Change your career trajectory in 4 simple steps

Have you ever thought to yourself that you are unsatisfied in your current career or industry? Or perhaps found yourself unemployed, underemployed, or just needing ‘more’? These situations and thoughts plague many adults and people often wonder how to make this a reality. The answer is through putting the work in and strategically planning career moves according to the goal. 

CLEARLY DEFINE YOUR GOAL
The first step is to clearly define the goal. Do you want a new career, such as changing from being a general manager to becoming a nurse? Do you want to change industries? It is important to have a clear goal in mind because of all the subsequent steps rely on this as the constant in the equation. Define the goal clearly, such as ‘I am going to become a Nurse, specifically a Registered Nurse’. By putting the goal as an action statement, you give yourself more power and being specific does not allow you to settle for anything lesser than the actual goal (the example uses nursing – there are some programs that require more or less education and by selecting a specific type, it will allow you to line up the according requirements).

LEARN THE REQUIREMENTS
After you have clearly defined your goal, find out the steps that are necessary to fulfill the goal. Is it your goal to become a VP or Manager? You can check out local job postings through any major job search board and look at their lists of qualifications. Find out how many years of experience is needed, how much education/type of degree required. It is important to note that it may become clear that you will need to invest some quality time in this to achieve this goal. Do not become overwhelmed. Think about all of the things you have accomplished within the last year. Our situations change rapidly and through dedication to your goals and process, it will help you see that this is more in your control than perhaps you previously thought.

MAKE YOUR PLAN

Now that you have your goal defined and understand the types of degrees or experience (or both) that is required, start the plan on how to achieve these goals. We all face a range of burdens and hardships such as financial, job loss, loss of life, etc., but we can prepare and do our best to keep on track when it comes to the unexpected. If the career you would like to be in requires further education, set up a meeting with an academic counselor or representative from the school to see if there are any financial resources to help, what you need to apply, and to find out what to expect. Set up quarterly goals to achieve that are obtainable. Keep a spreadsheet or guide of your progress to be able to look back and see if you are hitting the goal markers that you set. If you are not, reassess the quarterly goals and focus the energy on achieving the next one. It is perfectly acceptable to fail, that is part of the process. If you never fail, perhaps your goals are not as lofty as it could be. 

OWN YOUR OUTCOMES

The final thing we need to address is how we do all of these things: accountability and discipline. Without accountability and discipline, we won’t get very far. There are things in life that are outside of our control, but we can control the amount of effort we put into this change and how dedicated we are to achieve those goals. Sometimes that means taking our personal habits down to the studs and rebuilding. Is watching TV your weakness? Study in a room without the TV or go to a coffee shop. Do you feel overwhelmed with your current job and can’t possibly think of adding in a class or two to start working towards that goal? Get another job. Stop limiting yourself because you ‘feel stuck’. Are you truly stuck? What will happen if you don’t leave, or if you do leave? Think logically on these decisions to ensure you are making a healthy, positive decision. If you have a high paying job and you leave to work in an industry or job that will make much less income, look at your money in/money out and make applicable changes throughout to support the new lifestyle. As time progresses, all the small changes will start adding up and accumulating. Having the discipline to stick with it when it is no longer new and exciting is necessary. 

YOU DON’T NEED TO GO IT ALONE

Have you ever sacrificed something for the greater good? Well this situation is the same, except YOU are now the greater good. These is to make you happier in the long run and you are worth that time and investment. There are many support options for things such as this for when it gets difficult such as groups that meet up and online forums.  Creageless peer to peer groups are a great example and of course reach out friends, family and colleagues to build your network of people that will support you in reaching your goals.  Whatever those goals are, don’t stop moving.

Heidi Leik is a totally cool person and a Creageless contributor. To be alerted when new articles come out simply join today by clicking on this obnoxious green banner. If you have a suggestion for an article or would like to submit one of you own just email us at Creageless@gmail.com