Is Your Career On Autopilot?
80,000 hours is a lot to leave to chance
Do you plan your career?
When it comes to career planning, we often leave it to chance.
We take care of the other aspects of our lives and leave our careers on autopilot. We allow chance and circumstances to determine the course of our career journey.
We spend quality time planning the next holiday and the most admirable things we wish to buy.
We plan for the ordinary events in our lives.
Don’t get me wrong. These activities are great. After all, they are part of our lives.
I believe we should do likewise with our careers.
Why?
The reason is not far-fetched.
Our careers have become an integral part of our lives. An average person spends about 90,000 hours at work over a lifetime. Essentially, about one-third of your life is spent at work.
Shocking, right?
I am just as surprised.
Our careers take up a sizeable chunk of our lives. They are so important that we should take deliberate actions through careful and thorough planning to be the drivers of our careers.
What Is A Career Plan?
A career plan does not have to be sophisticated. Think of it as a guiding document that captures your professional makeup, current and future.
A career plan has three elements:
You
Where you are now
Where you want to be
Should You Revisit Your Career Plan?
Absolutely!
As a young professional, I like to revisit my plans every six months. You can do this annually if you wish.
Revisiting your plan helps keep you in check and ensures you do not deviate from the bigger picture. It also allows you to re-envision your future goals, guiding your daily activities.
What Does This Mean For You?
Now is the best time to act if you don’t have a career plan. It doesn’t have to be a 10-page document. Start by writing out your skills, interests, current role, and where you want to be next in X years.
It’s okay if you don’t see yourself shifting careers every year. Some of us are long-term planners. Just ensure you conduct the same exercise every year. It will help keep you in check and focused.
Don’t leave your career on autopilot.
Take the wheel and lead the course.
I wish you the best.
Whenever You Are Ready, Here Are Other Ways I Can Help You Advance Your Career:
Need specific career guidance? Book a call and speak to me one-on-one. I will provide as much clarity as you need to advance your career.
Need data analytics career mentoring? Work with me one-on-one to achieve your next career goal.
The Tools I Use
Here are the tools I recommend (affiliates):
Siteground to power my ultra-fast website
Notion to organise my workspace for maximum productivity
Banji Alo
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Friend of mine always says: ‘Keep the plan going’. I find that the hardest part.