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What is a career path? Definition, examples, and steps for paving yours

A career path is the sequence of jobs or positions through which an individual progresses in their professional life. It represents the various stages and positions that a person may move through as they advance in their career.

Why does having a career path matter? One of the best ways to prepare for your dream job is to create and follow a career path. A career path is a specific set of jobs that prepare you for upward growth in your industry. 

Imagine this — you’re thinking about your career goals and how fulfilled you’d be in your dream job. Think about what success looks like for you and how you’ll feel on the first day of your ideal role.

Have you ever mapped out the steps you need to take to prepare yourself for that job? What qualifications will you need before applying for that position? What types of companies need that position? Knowing these requirements ahead of time will help you prepare for that job. This may include a college degree, a special certification, or on-the-job experience. Here you’ll find the definition of a career path, along with examples and the skills you need to map out your own career journey.

What is a career path?

A career path is defined as a long-term plan that includes specific steps or tasks that help you advance to a desirable occupation or new role. It typically involves a series of related jobs or roles that provide increasing levels of responsibility, skill development, and possibly higher levels of compensation.

Key stages or elements of a career path may include:

• Entry-level positions : These are the initial roles someone takes on when starting their career in a particular field . They often require less experience and expertise.
• Mid-level positions : As individuals gain experience and skills, they may move into mid-level positions that involve more responsibility and may require specialized knowledge.
• Senior-level or management positions : With further experience, individuals may progress to senior or management roles , where they are responsible for decision-making, leadership, and overseeing teams or departments.
• Executive or leadership roles : At the top of the career path are executive or leadership roles, where individuals have significant responsibility for the overall direction and success of an organization.
• Specialization or expert roles : Some career paths involve becoming a specialist or expert in a specific area , where individuals focus on developing deep expertise in a particular skill or domain.
• Entrepreneurship : Some individuals choose to follow a career path that involves starting and running their own businesses .

Within these areas, there are two common kinds of career paths—an organizational career path and a personal career path.

Organizational career path

An organizational career path (also known as a career ladder or vertical career plan) is a career path that you create with your direct manager. The goal is to climb a career ladder within a company. 

While many career paths lead to management positions, there are several for those who don't aspire to management.

Many organizations have already developed a career path framework for their employees . Here's what the process may look like: You create a career path with your manager. Together, you will establish career goals for you to meet. These goals will prepare you for the next step in your career path, including:

• Helping with special projects
• Taking an online course
• Earning a certification
• Mentoring colleagues
• Shadowing a colleague for a day 

To stay on track with your career path, you should review your milestones and goals often. You also need to review your career path with your direct manager at least quarterly. 

Personal career path

A personal career path is one that you create for yourself. It's based on a self-assessment of your skills , interests, hobbies, values, and passions. A personal career path can lay the foundation of your career without being restricted to one organization. 

If you’re ready to create your career path, start by making a list of the skills you’re good at , followed by your interests and hobbies. Then write down the things that matter most to you. 

Look at everything on your list and think about the industries that could benefit from your talent. For example, if you’re great with children, consider a career path in education. If you prefer healthcare more than teaching, look into a career path for pediatric nurses or doctors.

You can also take a career path quiz or a personality assessment to find out the best careers for you.

With a personal career path, you have complete control of your career development . A personal career path may require more work, but it can be very rewarding. You have to take the initiative with research, planning, and networking. 

Why is a career path so important?

Companies that offer that career clear career paths are much more attractive to employees. This is especially true now that the workforce is shifting to more remote work. 

Employee turnover can be pretty expensive, too . When you factor in the costs of recruiting, hiring, training, and onboarding, replacing an employee can be costly. One study found that career development programs will save companies a significant amount of time and resources . 

• Increased employee engagement and satisfaction : Employees are more likely to stay with a company when a well-defined career path is in place. Employees are also motivated to grow within a company when there's a well-understood career path. 
• Improved retention rates : When employees see opportunities for advancement within their organization, they're less likely to seek opportunities elsewhere. This can significantly reduce turnover rates, saving companies the time and expense of hiring and training new employees.
• Better succession planning : A well-defined career path can help organizations identify and prepare future leaders. This ensures a smooth transition when key employees leave or retire.
• Enhanced employer brand : Companies that offer clear career pathways can attract top talent. These companies are often seen as more employee-centric, which can improve their reputation and make them more appealing to job seekers.
• More effective talent management : With a clear career path, HR and management can more effectively identify gaps in skills and experience, allowing them to strategically invest in employee development . This can lead to a more skilled and capable workforce.
• Reduced employee turnover : A Glassdoor study found that having a lack of career growth leads to employee turnover . Employees who don't receive a pay increase or change in title after a few years are more likely to resign.

The importance of career pathing for individuals

As you can see, establishing different career paths is critical to organizations. But what about individuals? Creating a career plan for yourself is a strategic move that can have numerous benefits. Here are 10 benefits of creating a personal career plan:

• Direction and focus : A career plan helps you set clear goals and objectives, providing you with a sense of direction and focus in your professional life.
• More targeted decision-making : When you have a clear career path, it becomes easier to make decisions that align with your long-term career goals .
• Skill development : Identifying your career goals helps you understand the skills and qualifications you need to achieve them. This guides your professional development and continuous learning.
• Motivation and confidence : Having a career plan boosts your motivation and confidence as you see a clear pathway to your desired career.
• Career satisfaction : A career plan can lead to greater job satisfaction as it allows you to pursue roles that align with your interests and values.
• Financial planning : By planning your career, you can also plan your finances better. You'll know when to expect promotions or job changes that might increase your income.
• Adaptability : Career planning makes you more adaptable to changes in the job market . You'll be prepared to acquire new skills or shift your career focus if needed.
• Work-life balance : Career planning enables you to consider and strive for a balance between your work and personal life .
• Long-term success : Career planning sets you up for long-term success by helping you strategically build your career over time.
• Control over your career : Ultimately, a career plan gives you control over your career rather than leaving it to chance. You become proactive in shaping your professional destiny.

Remember, a career plan is not set in stone. It should be flexible and adaptable, changing as you grow and as the job market evolves.

4 types of career paths

There are four types of career paths—knowledge-based, skill-based, entrepreneur-based, and freelance. Every kind of career path caters to a specific set of qualifications that help you perform your job.

Knowledge-based career paths allow you to use the knowledge you acquired over time to do your job. Employees in human resources, marketing, and accounting all follow a knowledge-based career path. Other examples include IT professionals and engineers.

Skill-based professions need an understanding of how a specific job function operates. These are often physical, hands-on, or service skills. Many of these roles fall in the construction industry, as well as performers, artists, and restaurant chefs.

You may notice that many positions are cross-functional. Your job may need a combination of knowledge-based and skills-based work. This is the case with lawyers, doctors, and administrative personnel.

Entrepreneurs

An entrepreneur solves a problem or a specific need by selling their own product or service. An entrepreneur can work independently or start a company and hire employees. Many startups, including BetterUp, began with an entrepreneur solving a problem for consumers.

Freelance 

People hire independent contractors ( or freelancers ) to perform a specific job or project. Freelancers offer many services, including graphic design, consulting, home repair, and photography.

16 examples of career paths

The key to having a solid career path is identifying the skills and experience needed for the positions in your career path. You won’t be guaranteed a senior manager role just because you’ve been a manager for two years. You have to demonstrate specific skills that show that you’re ready for the next step in your career.

Knowing what lies ahead in your career path can help you focus on the right skills. 

Job responsibilities, qualifications, and a company's needs change so much in today's workforce. You can't set a career path and expect your career to just run on autopilot. Keep an open mind and adapt to changes where necessary. 

The current work climate requires employees to be flexible in their roles. An Executive Assistant may need the skills of a project manager to do their job. Upper management across industries needs to have a basic understanding of Human Resources. 

It's important to stay on top of your industry trends and adapt to these changes. Stay proactive. Talk to others in your field to learn about how your career path is evolving. 

Here are some examples of career paths that you can explore.

