Do you do career planning?

I find that most people don’t, or if they do it is more off the top of their head loose planning.

But it is something almost any moderate sized organization will require. At my previous employer (a Fortune 100 company) it was absolutely mandated/required, and they provided an extensive web application to do the planning in. It also tied into our yearly performance planning and appraisal systems.


Now that I'm at a small company, that falls mostly to myself. We have those types of discussions, and as a consultant it does come into play with every new project assignment.

What types of things do you consider when considering your career plans? What are you looking for out of your career?

For one, I think a lot of people don't think of themselves as being able to even consider career planning factors. I think in this economy they are focused on keeping their current jobs. I would assume many of my friends fit this mold.

Second, I think a lot of people have NO CLUE that they should be doing this. They are more than willing to hop from job to job. I have several friends who seem to fit this mold, and I would bet a lot of co-workers as well.

For me? I consider these things, I try to plan out a loose map, but know I am not doing it well. Why? Because I don't have an end goal, and so far I have found that I am at least making progress. I have learned enough that I can stick with a small business, I could go back to a large one and execute, or could eventually start my own company if I felt that was the right way to go.



Picture by thecareersgroup