Begin Your Career Journey
Everyone begins their career journey from different starting points. Although there are an infinite variety of starting points, you may find yourself starting as one of the following:
Apprentice: Have you worked for someone for years? Learned a skill, a trade, or have simply experimented with jobs that catch your interest? You may not have a college education, but you have a clear desire to reach your fullest career potential. Jim, a close family friend in his late 20’s and has a career aspiration to own a business in the real-estate market. Ideally, he wants to build or remodel homes for sale or lease. He has committed himself to be an apprentice to learn the construction trade. Being an apprentice will teach you the skills to be successful. By definition, an apprentice works with a mentor. That mentor, especially if it’s someone you respect, can also help you learn skills not found elsewhere.
Adventurer: Maybe you have spent much of your life traveling the world, seeing things that most of us only dream of. Trips to Thailand, Australia, climbing the Andes, or sitting on the Continental Divide overlooking America’s vast prairies. The experiences you gain when traveling—peoples & cultures—will leave lasting impressions and certainly frame your life’s ambition and, possibly, your career trajectory. As a senior in high school, I took an extended hitchhiking trip to Europe with a pal of mine. I overstayed my Christmas school break and had exceeded my number of absentee days allowed to graduate. Fortunately, my mother knew I learned more on my adventure than I would have in my senior literature class! We were able to convince the school that I could graduate. Travel can lead to some of your greatest learning moments, such as how to problem-solve, communicate, and negotiate. These lessons aren’t necessarily taught in school, but can be experienced when you put yourself in unfamiliar environments, with only yourself to rely on.
Traditionalist: You may have spent years getting a college education, pursuing knowledge through undergraduate and post-graduate studies. Chasing knowledge can be an enjoyable or painstaking journey, but either way, it pays big dividends! Academia can be one of the best ways to get current and stay current with the newest research and technology. In addition, your peers and colleagues from school can be long-lasting sources of support, guidance, and opportunity. Academic pursuit of knowledge also can help you build discipline, focus, and a love of learning. You will carry these traits forward throughout your career—and your life. Seeking knowledge, staying current, and being open to new ideas and discoveries will serve you well in any career.
Entrepreneur: Maybe you want to be the next Jeff Bezos or Mark Zuckerberg. Your ambition is to build a company, be your own boss, and work for no one. This is a great aspiration and one that you can achieve with the right idea, the right passion, and unceasing commitment. Your career path will likely have many starts, stops, and detours, but you will make it. It’s important to maintain the right attitude and persevere. Being an entrepreneur will introduce you to colleagues, employees, and partners who want fulfilling careers. Helping them succeed will help you succeed. Even if you see yourself becoming your own boss, having a career plan is always a good idea.
Undiscovered: Much of the career advice I’ve given has been to young adults who may be “stuck” in their career development. You may have come from an unsupportive family, or you’re not yet settled on their passion. You may feel you have tried everything to move your career forward, but you have gained no traction. I interviewed a 34-year-old mentee who was in the work force for over 10 years, but never liked her job and was always seeking a better opportunity. From her viewpoint, she was running out of time! Obviously, she has much more ahead of her, with many opportunities yet to be discovered. She is in the process of developing her career aspiration, a great place to start! Remember, you will likely be working for more than 40 years. You have one advantage, though: You know what you do not want to do. The challenge is articulating your career ambition and making a realistic plan to achieve your goals. However, it’s critical that you move beyond your past and instead define your future self.
Reinventor: You may have reached your career ambition and are ready for a new challenge. You’ve had a successful career, found meaningful work, but now you want to move on. Alternatively, you may have started on a career path that did not fit your professional or life goals. In any case, you want to re-start by launching a new career—one more meaningful or rewarding. The good news is that you likely know what you liked and did not like about your previous career. This could suggest either a modest or dramatic change in your career path. The choices are varied. You could retrace some of your steps in your current line of work but look to acquire new skills. Or you could get a startup job in a new industry. Or you could start your own business.
Regardless where you start, your career aspiration and career plan are yours. They are unique to you, own them and begin your career journey!