Accounting: Staff Accountant > Senior Accountant > Accounting Manager > Senior Accounting Manager > Firm Partner

Administrative: Administrative Assistant > Executive Assistant > Office Manager > Event and Conference Planner > Event Manager > Director of Events

Advertising: Advertising Sales Agent > Advertising Sales Manager > Account Manager  > Account Executive > VP of Advertising

Construction: Constructive Services Associate > Site Manager > Construction Manager > Facilities Manager > Project Manager 

Customer Service: Associate > Team Lead > Manager > Senior Manager > Director > Chief Operating Officer

Writer/Editor: Staff Writer or Journalist > Associate Editor > Editor > Senior Editor > Editor-in-Chief

Education: Para-professional > Classroom Teacher > Curriculum Administrator > Assistant Principal > Principal > District Superintendent

Engineering: Junior Engineer > Senior Engineer > Project Manager > Senior Project Manager > Engineering Consultant

Human Resources: HR Coordinator > HR Manager > HR Director > VP of HR > Chief of HR  

Lawyer: Summer Associate > Junior Associate > Senior Associate > Partner > Managing Partner

Marketing: Marketing Coordinator or Marketing Specialist > Marketing Manager > Director of Marketing > VP of Marketing > Chief Marketing Officer

Nursing: CNA > IPN > ADN-RN > BSN-RN > MSN > DNP

Restaurant: Host/Hostess, Prep Cook, Server > Service Manager > Assistant General Manager > General Manager

Retail: Sales Associate > Team Lead > Assistant Manager > Store Manager > District Manager > Regional Manager 

Salesperson: Sales Rep > Territory Manager > District Manager > Regional Manager 

Alternative path: Sales Rep > Account Manager > Key Account Manager > Director of Business Development > VP of Sales or Client Success

How to create a career path in 12 steps

Creating a successful career path within or outside of an organization involves careful planning, self-assessment, and proactive engagement. Here are steps to develop and advance your career through career planning.

1. Start with self-assessment

Begin by identifying your strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement. This self-evaluation will help you understand your current skill set. Also, clarify what aspects of your work bring you the most satisfaction and align with your personal values.

2. Research the career paths that interest you

Familiarize yourself with the organizational structure and the various departments. If building a personal career plan, research the growth opportunities and levels that exist in this new realm. Seek insights from colleagues and friends who have advanced in their careers in a similar way to understand potential pathways.

3. Set clear goals

Next, define your short-term and long-term career objectives. It's important to ensure that these goals align with your personal values and aspirations.

4. Identify and develop new skills

Identify the skills required for your desired career path and invest in continuous learning to acquire and enhance these skills.

5. Expand your network

Building relationships with colleagues, mentors, and leaders within and outside your department is crucial. Don't hesitate to seek advice from experienced professionals in your field.

6. Speak with your manager or coach

Have open and honest discussions with your supervisor or coach about your career aspirations. Make your interest in career development known to relevant stakeholders.

7. Leverage existing training and development programs

Utilize resources offered by your organization, such as training programs, workshops, and courses. These opportunities can enhance both your technical and soft skills. Additionally, you can explore online or in-person courses to level up your skills and fill any gaps.

8. Identify opportunities

Regularly check for internal or external job postings and volunteer for projects or tasks that align with your career goals.

9. Seek out mentors

Find mentors within or outside of the organization who can provide guidance and share their experiences. Learning from others who have successfully navigated similar career paths can be invaluable.

10. Remain adaptable and flexible

Embrace changes in the organization and industry, and be willing to take on challenging assignments that broaden your skill set.

11. Evaluate and adjust

Periodically evaluate your progress against your career goals and be willing to adjust your goals based on changing circumstances and personal growth.

12. Advocate for yourself

Lastly, communicate your achievements and contributions to relevant stakeholders. When the time is right, be prepared to negotiate for promotions as well as new and advancement opportunities.

5 skills to cultivate your career path 

As you progress through your career path, you will develop specific skills that prepare you for the next role . Some skills will be industry-specific, while other skills will be more common across all industries.

The following skills will contribute to the success of your professional development.

Adaptability

As mentioned before, every job during your career path may not be a step up on the career ladder. Sometimes a lateral move will be just as impactful as a vertical movement will be. It’s vital to remain adaptive and open to changes in the trajectory of your career.

Communication

Communication is a vital skill for anyone on their career path, no matter the industry. When you grow in your career, you won’t just communicate with your teammates anymore. You may be communicating with C-level executives, external clients, potential employees, partners, etc.

Effective communication will prove that you’re not only ready for the next role in your career, but you’re also able to communicate as a strong leader. 

There may come a time in your career when you evolve into a position that requires you to lead a team. Having strong leadership skills will help you cultivate your career path. Think about the managers and mentors that you’ve had. What qualities did those leaders have that made the most significant impact on you? What leadership styles do you want to adopt for the teams that you’ll lead?

Problem-solving

As you will find in most career paths, the work you do will evolve from task-based work into strategy-based solutions. Problem-solving skills will help you with that transition.

Take the problem of high turnover for example. A Human Resources Coordinator may solve this by recruiting two new Marketing Associates. The Director of Human Resources will suggest strategies that the coordinator will execute. Developing strategies that solve problems will be essential through your career path development. 

Time management

Time management won’t always be about how much work you can get done in a day or a week. Employers also evaluate the results that you produce within a given amount of time. The way you prioritize and delegate tasks will be an example of your time management skills.

There are several online resources that help with time management . You can check out the dozens of books about time management too. 

Start working on your career path today

It’s never too early to start thinking about your career path. It’s never too late either! If you’re excited about growing in your career, creating a career path is the perfect first step. You can also learn more about career paths from career books . 

Start by assessing your current skills, interests, and experience. Then think about your ideal career. The jobs and skills that you need to move from your current position to your ideal role will make up the steps in your career path.

Invest in your career

Get your promotion. Make your career change. Build the future you dream about. And do it faster with a world-class BetterUp Coach by your side.

Caroline Jefferson

Build the career you want. these 12 books will show you how, 9 high-income skills to learn in 2024, what is networking and why is it so important, 8 examples for setting professional development goals at work, career pathing for employees at all levels, what is management consulting, and how do you become a consultant, vocational skills: what they are and how to develop them, a roadmap for career development: how to set your course, are you being passed over for a promotion here’s what to do, similar articles, delegation for the win 6 steps to empower and get more done, the best jobs for introverts and how to find your path, discover the difference between director versus vice president roles, how to become a life coach and start a promising career, what are work values identify yours and learn what they mean, in manager vs. supervisor, find out which differences matter, managers vs. senior managers: become the boss you want to be, the only guide you’ll ever need for career planning, odysseys into sales: navigating your path, stay connected with betterup, get our newsletter, event invites, plus product insights and research..

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• Careers & Jobs

Career Path: Definition, Examples & How to Plan a Successful One Out

What is a career path well, it's more than a straight up-and-to-the-right line signifying your professional life. sometimes there are setbacks, and there may be times you decide an entirely different career path is where you want to be. in this post, we talk about career paths, so read on below.

Here at Goodwall, we’re always talking jobs, from online jobs for college students to full-on, in-office careers.

At times, we go to a higher level, talking about your 5-year professional plan, say.

Well, today, we’re going to the highest level: career paths .

From what a career path means to considering various common examples to finding out how to plan yours out, this article has you covered.

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What is a Career Path?

A career path is a sequence or series of job positions held leading to your short-term and long-term professional goals. In essence, a career path is the route you take to achieve your career goal or goals.

While most people aim for each job in their career path to follow a linear pattern and be progressively better than the last, it’s not always the case. A career path may meander, sometimes going as far as curving in on itself, before reaching your intended destination.

A sideways move, known as a lateral move , is common, and so is a backwards move (career setback). And, of course, career paths change altogether; sometimes your professional goals change, family responsibilities take priority, or life otherwise gets in the way.

Related Read : Use the STAR Method to Ace Interviews & Behavioral Interview Questions

Examples of Career Paths

There are countless types of career paths to follow or consider, just as everyone has their own career goals and career ladder. On top of the fact that the number of ultimate career outcomes is almost endless, there too are virtually limitless ways to get to each one.

But, though we can’t include that infinite list here for you, we can give you some examples of career paths to consider.

