By now you’ve figured out your values and strengths. You really did your research and have identified a career path, a destination, a goal. Now it’s time to make a plan for how to get there.
But stop! Check out this video first about goals and the journey! [when Dr. Srikumar refers to ‘universe’, I interpret that to mean ‘God’]
“Goals are important but they are only important because they set direction. Once the direction has been set forget about the goal, don’t even think about that. Instead pour all of your emotional energy into ‘what do I have to do to achieve my goal’.”
When you enjoy the journey and are detached from the outcome, the more likely you are to reach your goal. Why? Because in your journey you WILL hit obstacles (and if you don’t your goals weren’t high enough!). Your mindset when hitting these obstacles is critical. Will you take them as a learning experiences and find a better way, or will you see them as failures toward achieving your goal and just quit? If you have the correct mindset, you’ll learn during the process and enjoy it. You’ll understand that the obstacles are there to help you grow, not knock you down!
Obviously you’re going to want to keep your end goal in mind when setting your strategy. But also think of what process you’d enjoy while getting there. You have to enjoy the process or it’ll be tough to ever get to your destination. Think about it – you’re trying to get to the top of Pike’s Peak in Colorado. Everyone tells you that hiking is the best way to get to the top. But you hate hiking and have a bad knee. Are you really going to enjoy getting to the top by hiking? And once you get there, will all of the torture be worth it? Probably not! On the other hand, what if there was another way… a scenic train ride that better suits your style. Maybe that’s a better way for you – by relaxing and enjoying the views. Not only will you enjoy the process of reaching the top more, but you’ll be a lot happier once you get there!
Here are some ideas to help you get started
- Go back to some of the people you talked – ask them how they got into the field and if they have any suggestions for you!
- Examine as many job descriptions as you can and identify your gaps. Do you need extra training or experience?
- Let your manager know what your career goals are. He/she should be more than happy to work on a plan with you!
- Volunteer to work on projects related to that field. Let’s say your a software engineer and want to get into user experience. Talk to that team, the manager of that team or a lead. Let them know your intent and find out if there are any projects that they need help with!
- Take training courses, get certifications.
- Go back to school!
- Take part-time courses through a university.
- Consider internships. Internships are not just those in college, but you can consider them for career moves especially if the move is a big change.
- Consider how you’ll want to present yourself. How will you present transferable skills, your new experiences and education?
- Attend workshops, seminars and industry conferences.