Many people, when candidly discussing past career misdirections, will tell you that they made decisions in situations that came to them unexpectedly and they were not prepared. Perhaps it was a promotion, a transfer, moving to a new project, or a buyout of their company.
Forewarned is forearmed; a small amount of career planning done properly will prevent a lot of the chaos that we face when these career decisions are forced on us. Reflect on your own situation for a moment. Using your analytical skills to formulate several realistic situations would require relatively quick but important career related decisions. List two or three courses of action that would be available to you in each event. (Keep in mind that, in this exercise, we are focusing on decisions that are going to come to us whether we seek them out or not.) As food for thought, here are two examples:
· You are on a team that successfully installed a comprehensive HR package for a large company. The project will soon be complete. You suspect that HR will ask someone from the team to transfer permanently to their department to oversee the use and maintenance of the package. You could stay in IS and move to another project. Another company in town is starting a similar project and is running ads for your skills.
· You have successfully designed and installed two major networks. You love design and technology in general but chances are that the major project work is complete for two to three years. There is a serious need for someone to organize and manage a network support group. You could have the job if you ask for it. If you stay in the design group, you could take advantage of a company-supported master's degree program but there would not be time for night classes for the person who takes the support group job.
Don't wait until you are unexpectedly called in to the boss's office and presented with a career alternative to start soul searching. You have a lot more time to think and plan now.
There is much to gain and little to lose in this exercise. Even if a "left field" shot that you never would have anticipated lands in your lap, the thought process required in this analysis will be make you much more prepared. If you have not done this sort of thing, it will be very illuminating. Do it now - the next Career Advisor will be a follow-up.
RELATED LINKS
Career changes
Network World, 11/16/98
Job opportunities! Network World Fusion
Network World's online archive of Fusion Focus newsletters on Careers.