Here are sample career paths through common employment industries:

IT Career Path – Computer Science Major → Web Developer Intern → Junior Web Developer → Software Engineer → IT Manager → Head of IT

Marketing – Social Media Specialist → Content Marketing Associate → Marketing Lead → Head of Marketing → Chief Marketing Officer (CMO)

Retail – Retail Sales Associate → Cashier → Consumables Team Leader → Assistant Store Manager → Store Manager → District Manager

Accounting – Finance Major → Junior Accountant → Senior Accountant → Corporate Controller → Chief Financial Officer (CFO)

Physical Therapy – Biology & Physiology Major → Doctor of Physical Therapy → PT Resident → Physical Therapist → Private Practice

Engineer – Engineering Student → Engineer I → Engineer II → Senior Engineer → Principal Engineer

Education – Bachelor’s Degree in Childhood Education → Teaching Assistant → Teacher → Assistant Principal → Principal

Media – Editorial Intern → Editorial Assistant → Assistant Editor → Associate Editor → Managing Editor → Editor in Chief

Related Read : How to Get a Job With No Work Experience

What Career Path Should I Take?

Now that you know the career path definition and have seen some career path examples, you may be wondering –

Which career path is right for you?

The thing to remember is that career paths aren’t static. There are always going to be setbacks or unforeseen events which will require you to take detours, double back, or in rare, fortunate circumstances, jump ahead.

Rather than planning out your entire career path and inflexible professional goal decades in advance, get an idea of where you’d like to end up which is open to interpretation and change. And, more importantly, understand that there are numerous paths to get there, wherever there is.

Always keep learning, as well. The landscape of the job market and the resume skills needed to succeed in your niche and toward your career goals are shifting faster than ever. It seemed like just yesterday that I woke up to discover that Tik Tok and Clubhouse, two new (to me, mostly) social platforms, were now the most popular social networks on the planet !

Similar to a life of constant learning, make sure you don’t stop networking, either. One of the requirements for career path success is to connect and nurture professional relationships. Not only do these contacts put a bit of fun into the everyday stress of your work life, but one of them might just be the person to help you get in the door of your dream job!

Related Read : How to Ask for a Letter of Recommendation: 10+ Tips, Advice & Examples

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It was quite helpful information to identify a right career path. Promising advice helps a lot to move in a right direction.So, i wrote a blog to show the readers how to choose a career of their dreams!

I love this blog post! It’s so helpful and inspiring. I’m currently in the process of planning my own career path and this article has really helped me get started. Thanks!

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The Career Journey model

At Rotman Commerce Career Services, we base our career coaching and education on the idea that career development is an iterative, ongoing process that will continue throughout your career. As a result, we have organized our career service offerings around this framework.

The career journey has three major phases:

• Discover : In this phase, you uncover and recognize your strengths, skills, values and interests, and explore career options that leverage your unique attributes.
• Develop : During this period, you’ll develop a toolkit to showcase your strengths, skills and experiences.
• Experience : Here, you’ll collaborate on real-world challenges in diverse environments and expand your network to make meaningful contributions.

Once you begin working on these phases, you’ll discover that the career journey is not linear; it’s a cycle that will repeat many times, sometimes with overlapping phases. Your journey is unique to you and depends on your particular strengths, skills, goals and experiences.  No matter where you are in the cycle, you can find support for your goals at Career Services.

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How to Make Your Own Career Roadmap (With Templates)

Whether you're looking to advance your skills or move up the career ladder, a career roadmap can help you create an effective growth plan. Here's how!

Achieving some goals takes more than determination and a few right steps. A solid plan in advance can lay out your necessary milestones, while giving you a clear path to follow.

Career roadmaps are a common practice, used by individuals and whole businesses. They help professionals advance their skills and achievements, whether as freelancers or employees.

Follow the tips below to create the most efficient plan for your career goals. You will need to do some research and keep updating the roadmap as you progress, but the outcome is worth the effort.

What Is a Career Roadmap, and Why Make One?

A career roadmap is a visual representation of the steps you need to take to reach a professional goal, such as a high-ranking position in an organization or just a better job title. Basically, you put down your starting point and what you want to achieve. Then, you plan out how to get from A to B. You can do this alone or get help from your employer.

In fact, opportunities for advancement in the workplace are growing in demand. Statistics on SurveyMonkey show that 37 percent of employees want more options on offer. However, 86 percent found they had plenty of control over their tasks, methods, and timing.

So, the freedom to act on your roadmap is already there. All that remains is for the professional landscape to introduce more ways to advance your career.

And a roadmap is a perfect excuse to explore your options and put the best milestones in order. Additionally, it gives you a clear and practical vision of your future, showing you that it’s entirely possible to reach. Stick to the plan and use different methods to stop forgetting things at work . Day by day, step by step, your dream can become a reality.

How to Make a Career Roadmap

Start with a simple layout and branch out as necessary. Keep your timeline and other everyday responsibilities in mind as you put your career roadmap together.

1. Define Your Starting Point

Your current position in an organization can serve as your map’s beginning. If you’re applying for a new job, that can also be your starting point. It depends on what your goal is. Do you want a promotion? Or are you a freelancer wanting to upgrade your skillset and marketability?

Whether you’re balancing a full-time job and a side hustle or focusing on a single career path, decide what your roadmap’s point A is.

2. Define Your Career Goal and Its Requirements

Once you know where you’re coming from, set your end goal. It could be something already within your capabilities or a position you’ll need to strive for. Either way, make sure your target is realistic and based on good research.

If you work in fashion, for example, and dream of being an astronaut, your chances of success aren’t very high. But you could aim for a position as a spacesuit designer—still a challenge, but likelier to pan out with excellent planning and dedication.

So, while setting your career roadmap’s goal, look into its requirements, too. Establish if it’s a good direction for you and prepare to lay out how you’ll get there.

3. Add Steps to Connect Your Roadmap’s Beginning and End

You have a starting point and a goal. Now, you need to set your steppingstones. Start with major targets you’ll need to reach, like qualifications, work experience, and where you’d get these. Will you need to relocate? How much will this professional journey cost?

At the same time, work out how long each step will take and where it fits on your timeline. The more precise you can make it, the less you’ll need to adjust your journey later. That’s why research and realistic expectations are important.

Between your key milestones, add smaller steps to guide you from one target to the next. These could include practicing a particular skill, joining a social group to make connections, or getting tools for different tasks.

Exploring expense tracking apps for Android can be as helpful as finding which colleges offer the degrees you need. Spend time on such matters, and your career roadmap will become richer in detail and potential.

4. Make Your Career Roadmap Engaging and Easy to Access

Filling your map with practical information and goals ensures that you have a sensible and exciting journey to look forward to. Something else that can help you visualize your future and enjoy the planning process is giving your roadmap character.

For example, you could color code it and spread it out, so you can add helpful notes or checklists under different milestones. On a digital career roadmap, attach files and add hyperlinks to important web pages.

If your employer or someone else is helping you, give them access to the document, so they can offer their input. Creating your own career roadmap doesn’t mean doing it alone.

Additionally, try to make it as easy as possible to interact with your map at any time. Here, digital files have the advantage as you can carry them on your phone or upload them to the cloud, so you can open them from any device.

5. Keep Your Career Roadmap Up to Date

Another tip to making an effective career roadmap is to never stop managing it. Tick those checklists as you go. Update that information. Recalculate your budgets and schedule.

You get to appreciate your progress so far, assess the rest of your journey, and deal with any surprises or even mistakes you made.

Templates for Career Roadmaps

It’s not just other people you can entrust your roadmap to. Software and websites can help as well with advice, tools, and templates. Here are some of the best options.

1. Google Docs

You can create your own career roadmap with help from the best Google Docs add-ons for creating diagrams . Otherwise, you can simply use the platform’s default Drawing tools, available in the Insert tab. It lets you create a new design or upload one from Google Drive.

2. Microsoft Office

The same strategy works on Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. They all have plenty of tools to draw your map from scratch, but you can try out their templates, too.

You’ll find different kinds of roadmaps, planners, and timelines that you can tweak to your liking. If your app lacks good options, explore Microsoft’s templates library for more.

4. Preceden

When it comes to software for making roadmaps and timelines, Preceden is one of the most reliable. Every feature is there to visualize and perfect your career plan.

