My parents stayed at the same job for over 30 years. How the times have changed! The modern career path is defined by job mobility, and it is very rarely linear. For most professionals, work life is more like a journey through thousands of miles of untamed wilderness with many twists and turns along the way. We are a tribe of wandering workers navigating the amazing maze of challenges, opportunities and choices. The modern career consists of a series of jobs and roles as we seek to find purpose and meaning at work. It is our responsibility to own our career so that we never stop moving, we always keep learning, and we consistently deepen our work experience. Today’s ultimate career goal is to choose jobs that are worthwhile and fulfilling. As hard as job transitions may be, we must seek them out in order to build up our capabilities. In fact, some of the best career moves are those new paths discovered when taking a fork in the road, or even when seemingly making a U-turn. Always be thinking about your next career step and keep practicing resilience, persistence, and adaptability. Success is a moving target, there are always more places to go, more to experience and achieve. Traditionally, careers were thought of as having 5 stages:
Exploration: the pre-employment stage in which the career direction is set with the guidance of parents, teachers, and counselors.
Establishment: entering the professional world and starting to build a career.
Mid-career: mastering core technical and professional competencies and gaining middle management status.
Late-career: getting to the top of the proverbial corporate ladder winning the coveted title of senior management.
Exit: when the time has come to retire.
Clearly, this model is no longer applicable to the modern workplace where people start and lead successful companies straight out of college, with young professionals becoming Directors and VPs before the age of 30, and with people moving back and forth between and within stages pursuing a variety of personal and professional interests throughout their career. A more accurate model would be thinking of the modern career path in terms of consecutive “career cycles.” Think of each career cycle as including the following three key elements: Ready, Set, Go! Then repeat. (Get) Ready: Pick an exciting path. With so many interests and possibilities, deciding on a destination is not easy. Get clarity as to your starting point and where you want to be. Conduct a career search to then narrow down your options. Visualize your journey and get ready to pursue your vision. Be sure to clearly define your interests, strengths, and values. These serve as your compass when the going gets tough and will keep you motivated to stay on your chosen path. Set (Plan): a plan gives you a basic strategy where to expect obstacles and how to hit the landmarks. Make sure you pack all that you need to be able to navigate through rough terrains and in any weather conditions. But a really important element of the career plan is flexibility. To achieve career success at every step, you need to be able to change and adapt to the many inevitable challenges along the way.
Go (Far): Stay steady on your path defining success on your own terms. Go as far and as long as you continue to be challenged and are continually learning and gaining new skills. When things get too easy, don’t get complacent. It’s time to explore new opportunities. Step outside your comfort zone, raise the bar and start planning a new success cycle. Reset, retool, and restart your career taking the same steps previously implemented but with a fresh perspective applying the knowledge and wisdom of experience. There is no rest for the weary. The easiest way to stop growing is to stop setting goals. Keep your career journey both interesting and challenging. It’s your journey. Your path is yours to define, find, and walk. And I’d like to leave you with the following quote from When the Moon is Low by Nadia Hashimi (which I believe is from a poem by Ibrahim Khalil.)
“As you tread to the temple of your supreme pursuit A hundred peaks may hinder your route With the hatchet of persistence, conquer each And bring your aspiration within your reach”
