How many of us really take the time to plan our career and make conscious steps in our chosen direction? I think about this as I am mentoring another designer on how not to not fall into complacency traps and to strive to be great not just good.
I have to confess there is a portion of my career that went unplanned. There were many ‘happy accidents’ and some steps in my career I took because I could without reflecting if it was ‘the right move’, or at least in the direction I wanted to go in. Safe to say I’m fortunate things have worked out, but there has got to be a better way to think about our careers and treat them with the same valued thinking time we give our most complex work problems.
There are some activities which will give you the most bang for your buck when it comes to your career development and some which are nice to do but may not get you where you want to go.
Its hard to compare doing an MBA with the 2 week side project but thats what this framework makes you think about. An MBA is over a longer period of time, but it might just change your life, that side project is fun for 2 weeks but will it make a lasting impression? By evaluating our potential future activities based on impact and then working towards them we can be sure to be making the next best move.
It’s good to think about what activities would be real game changers for you.
So, to make life easier I created a digital template in both Powerpoint and PDF, for your convenience and usage. In it you will find guidance on how to create a career roadmap, and select the right activities to work towards.
The rest is up to you.
“If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your energy, and inspires your hopes.” Andrew Carnegie
Picture copywrite Freepix
roadmap .ppt Download PPT • 482KB | roadmap .pdf Download PDF • 158KB |