Table of contents:
- Why you need to plan a career
- How to start planning your career
- What are the typical mistakes
- What can get in the way of your dream career
- Outcomes
2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44
Work takes up too much of our life to let it go.
The life hacker, together with Alena Vladimirskaya, figured out why it is important to think about professional development and how to prevent typical mistakes when planning a career.
Why you need to plan a career
You need to plan a career in order to get where you want in life.
Alena Vladimirskaya
Wandering in the dark, relying on the theory of probability, is also an option that works on the 50/50 principle. You may or may not be lucky. So is it worth the risk?
If you haven't planned in advance when and where you will go on vacation, you will either have an enchanting adventure or the worst vacation possible. Both you will remember until the end of your own life.
Alena Vladimirskaya
And if a bad vacation is an annoying disappointment that can be corrected next summer, then a failed career is an irreparable mistake.
To self-actualize as a professional and achieve certain career goals, you simply cannot go with the flow. And even if one day you are lucky enough to be in a worthy position and step on a new rung of the career ladder, remember that it was an accident that may never happen again. Worse yet, not having a plan can throw you back a few steps.
How to start planning your career
Ask yourself the question: what do I want from a career?
As simple and corny as it sounds, you have to do it. And the answer can by no means be abstract.
You should honestly answer yourself to the question “What do I want from my career?”, And not in general terms “I want an interesting job”. What do you want at a particular moment, where do you want to go, what to achieve, and what do you need to do for this?
Alena Vladimirskaya
The vague concept of "good work" will not help you, you need to make a list of specific points that are significant for you and at the very moment in your life:
- What field of activity am I interested in?
- Do I need a large international company or a small local business?
- Is there a specific company in which I want to develop?
- What position do I want to get?
- What responsibilities do I want to do?
- What responsibility am I willing to take on?
- What conditions am I willing or not ready to agree to?
- How important is the team to me?
- What salary do I need?
- Does the city and country in which I grow professionally matter?
The list goes on and on based on your personal needs and priorities. It is important that the answers are honest and the questions are specific.
Consider Your Today's Needs
Throughout life, our desires, capabilities and priorities change. And at different times fundamentally different factors influence decision-making. At one moment it may be the prestige of the company, the team and the prospects for growth, at another - the banal availability of health insurance.
Ask yourself questions at every stage of your life, prioritize and focus on them first.
What are the typical mistakes
You haven't fully asked yourself a question
You have not been able to formulate a specific question and continue to keep in your head an abstract image of “good and interesting work”. You must decide what meaning you put into these words. There is no single correct description of a good job, each has its own requirements and selection criteria.
What to do
Be honest with yourself and don't generalize. Think about what goals you are pursuing when choosing a company or industry. If it is important for you that the work is interesting, determine what this interest is for you. Are you interested in the people working for the company, your responsibilities, or is it the salary that is being offered?
Do you believe myths about the industry in general or the company in particular
Without knowing specific industries, without talking to people who work in companies that are attractive to you, you very seriously risk falling into the trap of the brand.
Alena Vladimirskaya
A well-built company image and stereotypes about areas of activity can mislead anyone. For example, a popular belief: PR people sip champagne at events, have fun and constantly interact with interesting people. Without knowing the inside story, you might think that this is not a job, but a dream. But not everyone understands that between three-hour activities there are months of scrupulous and routine preparation, sleepless nights and years of developing the necessary contacts.
What to do
In the age of social networks, it is a sin to complain about a lack of communication. You can always ask a question to your potential colleagues, find out the specifics of the work and hear what difficulties may await you.
No one canceled attending industry seminars or webinars - this will allow you to get to know the industry and its representatives better. You will be able to ask questions, develop useful connections and understand whether this is what you need or not.
What can get in the way of your dream career
You are undisciplined
If you are an avid procrastinator and you have problems with self-organization, then you will be looking for a dream job for a very long time. And, perhaps, unsuccessfully.
What to do
First of all, you have to change the approach to the process. Learn to evaluate your resources and capabilities in order to set adequate deadlines for the completion of certain tasks. Start writing down what you are doing to achieve the goal, what you have already done and what you have not yet begun, how much time and effort was spent on completing each of the points. So you will see what comes easy for you, and what comes out only from under the stick.
You need to reconsider your plan
You made a mistake in your plan. You may have unintentionally deceived yourself by not writing down your real goals in the plan, getting confused in prioritizing, or setting an inaccurate sequence of steps.
What to do
Be guided by your desires and capabilities. Even if everyone around you trumpets that you need a leadership position in a large international company, although you like a small local business where you need to manage several people.
Review your actions and answer the question: why didn't they lead me where I was going?
Outcomes
- Ask yourself only clearly formulated, specific, and honest questions.
- Do this periodically to understand your current priorities.
- Focus only on your own needs.
- Find out information about the desired field of activity from employees, and do not rely on images and stereotypes.
- Remember, your career is in your hands.
Recommended:
Why do we need to squat more often and why we almost stopped doing it
Squatting is good for the body as it lubricates the joints and improves bowel function. We figure out what other benefits there are
Why you need to act here and now, and not wait for the right moment
We are constantly postponing everything and marking time in one place. But you need to stop postponing cases and important decisions and start acting here and now
Why you need to jump rope and how to do it right
Jumping rope is a cool cardio workout that often works better than running. The main thing is to choose the right tool and deliver the equipment
Myths that are destroying the careers of the YAYA generation
Lifehacker published an article dedicated to the YAYA generation - young people aged "a little over 20". It said that only 60% of millennials strive to do difficult, responsible work. Meanwhile, in 2020, this generation accounts for 50% of the workforce.
Why you need to talk about your success and how to do it right
Stop being shy. People around you will not know what you have achieved if you do not tell them