There’s a huge difference between having a ‘job’ and having a ‘career.’ A job is just something that pays the bills, whereas a career is a journey you strive on to make the most of the time in your life, to find real satisfaction in what you do and to give back to the world.
Of course, the majority of people these days are looking for a rewarding career. However, in order to achieve a career that you’re happy with, you need to invest time and effort into what you do and your job. If you’re looking to develop your career in this way, here are five easy steps you can take.
#1 – Set a Goal
There’s no point embarking on a journey if you have no destination. You’re just going to get lost, and you’ll lose motivation which is why it’s so important to set goals. Even if your goal is one step ahead of where you are now, such as getting into a preferred industry or getting a promotion, goals are essential.
What’s more, you need to make sure you’re setting up time frames to achieve your goals. Otherwise, you could keep striving for the same goal for years to come with no noticeable process. Create a sense of urgency.
#2 – Never Stop Learning
There’s no way you’re ever going to know everything about everything, and there’s always going to be something new for you to learn and take on board. However, if you’re unwilling to learn, this information won’t be absorbed, and you’ll become stuck.
Having the right education is obviously important when you want to progress your career. But the learning doesn’t stop there. You need to be adamant about learning new skills and picking up more knowledge to help you tackle new challenges and be confident in your ability to adapt to new working conditions.
These decisions can often be difficult. Should you learn about PMP and the CAPM certifications if you want to be a project manager? Or will your time be better spent working towards a Master of Business Administration? There are so many different routes to help further your education and this can lead to wonderful new horizons if you’re smart about it.
Always be open to listen to other people and make sure you’re alert when it comes to learning about new topics that can help you and everybody else around you.
#3 – Give Something Back
Having a professional and rewarding career is not all about taking as much as you can when you can, but always about volunteering your time to give something back. Not only can this be a highly rewarding venture, and can help out your local community, it’s also an impressive way to network and to build the number of opportunities you’re presenting yourself to.
#4 – Networking
Hand in hand with the consideration above, networking is one of the most important things you can do. As the saying goes, ‘it’s not what you know, but who you know.’
You never know when a stranger can provide you with an opportunity that will take your career to the next level, so make sure you’re giving yourself the opportunity to make new opportunities.
#5 – Be Proactive!
The importance of this aspect can never be overstated. You need to be proactive in making your career go where you want it to go. Nobody’s going to do it for you. If you need to make a phone call, send an email, write a resume using Hloom’s effective templates for job seekers, apply for a job or carry out any other task you need to do, then make sure you’re doing it!
Summary
In reality, there are plenty of things you can do that will help you climb the career ladder and get to where you want to be. Remember that your individual situation is unique, but with hard work and perseverance, you can get wherever you want to go.