From a blank slate to elaborate templates, from editing to sharing tools, rest assured you have everything you need, especially if you decide to upgrade from a free account.

Download: Preceden

5. Office Timeline

Here’s one more app you should know about that can help you plan your career. Keep in mind that Office Timeline is only compatible with PowerPoint, but you can import data from Excel, Project, and Smartsheet.

You can either use Office Timeline’s online service or download the PowerPoint add-on. Whatever you choose, you’ll have impressive tools and templates at your fingertips.

Download: Office Timeline

6. Template

If you just want premade roadmaps you can download to different platforms, Template is your best bet. It offers a nice range of simple and more complex designs. Whether you’re getting organized for personal or business reasons, simply download and edit your favorite template.

Download: Template

7. SlideUpLift

Another website offering career roadmap templates is SlideUpLift. They’re mainly for PowerPoint and Google Slides, so if you use either of these apps, check this extensive online library before any other.

An extra interesting feature is that you can order custom slides. Give a detailed description of what you want, and what SlideUpLift delivers.

Download: SlideUpLift

Follow Your Career Roadmap in Small Productive Chunks

Making a career roadmap, whether alone or with help, takes a lot of thought, research, and smart tools. Do it right, however, and your end goal won’t be so daunting to reach. It can even be fun.

Aside from using the tips above, make sure you take your journey one day, a week, and a month at a time. Keep completing smaller steps and building your skills and confidence. Your dream job will arrive in time.

The Road to Success: Building a Career Journey

As Bob Dylan once said, “The times they are a-changing.”

And when it comes to changing careers, nothing can be closer to the truth. If we have a golden opportunity to be whatever we want, where do we start?  

Our careers are often filled with detours. Family obligations. Fear of failure. Not getting that new job or exam result. We feel we’re everything but what we want to be.  

But times, they are a-changing.

Now that we are on the other side of the COVID 19 pandemic, job opportunities are rife, with many employers desperate to hire additional help.

This opens choices that many job seekers have not witnessed in years. If you ever wanted to change careers, now is the time to not just think about it, but to do it.  

But how do job seekers start down a road that leads to the job of their dreams?

This article will provide the steps that to take you on a journey to additional opportunities and a change of careers.  

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What exactly is a career journey?

A career journey is an inventory of positions and experiences that comprise your work history. This can span everything from your first job to your current status. Add a college degree and other post-secondary credentials, and that is your career journey to the present day.  

How do you choose?

The steps to building a new career are standard, but if you haven’t pursued a career change in a while, the process might seem very new.  

Follow these steps if you are hungry for a career change right now:

1. Create and answer your own career journey questions.

Before making a career change, you need to understand why you want a change. 

This means going back to answering some basic questions about what you want your career to look like.

A period of self-reflection. 

Ask yourself questions about what you want your new career to look like, what core values comprise your new career, what your professional likes and dislikes are, and whether you wish to go technical or creative.  

Once you’ve answered these questions truthfully, your career change should be better defined.

2. Build a five-year plan

While it would be great to jump right into a new career, it doesn’t always happen that way. 

So, develop a realistic idea of where you want to be in five years’ time – and what steps you need to take to achieve that.

Then compare your plan with other professionals who are five years along in their own career plans. See if your plan can be accomplished. Your plan may bring some surprises, like going back to college or taking advantage of work experience programs. And remember to be realistic.

Schedule regular time to conduct an evaluation of your progress. If need be, extend your five-year plan. 

Don’t give up if your plan takes longer than anticipated.

3. Recognise your personality type

There are multiple personality types, and your ‘type’ is defined as how you react to specific situations.

What type of thinker are you, and what traits do you use to build success? 

Do you use creativity to solve situations? 

Are you an analytical thinker? 

Your strengths here can translate into a successful career you love. There are several personality tests that can identify personality types. They include Myers-Briggs, Keirsey Temperament Sorter, and the Jungian Index. 

4. Review your previous experience

Review your work history and experiences. Think about all the jobs you have done through your career. 

Remember what you liked about each, and what left you feeling fulfilled. Identify trends in your work experience, and the ability to learn new skills and ideas. Do you like to build your skill set or remain complacent with tasks that are about the same every day?  

These work evaluations can be important to defining your career move.

5. Compare job requirements with your educational background

Job requirements often ask for educational experience.  

If you wish to make a radical career change, that’s great. But does your educational background support the change? If not, you may need to go back to school and get an additional certification or degree.  

Many jobs have specific education requirements for applicants. Read the job description carefully – if a specific qualification is needed, think about how you are going to achieve it, and ensure this goal is covered in your five-year plan.

Importantly, don’t give up on your dreams. It may seem intimidating, but there are many routes back into education, and advice and support on how to do so is out there.  

6. Review your current skill set

Evaluate your current skill set. There are many websites that can assist you with this. You may be surprised to find that you have skills and expertise you never realised before. 

Take your skill set and then search for jobs and occupations and see what the system highlights as great jobs to match your skill set. 

Don’t let it side-track your dreams, but it may force you to re-evaluate what’s necessary for a career change. 

(And have a look at this article to find out how to Super-Charge your CV )

7. Analyse your interests

Your interests may be useful for multiple careers. And we spend so much time at work, it makes sense to follow a career that interests you.

Create a list of activities to help you narrow down your career path. If you like to meet new people, pick a career that takes you on the road to meet new contacts. If you’re good at problem solving complex scenarios, an IT or technical job may be something to consider. This approach usually works.

8. Core values

Always be aware of your core values. If you stay in touch with your feelings on what’s important, this will help you find a career that is more fulfilling. Make a list of attributes and find companies that offer jobs that support these values.

9. Show me the money

It’s last, but certainly not least. You can’t ignore salary.  

Of course, it’s great to have a job that pays well. And salary is often a motivator for a career change. If the salary is not liveable for you, you may have to change your career or your budget.

Some say the career journey is more important than the career outcome. That may be true, but the goal is to find enrichment with a new career.

Let’s hope the journey is worth the wait.

Any tips you’d give to someone looking at mapping out their career journey?

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Career Development .

Career development: definition, planning & resources, career development definition.

Career development is the progression of short-term steps taken to achieve long-term professional goals. It involves the building of role-specific skill sets, and can include taking night classes, networking, seeking out a mentor and taking on new responsibilities in your current job. Effective career development requires a thoughtful approach: decide on a career goal, then map out the experience, competencies and connections you’ll need to get there.

What Is Career Development?

Career development is the process of learning and utilizing short-term skills to progress toward long-term professional goals. This process is often lifelong and involves steadily reaching milestones specific to your designated career path. Much of career development calls for reflection and the exploration of purpose in your work, and is the foundation for achieving larger career growth . 

A career path can be visualized as a ladder, with each rung symbolizing the level of a role on the path. Landing a job is a  paramount first step, but odds are you may not want to stay at the entry level forever. Moving up the career ladder and earning promotions is easier said than done, however. It often requires careful planning and taking intentional steps.

Career development is all about gathering what skills and experiences can launch you further on your career path, and navigating these processes in increments (or ladder steps) to make career growth manageable.

Why Is Career Development Important?

Having a structured career development plan helps professionals ensure that they are entering and traversing a career path that makes the most of both their skills and values. 

Helps Make Use of Skills 

The further you climb the career ladder, the more you have to build and utilize certain skills for the workplace. Career development helps employees home in on what specific skills they would like to learn, what actions need to be taken to learn them and how to actively use them. Plus, seeing the positive feedback of forming new skills signals a feeling of reward, incentivizing an employee to continue the practice.

Increases Motivation at Work  

Career development is all about finding tangible goals to work toward. This helps workers set realistic expectations, feel less pressure and find more enthusiasm to reach these goals. As their career develops, an employee often gains a sense of accomplishment and motivation to do even more in their job.

Helps Achieve Financial Goals 

A worker with more experience and refined skills generally will receive a higher pay. While following a career development plan, employees typically get a better idea of what milestones need to be met on the job in order to get a promotion or increased salary.

Increases Employee Retention  

People want to make the most out of their jobs, and can feel stuck or neglected in their career without proper growth resources. Employees who are provided professional development opportunities at work are shown to be more engaged and yield a higher retention in comparison to those who aren’t . Making learning and career development a part of a company’s culture can help employers both attract and keep their employees for the long run.

