Exploring careers is a normal part of life. We all get jobs that we think will satisfy us or at least pay the bills and then we are often met with disappointment. At that point, it is time to reevaluate the career path you want to be a part of in your life. Think about the aspects of your job that make you happy and the parts of your job that you could do without.
Resume – Your resume is very important and something that you should work on annually. Think about all of the information you can add on a yearly basis and determine what areas you can improve on for next year’s update.
Career Planning – Take the time, once a year, to go over the highs and lows of the career you are presently in. Tally up the goods and the bad in your career and determine where you go from there.
Reflect – Every year, consider reflecting on the past year and your career. Likes and dislikes change over time and you need to see if you are doing well in the place that you are in life. If you cannot find the positive outweighing the negative, it may be time for a career change.
Identify Skills – Look at your skills and identify what you are best at in the workplace. Take those skills that you have and determine what career is best for a combination of those skills. Think of how your various skills can transfer to a new career.
Set Goals – Set career goals that are short-term and long-term in nature. This helps you have a sense of accountability and gives you the baby steps to get to where you want to be in the end. Long-term goals should slowly develop over time and get you to a new level.
Comfort Zone – Think about the aspects of your job that you are not involved in and determine if you can solve a problem within your organization. Research a current problem your organization is facing and try and find a way to address that problem with an innovative solution. The outcome, if positive, can help you climb the corporate ladder and grow you in visibility to others in your chain.
Learn – One of the things that people forget to do is continue learning. If you have learned your role in the organization and feel comfortable, learn another role. Find a different section in your organization and learn what they do for your company and how they complete tasks. Diversifying yourself within your organization is a great way to learn how the company operates and may give you insight to improve both sides of the organization.
Review – Regularly review your path and goals and see where your road takes you. Think about where you want to be in the future and set stones in your path to get there. If you want to eventually teach as an end-goal, start with mini-lectures to get comfortable with the teaching process.
