When you start your professional journey, it is quite challenging to know where and how far you want to go.
You don’t know if you will like the discipline you have chosen, if you will be good at it and if it will keep you engaged and satisfied in the long run.
I started my Marketing career in my 20’s, excited by the prospect of working on brands that delight and meet consumer needs.
Looking back, I didn’t have a specific long-term career goal nor a plan to get there. All I knew is that I just wanted to work in Marketing.I pretty much approached my career journey, one role at the time, and if I am honest with myself, without a clear vision for my end destination.
Despite my lack of long-term goal, I did have a diverse, exciting and rewarding Marketing career but I can’t help to wonder how different my professional journey could have been, if I started with a stronger sense of direction.
So, here are my 3 tips for someone starting their career.
1) Have a destination in mind
Your end goal doesn’t have to be 100% set in stone when starting your professional journey, but it should be at least ‘directional’.
It could be reaching a desired role, working in a specific industry or acquiring a particular set of skills that allow you to experience different career paths over time.
Giving yourself a sense of direction will help make more informed choices as you start and progress through your career.
2) Be clear on your motivations
As you decide on a desired destination, be clear on your motivations: the WHY you want to get there.
Your WHY is likely to evolve over time as you grow as an individual but knowing your motivations for a specific discipline, industry, role, company or skills set will keep you energised and focused as you work towards that goal.
3) Create a growth plan
Now that you have a sense of direction (the What) and you are clear on your motivations (the Why), you need a plan to get there (the How).
Working back from your desired end goal, create a growth plan for yourself, considering several key components:
• What is the specific knowledge, skills and behaviours that you need to learn?
• What is the work experience you need to gain?
• What is the professional network that you need to build and nurture over time?
Having a growth plan is crucial to make the most of your professional journey.
It is your road map to get you from ‘where you are today’ to ‘where you want to be in the future’.
Having an overall sense of direction is key to build such growth plan for yourself so don’t skip step 1.
In summary
Invest some quality thinking time for those 3 steps as you start your professional journey.
Your end goal, motivations and growth plan will naturally evolve over time, so it doesn’t have to be 100% perfect.
What matters is having a sense of direction for yourself.