Increases Happiness and Satisfaction  

Career development and happiness at work often go hand-in-hand. Feeling successful in your development goals at work will likely boost workplace happiness, and in turn workplace happiness will boost performance and incentivize further development. To frequently learn, develop and master new skills as an employee makes for a more rewarding and satisfying career overall.

How to Create a Career Development Plan 

Laying out the groundwork for goals years down the road can be overwhelming, which is where the short-term actionable goals of career development come in. These stages for how to create a plan are only the smaller parts of overall career growth, and likewise, each stage is also comprised of individual pieces or skills to consider. Being realistic about what you can immediately accomplish and taking your plan one step or ladder rung at a time is paramount for healthy career development.

Don’t think of your first career development plan as creating the final plan or a checklist list you have to precisely follow, but rather just a basis to reference on your career journey. 

Explore Your Interests and Goals 

So you’ve decided to build a career for yourself. Now what? Start by reflecting and ask yourself the big questions about what you want out of your job. Though career development isn’t entirely about the final destination, having an overarching vision can keep you motivated, grounded and get a grasp on your values as an employee. 

Take a step back and think about what you like to do and what you’re good at. Do you want to manage people, or do you want to achieve excellence in your craft? Do you prefer to work at a small startup where you can experiment with responsibilities beyond your job description, or a big tech company with more structure and support systems?

Be sure to consider factors outside of work too. More responsibility often translates into more money, but it can also make work more stressful and your schedule less predictable. And if you love to travel or spend time outdoors when the weather is good, a decent job at a company that’s flexible about taking time off with short notice might be just as good as a more exciting, but all-consuming one. Figuring out what you want might require some experimentation.

Research the Skills You Need

After getting an idea of your desired career, start by brainstorming and researching what skills, competencies and years of experience the people in your dream job have. Ask yourself: How can you gain them? Can you talk to someone already doing the work about how they got there?

As an example, imagine you are currently working as an entry-level software engineer at a tech company and want to eventually become a mid-level software engineer. In this case, a steady progression on the career ladder is needed. 

Let’s say you researched what you need to make it to the mid-level engineering role within your company. Your research shows you need proficiency in up to three programming languages and to be more proactive within your role. Ask yourself how to boost these areas of expertise — maybe it involves learning another coding language, or maybe it involves leading more projects within your team. Necessary skills will change for each new role, so this process must be repeated in each rung of the career ladder.

Though everyone’s career development path is different, conducting this kind of research one role at a time for each role in your path gets you slightly closer to your conclusive goal or dream role. Compile your research on requirements for each role within your path to keep track of career progress and measure any skill gaps that may need filling.

Build Your Skills

Now it’s time to seek out opportunities to build the skills necessary for your desired path. Some hard skills like coding or editing can be learned through classes or reading books, while some soft skills like interpersonal communication and collaboration are best learned on the job and by volunteering to take on additional responsibilities as they come up. 

Keep an eye out for opportunities to show you’re capable and enthusiastic about moving to the next role level in your career. Additionally, don’t be afraid to seek guidance from mentors, managers or colleagues you encounter along the way, as they can be a great avenue for gaining such opportunities or just passing down industry knowledge.

Going back to our example, to get a promotion to a mid-level software engineering role in your company, you know you’ll need to gain some more experience in another coding language relating to your work, as well as show greater initiative in your work and processes. To build these skills, this could include participating in a Java, Python or similar coding bootcamp , or offering to help collaborate in a cross-team project. 

How you build your skills will look different depending on the seniority of the role you’re pursuing though. Attending a coding bootcamp may be the answer to building a skillset you need for the mid-level engineering role, but that may not be the same case when it’s time to advance to a senior-level engineering role.

Career Development Resources and Tips

Salary and benefits.

Finding a fulfilling job is important, but pay and benefits matter too. Effectively advocating for yourself can make a huge difference to your lifetime earnings — and doing that starts with understanding how compensation works.

How to Ask for a Raise

Don’t just sit around waiting for more money; ask for it . That might sound simple, but many of us leave money on the table because we’re too afraid to ask for raises. To negotiate effectively, you need to do some research to understand how much your peers at other companies make, as well as how your company’s salaries compare to broader market trends. That said, don’t think of these ranges as the cap of your earnings potential. If you’re good at what you do, you might be able to negotiate yourself to an above-market rate. 

How to Counter a Job Offer

Starting pay has major implications for earnings down the line, since many companies calculate raises based on a percentage of base salary. Making an effective counter offer requires some finesse, though, since you need to weigh getting what you want against the risk of alienating a potential employer. Common strategies for striking the right balance include asking for a company’s internal salary range, insisting on reviewing the written offer before accepting, and ensuring that you don’t tip your hand too much in the negotiation.

Stock Options

Early stage startups can’t match corporate salaries, so they make up the difference with stock options . In short, stock options are contracts that let you buy part of a company at a set price in the future, giving you the chance to share in the upside of an IPO or an acquisition. How much you stand to make from an exit depends on a number of factors, including the company’s valuation, the number of shares you hold and your strike price — which is usually lower for longer-tenured employees. 

Severance Pay

A severance package can lessen the blow of losing a job, but it isn’t free money, exactly. Packages can include weeks’ or months’ worth of your base salary, as well as extended healthcare benefits and help finding a new job. In exchange, you typically need to sign away the right to sue your former employer — and some agreements include non-disparagement, non-disclosure and non-compete clauses as well. You really should review it before you sign anything. 

How to Get the Career You Want

If you have specific goals, you need specific plans. If you’re lacking in either, these resources will help you kick off your career development journey.

How to Get Your Dream Job

Your dream job might be something you lose yourself in entirely, and where you find yourself bursting with ideas and enjoying every moment. Or it might be more about negative space: a job that’s pretty good, but flexible, and that leaves plenty of room for whatever else you like to do with your time. If you don’t know what your dream job is, it might be time to start thinking about it. Otherwise, your career might pass by before you find out. 

How to Set Effective Long-Term Career Goals

Too often, we become laser focused on the next step on the career ladder, losing track entirely of long-term career goals . Taking a longer-term view is important, because chasing the next step can end up leading you astray. Do you want a high-powered career with lots of responsibility, or do you want to close your laptop at the same time every night to spend time with friends and family? Do you want to be responsible for other people, or do you prefer to focus on excellence as an individual contributor? The answers to these questions should shape your long-term career goals. 

How to Set Career Goals

Sometimes, it’s the short-term plans of career goals that are lacking. If you find yourself stuck in a rut without a clear path forward, a good first step is thinking about some short-term to medium-term goals. These goals should feel fulfilling, yet also attainable. Think: “Mentor a colleague,” or “Lead a presentation for my team about best practices.” Don’t make it trivial, but don’t make it too hard, either. A quick win can do wonders for your self-esteem, and help you reach more ambitious goals in the future. 

How to Set Short-Term Goals to Boost Career Growth

Short-term goals need to be specific and measurable. For example, if you want to expand your professional network, “establishing two new contacts every month” is a better goal than “having a robust network by the end of the year.” Once you’ve established a goal, write it down and ask someone you trust to hold you accountable. 

What You Need to Know About Job Shadowing

Many companies reserve job shadowing for interns, but a chance to look ahead at what the future could hold can be valuable at any step in your career journey. Shadowing lets you look beyond job descriptions and get a sense of what the day-to-day work actually looks like. That’s important if you want a clear idea of what you’d like to do, or, perhaps equally importantly, what you don’t want to do. 

Use the 30-60-90 Day Plan

No one expects a new hire to know everything, but some things are more important to remember than others. The 30-60-90 day plan is designed to help new hires prioritize their time, laying out expectations for the first, second and third month, respectively. In most jobs, the first month is mostly about learning, while the second and third months are for experimenting and taking on real responsibilities. 

Building Your Network

Networking opens up the door for new roles or knowledge in your career, and can be done no matter if you work in-person or completely remote . It’s important to note, however, that a robust network doesn’t appear overnight. If you put in the effort and offer up as much help as you receive to your colleagues, you might soon find that all roads in your chosen field lead back to you. 

