is your industry growing? if yes, what can you do achieve your goal?

3. Do you have people network who can guide you on right track?

4. Is there any special skill demands in the market which you can easily achieve?

In this area you just find what benefits you get to achieve your goal.

Challenges-

This is also external environment which is not in your control.

Though you make hard and smart work, this area can cause trouble for you.

To know your challenges ask some questions to yourself.

1.Who is your competitor?

2.What your classmates doing to get same position which you want?

3. Does any government policy can make trouble for you?

Here are some examples of challenges like huge competition, changing market trends, job insecurity, hard work and overwork so stressed life. All these factors come under challenges which you have to face.

Remember always while doing self SWOC.

• Identify the goal that you want to achieve and stick to it while answering questions?
• Be honest, while giving answers as evaluating yourself is not an easy task.
• Think from your perspective as well as others perspective.

Action Plan After SWOC

Once you finish SWOC analysis you have to evaluate your result otherwise its not of use. Match your strength with your opportunity and think how your strength can help you to grab the opportunity. Also match your weaknesses to your challenges and try to overcome your weakness, so challenges can't make trouble for you while achieving your goal. 

Here I framed two examples to get more idea about SWOC analysis. The first example of  diploma pursuing student, who want to go for higher study in best institute and a second example of  a student who want to seek a job after his diploma completion.  Both did a self SWOC analysis and pointed own strengths, opportunities so they can grow and weakness, challenges to overcome. 

Now Let's Start to analyse yourself and achieve your goals.

Mr. Suraj Pangarkar

Lecturer

# This article written for diploma engineering students to aware them about SWOC analysis so they can analyse themselves to achieve the Goal. 


# The views expressed here are personal.