The Ultimate Guide To Pushing Your Career Development
When it comes to your career, you have to take control of it. You are the only person that can lead your career path in the right direction and take things to the next level. And while that may seem really daunting at first, it’s actually a blessing. Because the moment you realize that you are in complete control, you start to see that the sky’s the limit. That you are able to do what you want and need to, to get yourself into the best possible position. Whether you’ve had dreams of doing a set job or moving into a certain industry, only you can make it happen. And if you really want to, you will! Maybe you want to start your own business or become the CEO of your favorite company? Or maybe you want to make enough money to be able to give back? You can do all of these things and more. But you have to be in control of pushing your own development.
Now, there can be a range of reasons for why you may not be doing that now or have not done it in the past. Maybe you just hadn’t really realized that you were in control. It happens – especially when you feel as if you’re on a conveyor belt. Or maybe you were afraid of putting yourself out there or of failure? Or, it could be just because you have had no idea what you need to do. So, let’s help you to get past that with these ten steps.
Assess Your Current Situation
To begin with, you need to take a look at where you are now. Ask yourself – are you in the right job? The right industry? Do you want to grow where you are now to a higher level? Or maybe you’re not on track at all and you want to make a complete change? Then, the next point is where you’re heading.
Know The Dream
And then you’ll want to be able to identify your dream career. Sometimes, this is easier said than done. Because maybe you already know deep down what you want to be doing. But, if you don’t, you may need to spend some time thinking about your passions, the lifestyle you want, the skills you have, and what you’d love to spend your time and energy doing.
Work Backwards
Now that you know what your dream career is, or what role you want to reach in your current career path, it’s time to figure out how you’re going to get there. So research the end goal, and find out what roles and positions you need to have between now and then.
Create A Career Plan
At this stage, you now need to put everything into a loose plan. And it should be loose because things change, you change, and you may go through some steps faster or slower than others. But, with a personal career plan, as Lifehacker, it gives you a guide. Make sure you get your goals for your career overall and each stage, and add in the backwards steps you have already identified. Then, you’ll know where to start.
Find A Mentor
It’s often a great idea to get a mentor for yourself. And sure, this can sound like a ton of work. But the whole idea is to have someone to support you, provide you with advice, and encourage you to grow. So find a mentor that you feel can do that. That will understand your path, take an interest in it, and help you to grow as a persona and get to where you want to be.
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Boost Your Skills
At this stage, you may also find that you have more skills that you need to be working on. And that’s okay. Because if you’re going to grow and progress, you’ll need the skills to do it. However, you may want to find a provider, such as ARC Training, that offers what you need. Make sure that you do your research and find an online or offline center or website that you can start to work with to develop your skills.
Work For That Promotion
If it’s a promotion you need, it’s time to work for it. Figure out what you can do to surpass your current level, impress your boss, and get to the next level in line with your goals. Whether it takes a few months or years, just make sure that this is all your focus on until you get it.
Start Your Own Thing On The Side
Or, if you know that you want your own company, it’s time to start your side-hustle. Because you won’t just leave your job to start your own business when you have bills to pay. Instead, you will get some savings behind you, focus on building your side-project outside of work, and get it off the ground. Because now is the time to make it happen.
Network
All the while, make sure that you’re networking. Because if you start to make connections in your line of work, you will find that they may pay off at some point in the future. You never know what opportunities will come your way when you meet different people. So get yourself out there. Connect online and in person, go to events and conferences. Just make sure that you’re networking as much as you can, because it’s always great for your career.
Track Your Progress
Now, the main reason that we set goals is so that we have something to aim for. But, unless you have measurements and time restraints in place, they are just dreams or ideas. When you start to track your progress and hold yourself accountable (or your mentor or accountability group does), you will find that they are actually achievable. And this is what getting serious about your own development is all about. So make sure that you’re thinking about where you’re heading and how to measure your progress, and you WILL get there.
Image credit: Unsplash.com
Hi, I'm Kelly O'Donnell.