How to Build a Professional Network

Building the right network can do wonders for your career, helping with everything from introductions to gut checks before important decisions. But although your network might grow naturally over the course of your career, you’re going to have to put in some time and effort in developing and maintaining connections. The best way to do that is to set aside some time every week for keeping up. 

How to Find the Right Mentor

Different people want different things from a mentor . Some people want a role model with a job they dream to hold. Others are looking for a successful peer with a shared professional or personal background. And while some turn to mentors for emotional support while things are tough, others want a trusted person like a coach who will tell them when they’re in the wrong. Whether you’re looking for a mentor or coach , there’s probably someone out there for you. 

How to Get the Most out of Informational Interviews

The informational interview can be a powerful tool for anyone looking to break into a new specialization or industry. Usually initiated by the person looking to make inroads, these interviews are opportunities to gain a deeper understanding of what someone does and how they do it. Informational interviews do have the potential to help you land a job down the line, but you shouldn’t spend your contact’s precious time trying to sell yourself. Instead, do your research and ask thoughtful questions, and trust that your wits and curiosity will make an impression. Either way, the insights you gather are likely to help you do better in your next job interview. 

Developing New Skills

Traits like communication, confidence and ability to trust people play an outsize role for anyone aspiring to leadership of any kind. They may sound like nice-to-haves, but neglecting these so-called “soft skills” will derail even the best-laid career development plans.

How to Develop Interpersonal Skills

Technical know-how might get you a foot in the door, but if you want to move up within an organization and do high-impact work, you’ll need strong interpersonal skills . Fortunately, you can work on those, just like you can any other skill. One important thing you can do is pay more attention to how you behave around others — do you interrupt often, for example? Other strategies include setting aside time for checking in with coworkers and asking for honest feedback about what it’s like to work with you. 

How to Overcome Imposter Syndrome

If you ever feel like you’re in over your head and about to get found out, you’re not alone. Imposter syndrome is extremely common in the tech industry — especially among women and members of other underrepresented groups. Fortunately, talking openly about these feelings can help, since it sheds light on how everyone struggles in one way or another. And if everyone feels like they’re falling short in some way, maybe we’re all just setting the bar too high for ourselves. 

Active Listening Techniques to Know

If you’re thinking about what you’re going to say next, you’re not really listening. Some of us are better at hearing what others are saying than others, but active listening is a skill we could all stand to get better at. Some improvements will come easy, like disabling notifications when you step into a meeting. Others require a shift in mindset, away from troubleshooting a conversation partner’s problems in real time, and toward embracing moments of silence as you consider what to ask next. 

Which Soft Skills Are Most Important?

People will go on endlessly about the importance of soft skills , but which skills are they actually talking about? In tech, hiring managers tend to look for communication and listening skills, a collaborative mindset, friendliness, and openness to feedback. It might sound like a no-brainer, but developing these skills is easier said than done: hiring managers consistently report trouble finding candidates who possess them. 

How to Avoid Micromanagement

The transition from individual contributor to manager can be tricky, in large part because it involves moving from doing something you’re good at to managing other people in the job you used to have. Often, that means you can fix problems your employees are stuck on in no time — but this can easily lead to micromanagement . Letting your employees learn how to solve their own problems is critical to their professional growth, and it’s going to make your own job easier in the long run. It can be painful at times, but it’s the right thing to do. 

How to Write Effective Interview Follow-Ups

Some hiring managers don’t care about interview follow-ups , while others think it speaks volumes about a candidate’s interest in the job. Since there’s no way of knowing which camp someone falls into, skipping the follow-up email can end up costing you the job. That said, be sure not to overwhelm the recipient. Keep it short, reiterate your interest and emphasize why you think you’re the right person for the role. 

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Your Career Journey Part 1: Résumé Prep and Job Searches

#MTtalk , Career Skills

Who doesn't enjoy a good sequel, trilogy or series?  I do because I like watching a story evolve and unfold in, often, surprising ways! Managing your career can feel like a similar journey. In fact, the career journey you take develops over time, as you learn and grow.

That's why I suggested this series of blogs to help you plan your career journey, whether you're a current job seeker, an employee looking for a change or a step up, a future entrepreneur, or a student. 

This blog series on career journeys will coincide with three consecutive #MTtalk Twitter chats and Facebook Live events. And, if you're a Club member, we'll also be hosting exclusive #MTmasterclass videos on LinkedIn. (You can find further information about these at the end of this blog.)

Starting your career journey – Prepping your résumé

What are your key skills and strengths.

Before explaining your knowledge, skills, abilities, and interests to anyone, you'll need to identify what they are.  

Mind Tools has several resources to help you do this, including our personal SWOT analysis , our blog on "What's Your Life Plan? Balancing Dreams and Reality" , and the Mind Tools Life Plan Workbook .

So get familiar with your own strengths and skills. Then use this information to define the following about yourself: 

• Talents 
• Interests 
• Knowledge 
• Skills 
• Abilities 
• Philosophy/Values 

Summarizing your work experience

A résumé is an organized snapshot of your career objectives, qualifications, skills, education, experience, and work history. Essentially, it should provide the hiring company details of what your career journey looks like so far, and demonstrate how well your skills and experience match up to the vacant position. Recruiters often request that résumés be limited to one or two pages, so be concise but informative. 

For quick and easy reference to your work experience so far, keep an up-to-date LinkedIn profile. Also, maintain an "at-a-glance" data file that contains key information for each of the jobs you've had, such as dates, titles, key responsibilities, accomplishments, company info, and key work contacts or former supervisors. 

Some jobs may require you to document your work experience in different formats. For example, if your background includes postgraduate work in the technical, educational, scientific, legal, and medical industries, companies might request a curriculum vitae (CV) instead. 

In my experience, a résumé is a shorter summary of your work that can be skimmed in 15-30 seconds, while a CV may include paragraphs to summarize your specialized work. Government entities and other organizations may also require you to fill out online or paper applications that are specific to them.

Résumé design

A résumé typically contains the following, regardless of format: 

• Name and contact information. 
• Career objective.
• Relevant job history (with job title, dates, company, city/state). 
• Key responsibilities and skills.
• Education level.
• Other information such as hobbies, activities, honors, and affiliations. 

How you format and design your résumé will depend on what information you want to highlight. What do you want the hiring company to know about you? 

Remember, the likelihood is you only have a few minutes to grab the recruiter's attention. So you need to design your résumé in a way that presents your work experience clearly and effectively. There are several résumé format styles you can use, but – in general – the three most popular are: 

• Chronological – best for consistent, relevant experience.
• Targeted – best for downplaying a limited job history of direct experience by spotlighting relevant, transferable skills and abilities instead.
• Functional – best for emphasizing related duties and responsibilities from multiple positions.

Because this is your résumé, choose a format or combination that highlights your strengths and represents you the best. Also, think about the roles that you're applying for and consider tailoring your résumé depending on the different skills and experience that each requires.

Finding the right career journey: Searching for Jobs

Now that your résumé is ready, the next obstacle on your career journey is to find the right job for you. But how do you know what will be a good fit and what won't? Where should you be looking? Where do you even start?

When it comes to doing a job search, your ultimate goal is to find a role that excites you, but that also meets your salary expectations. There are various places you can look, including:

• Company websites. 
• Newspapers.
• LinkedIn and recruitment websites.
• Networking/word of mouth.
• Campus career center or local economic development department.
• Executive search consultant/firm.

You might find that there are thousands of jobs relevant to you and your industry out there. But, remember, you are the customer here. So consider some of the following to find the right fit for you :

• Determine your salary requirements and acceptable range based on your needs, and the industry average for the types of jobs you're applying for.
• Don't get hung up on titles. Instead, focus on the responsibilities. (For example, a coordinator at a large organization could have the same responsibilities as a manager at a small company.) 
• Learn about the company and compare how its corporate values measure up to yours. 
• Consider location. Where is the job? Are you open to relocation? 

Introducing yourself using a cover letter

Many recruiters ask job applicants to write a cover letter to go with their résumé. Essentially a cover letter is a personal letter that introduces you and your résumé to the recruiter. It's a chance for you to highlight the unique strengths and skills that you can bring to the role, and explain how you'd make the best fit.

