Steps to Develop a Plan for Career Success

Preparation is key when stepping into a new world of work. Whether it’s transitioning to a new career field or just landing a new job, you need to plan ahead. Two years ago I had a job that I loved with a great boss. It was the longest time I had worked for one single person in my career and I was perfectly happy with the situation. I was comfortable and safe. Then, my boss got a new position and I suddenly had a new boss in a different department. Although I knew all things would be fine, the feelings I had when the change happened made me realize that I wanted something different from my career. This is when my journey began. A month later I started the process to begin graduate school. I knew that I wanted to earn an MBA and needed it for my future. I took several deliberate steps to get to starting my own business and working professionally on my website business.Here’s my plan:

• Set a goal. In my case, I decided that I wanted a different type of job and needed more skills to do it right. I set a goal of leaving my current position after I got an MBA. Everything I did was based on the timeline of graduate school.
• Gain new skills. I applied, got accepted, and worked my tail off in a graduate program while working full time and raising two young children. It was tough, but I had a goal and a timeline and I made it happen. If I can do it, you can too.
• Develop a support system. Everyone at work knew I was in school and so did my friends. They knew that I couldn’t go to parties and would miss social engagements. My husband agreed to go solo with the kids each and every Saturday so I could go to classes all day.
• Squeeze every minute from the day. It’s true that we all get the same amount of time in a day. I found gaps and filled them by studying and working on projects. Doing homework at lunchtime, staying up late to complete projects, and setting aside specific times each week to work became the norm.
• Save money. Since I knew I would be transitioning away from a job, we started saving more money. You need to have an emergency fund if you are going to do anything different.
• Execute plan. Now that you have your goal, your timeline is complete, you’ve saved money, it’s time to execute and move on your goal. Don’t wait. Don’t let fear get in the way. What’s the worst that can happen?

For me, I finished my degree, moved, and started to work professionally for myself. If I hadn’t developed a plan two years ago, I’d probably still be sitting at the same desk doing the same job. Don’t wait for the door to open; sometimes you have to push it open yourself.

Photo credit: ilco at stockxchange

Disclosure: As part of the BlogHer program I received compensation for this post. Opinions are my own.

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