Career Plan (Put it in writing!)
Step 1:
How will I assess my strengths and interests?
Define a plan and a timeframe.
How will you know you have succeeded?
Step 2:
How do I want to use my strengths and interests in my current life?
What can you do in your current job? In your job search? In other areas of your life?
Be specific and set goals and timelines.
How will you know you have succeeded?
Step 3:
How do I want to be using my strengths and interests in one year? Two years?
Again, be specific. Set goals and steps toward them.
How will you know you have succeeded?
Step 4:
When will I formally reassess my progress on each step?
Many people find it useful to have another person involved in this process. This helps you keep your commitments and involves feedback on your ideas and progress. You may want to choose a good friend, a knowledgeable peer, or someone similar to work with you. Or you may want to hire a coach to help. Coaching is a whole new field that has grown up in recent years to offer individuals assistance in both life and work planning.
And remember that this is a plan that you will adjust and modify as you change over your life as well as when you face external changes.
Or you could just finish this column and decide it is a nice fantasy but way too much trouble. After all, the average worker today will have 8-10 career changes so you will deal with it when you have to, not before. And you have too much else on your plate right now. Which is why there is so much research on career planning that talks about how few people do it in advance