To make sure your cover letter sends you to the top of the recruiter's pile, consider the following:

• Carefully read the job description and focus your letter on the key skills and attributes that it requires.
• Stick to between three to five paragraphs and no more! This could, for example, be structured as: an opening paragraph (the purpose of your letter); two to three paragraphs that promote your skills and that summarize why you'd be an asset to the company; and a closing paragraph (action and appreciation).
• Use a standard letter format but tailor the content of your cover letter for each position that you apply for.
• Use action-oriented language to bridge your experience with prospective duties. For example, "strategize," "build," "create," and "develop."
• If the recruiter didn't request items (such as headshot, samples, etc.), don't submit them. (Recruiters may receive dozens of attachments or pages for each vacancy, so these may simply go ignored if they are not necessary.)
• The recruiter should confirm receipt of your submission (via email, phone, or text message). 
• Don't assume the recruiter's preferred greeting titles.  Ask for their preference before you begin writing.
• Look at a mix of job descriptions for the same position to understand how to tailor your language.
• Factor in any voluntary and other unpaid experience you've done to demonstrate transferable skills. 
• Save documents to a portable document format (PDF) to preserve your original formatting. (Several "free" PDF creation software tools are available online.) 

Let's continue the conversation about Career Journeys

We want to explore the different career journeys people have taken further. So we'll be hosting a number of exciting talks on our social channels to discover more. These will also be great opportunities to access the wonderful wealth of experience our coaches can offer you, as you navigate your own career journey.

We'll be hosting an #MTtalk on Career Journeys on Wednesday, May 10th @ 12 noon ET. Anyone can join! Simply follow us on Twitter, type #MTtalk in the Twitter search function and click on "Latest" – you'll then be able to follow the live chat feed. You can participate in the chat by using the hashtag #MTtalk in your responses.

On Thursday, May 11 at 11 a.m. ET members of our Career Community Facebook group will be able to join a 20-minute Facebook Live conversation and question session.

And, finally on Friday, May 12 we will release a short coaching video on our Mind Tools Coaching Hub on LinkedIn , which is exclusive to Mind Tools' Club members.

Resources: Explore more at Mind Tools...

If you want to delve further into some of the topics we've discussed, check out the following from Mind Tools. (Note that you will need to be a Mind Tools Club or Corporate member to see all of the resources in full.)

Finding Career Direction Managing Your Career Developing a Career Strategy Writing a Résumé Writing a Cover Letter

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Defining your career path: journey or destination

with 47 comments

Please be sure to see the three quick questions poll at the end of this post along with results from the last poll and take this post’s survey on career paths here .

For some, a professional career is a destination .  From the very start, the goal is to achieve some level of proficiency or stature in your chosen field of work.  The destination can be a role, a company, a level of achievement, or other specific and measurable goal.

For others, a professional career is a journey .  From the very start, the goal is to experience work from a variety of perspectives in your field and adjacent field.  The journey can be different companies or organizations within a big company, job types, geographies, or other varied aspects of your profession.

Destination and journey are different ways to look at career progression.  While it is tempting to think of these as mutually exclusive or as a one-time choice, the reality is (as you can expect) a little less clear.  Even so, you want to know not just the next step but the reasons behind next steps and how they contribute to a career path.

Destination

Many start careers with a goal of working their way “up” the chain.  Going to manager, to general manager or director, to vice president, and more (gaining rank, earning tenure, making partner, etc.) defines progress.  This might be exactly right for you.  Setting your sights on specific and measurable milestones fits with how many view career progression.

Progression up the corporate ladder is not the only way to about your destination.  In planning your next steps, one might consider two views of a destination-oriented path:

• Org leader .  As an org leader you follow the path of moving “up”.  While your path might involve moving laterally at times, you focus on meeting the objectives as defined by the organization for what skills and experiences enable you to move through the milestones of management.
• Domain expert .  As a domain expert you follow the path of being the leader in your area in your company.  For many technologists, this is ultimately where the highest satisfaction comes from.  You know the ins and outs of a technology, system, or product better than anyone.  You do this through years of experience and effort.

Focusing on your destination is not for everyone.  This is not just a statement of skills that not everyone might have, but time and place play a role in achieving this type of goal.  In most large organizations there is a fraction of the total team at “top” positions.  For every VP there might be 100 or even 1000 other employees.  Similarly, for every top domain expert, there may be 100 or 1000 other employees not as far along in their domain knowledge.

A destination goal is a long term play and means that during your path you will have periods that feel like you are not moving up, but that should not stop you from moving forward.  You might need to take a step left or right sometimes to keep moving up.  Most of all, never think that for you to move up, someone needs to move down.  Most of the time with a destination oriented career your next steps are visible to you and the organization, and patience and timing play important parts of progression.

When you are set on a destination you also want to be prepared to manage through changes in the landscape.

As an org leader you are ultimately accountable for large projects or budgets, and the people that deliver on those commitments.  Sometimes things don’t go as hoped and as an org leader you have to step up and accept responsibility. These become the key learning moments in your career progression.

As a domain expert, technologies change and paradigms change.  The long-term domain experts are expert not in the specifics but in the solutions.  As an amazing programmer you want to reinvent yourself as new languages and tools emerge.  Leading the team through these discontinuities are the key learning moments in your career progression.

Many people start their careers knowing that the world is a big place waiting to be explored.  They see the world through the lens of an adventurer or explorer.  Going thoughtfully from one role to another or one organization to another fills your expectations of progressing through your career, or life.  Setting your sites on a collection of experiences that you wish to have is the measurable way of managing your career.

Variety is not easy to measure and there is a fine line between variety and job-hopping .  If the journey is your goal you want to have a clear understanding of how you intend to assemble a collection of experiences.  You will move thoughtfully through these experiences and time your moves based on achieving some level of proficiency, satisfaction, and success.

In planning your journey, you might consider two views of a journey-oriented career path:

• Breadth leader .  With breadth leader, you aim to have very different roles over time.  You might choose to move between sales, marketing, business, or development in a product area you know and love.  You might choose to move to different parts of the world to experience sales and marketing with a local flavor.  You might choose to work on a variety of products within a large organization.  You might even move from company to company.  All of these broaden your experiences, and if you’re focused on the journey you will meet different people, learn from different perspectives, and experience your career from a variety of vantage points, absorbing these along the way as you grow and mature.  Along the way you will be in a position to lead more as you gain experiences.
• Field expert .  As a field expert, you collect experiences much like a domain expert but you establish breadth expertise by looking at your domain from a 360 degree view.  You might be a technical expert with experience implementing such as system at different companies or you might have engineered similar systems from the ground up several times in different contexts.  You seek to grow and progress through your career with depth experiences explored from different angles.

A journey career is not for everyone.  You substitute the certainty of goals such as ladder levels or career stages, job titles, and pay grades with more substantial transitions.  With a journey career your next steps are much more about what you seek out to achieve and less about what “comes next”.  As with the explorers from another era, a journey career is driven from within and by your own desires.

On your journey, the transitions are key times you take action and plan on your next steps.  Your deliberate next step makes all the difference when you reflect back on your path.  Did your next step look “random” or did you have a clear rationale for choosing what you did?  Think about how you might explain your steps to someone looking at your resume/CV as you explore the step after the next one.

When you choose your next step, you need to be prepared for a lot of change.  You will work for new people, work with new people, and have different processes.  You will need to adapt and conform.  Things you thought you knew might not be right in the new context.  On the other hand you will meet all sorts of new people and experience new ways of approaching the problems and challenges of business. Down the road when you have to define a process for a group, you have all your experiences and contexts to draw from to avoid repeating mistakes you might have experienced.

With a breadth leader path you might feel like you really jumped in the deep end at one transition.  You might feel like you made a big mistake, going to work in a far-away place for example.  Stick with it.  Live through it.  Adapt and grow.  You will become more valuable to the team as a whole when you can call upon the collected learning.  These are the learning moments on your journey.

As a field expert, you might find yourself in a familiar domain but without the resources you became accustomed to at your last role.  You might wish you could call on that trusted associate or allocate budget in a way you did before, but these are not available to you.  You will need to blaze a new trail or creatively solve the problem using the experience you have but applied differently.  Using your domain knowledge and experience in this new context is how you learn as a field expert.

