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.