You might reach a stage in your career where you want to settle down after many a journey.  You might similarly reach a stage where it is time to explore new domains, new organizations, or just different perspectives.  In other words you might find a stage in your career where the other of journey or destination becomes your new goal. Resetting your approach can be part of the journey of life.

Of course both paths have room to grow your salary and responsibility. While destination roles have high visibility in terms of material benefits, most organizations strive to have material benefits available for a broad array of people and assignments.

Keeping in mind your path and where you see the moves in your career will help you to have much more informed discussions with your managers and mentors.  As a manager (or mentor), helping the members of the team to see their own desires and wishes will assist in coaching them through transitions.

If there is one piece of advice that transcends the description of your path, it is that no matter where you intend to go, the most important thing is to be excellent at what you are currently doing.  When you’re doing excellent work, you create alternatives for yourself and open doors to new opportunities and paths.

–Steven Sinofsky

Three quick questions poll by Cameron

In the “Being a Leader…” post we asked three questions about your manager’s behavior and your empowerment/productivity.  We had a great response from this popular post, here is what we learned together:

• Over half of you (54%) report that your manager “asks me to solve vaguely defined problems”, while only 14% report that their manager “spells out expectations in detail”
• Nearly half (48%) said that their manager “mostly edits” when reviewing their work and 45% said their manager “adds works without taking work away”
• There is nearly a 10% difference in the % of managers that provide “feedback quickly”(43%) vs. managers that provide “thoughtful, thorough feedback” (34%)

Next, we wanted to look at the relationship between your managers’ traits and your level of productivity and empowerment, both of which you ranked on a scale of 1-5, where 1 is low and 5 is high.  The results were interesting:

• Those of you with managers that “mostly edit ” when reviewing your work were about a point lower on the empowerment scale
• Those of you with managers that provided “ thoughtful , thorough feedback” were about a point higher on the empowerment scale, but on average a half point lower on the productive scale
• Similarly, those of you with managers that use “ delegation as a way to give others authority to make decisions” are a half point higher on the empowerment scale, but a half point lower on the productive scale.
• Those of you who had managers that “ add work without taking work away” have a half point higher productivity

Bottom line: A consistent theme was that quality and quantity can be a trade-off, in leadership and in our deliverables.  Often having both can prove difficult.

Disclaimer: As a caveat, it’s worth noting the subjective nature of these questions, and the potential bias of people taking this survey—those who likely have an interest in being an effective leader themselves.

Take this post’s survey on career paths here . Results reported with the next post.  Thank you!

–Cameron

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Written by Steven Sinofsky

March 28, 2013 at 9:00 am

Posted in posts

Tagged with career

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Build a Successful Career Journey Using a Professional Development Plan

The best way to craft a successful career journey is to create your own personalized, professional development plan. Such a plan helps you control your destiny so that at the end of your journey there are few regrets and less excuses about what could have been. No journey comes without some unexpected bumps in the road, so you also want to create opportunities for redemption if things go awry.

To continue to grow and thrive in your career, create measurable goals that are challenging but not out of reach and can be modified if situations take an unexpected turn. This will provide a satisfactory level of control over what you are doing and provide a feeling of competence in how you are performing.

Here are 4 ways to grow in your career.

Follow your own north star.

Set sights and support actions on your own personal North Star. Stephen Covey describes this “True North” as an individual’s guiding moral principle. Understanding your true north helps you to use your values in developing your life and your career. A key concept to keep in mind is “authenticity.” No matter what, being your authentic self is non-negotiable. Taking an accounting of your core values that need to be embraced in whatever career move you make will allow you to remain grounded. Following your North Star guarantees your moving in the right direction.

Look for opportunities through networking.

An important part of any professional development plan is understanding the changing trends in the business community. In your present job, or previous jobs, you have developed certain competent skills, knowledge and abilities. Some of these SKA’s you may prefer using more frequently. Through networking, you can keep abreast of what is available in the business community in which you can utilize those SKA’s. Again, be honest with yourself when making choices in your career journey. With new job opportunities, carefully consider if this allows you to grow and enhance your skill set. It will be an uncomfortable feeling if you make a career choice only to find that you are not employing the skill sets you hope to enhance, and instead, find yourself in an unrewarding situation.

Look for strategic ways to improve the work process.

Always look to do things better. How can you improve your work process? Becoming more efficient and more competent in your skill sets is useful as you move up the corporate ladder, change jobs, or start your own business. There are two aspects of business: strategy about what direction to take, and operational effectiveness on how to get there. Any time-saving measures you can institute in the operational process will be beneficial to the bottom line.

I can’t stress this enough. Read. Read news articles, fiction, sci-fi, adventure, romantic comedy, whatever. Just read! Nourish the brain and the imagination. It helps you grow. It opens the mind to new possibilities. It provides new perspectives for solving problems or connecting disparate information in new creative ways. Reading is a foundation for expanding your knowledge base.

Here are 5 tips for creating an effective professional development plan.

As you journey, guided by your north star, create a process of continual improvement.

You need to determine what types of skills, knowledge and abilities are warranted to improve and/or acquire along your career journey. Choose them so that you increase personal fulfillment at work and also, will move you closer to your long-term career goals.

Expand your reach

In order to grow, you need to step outside of your comfort level and begin to make changes that might seem uncomfortable when you first start. By being objective about your limitations and weaknesses, you can choose which skills realistically to improve and help you bolster your job performance.

Create your goals by identifying what you want

The purpose of a goal is to achieve it. So look over your job description, and identify those activities you enjoy and would like to enhance. Consider what long-term dreams you are trying to achieve and begin creating goals that can set you on a forward path. We help our clients develop SMART Goals, goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time sensitive. We use goals as guidelines for establishing a target worth achieving and an action plan on how to accomplish it.

Develop a strong bias for action

No goal will be achieved without action. You need to be willing to show discipline, dedication, perseverance and a commitment to excellence. Procrastination is the downfall of accomplishing your target goals. By actively engaging in your professional development plan, you prove to yourself that you are worth the effort.

Trust your instincts

If something doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t. Establishing a professional development plan that pleases others but not you, will not produce quality results. You must buy into the program and have a comfort level that what you are trying to improve is really of value to you.

Actually, we never stop growing and we never stop learning. That is why we developed Enjoying a Successful Career Journey . This book will guide you in deciding how to enhance your career. The book inspires you to create a fulfilling journey and harvest bountiful rewards. Our lives are a continuing narrative that evolves over time. The experiences that have shaped us, and the challenges that have tested us, define the story we tell about ourselves. A professional development plan becomes part of the script in creating your happy ending. Order Enjoying a Successful Career Journey today to get started.

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Career Journeys

Career Journeys are bundles of specially curated Aspire Journeys that contain additional content items ensuring you can retain and apply your new skills on the job. Some Career Journeys might have live courses, labs, and mentors, others might have test preps and projects, all have instructional variety and reporting to provide a scalable way to upskill in specific areas. Your admins can purchase a Career Journey as an add-on for an additional fee and then license it to a specific group of users.

If your company purchased and licensed a Career Journey for you:

• What to expect: a summary of learning methods contained in that Career Journey that make it unique.
• Certifications you can prepare for: a list of certifications that you can prepare for using the content within the Career Journey if the Career Journey supports certification training.
• About this Career Journey: a description of what you can do with this Career Journey.
• Sections: a view of how the career journey is segmented so you can choose your individual path. Sections will vary for each journey.
• Live courses are hosted outside Percipio by Skillsoft Global Knowledge (GK). If learners decide to attend, they must register for a class in Percipio that meets their schedule, then activate a separate account with GK using their first name, last name, and email address.
• Learners may participate in facilitated, small group discussions with an International Federation of Coaches (IFC)-certified Skillsoft coach and up to eight peers. In these sessions, the learners discuss the unit’s themes, ask questions, and interact and exchange ideas.
• If available, learners complete a capstone project which provides the opportunity to integrate the skills and competencies developed across all tracks in a final culminating project.
• Learners can share Career Journeys with others who are also licensed for the same Career Journey.
• For instructions on how to submit unit and capstone projects for the First Time Manager Career Journey, see Submission Guidelines for First Time Manager Career Journey .

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