Initiate a career road-map

A person who is ignorant of his current position and is oblivious of where he wants to go will invariably get lost. Directionless that he or she will be, golden opportunities will be missed and a desperate feeling of a lack of control over destiny will be suffered. In the world of careers too, you need guidance. And there is nothing better than making a career map that will serve to guide you at every stage of your career so that your bearing remains intact.

To be able to head in the right direction and make your career meaningful, you need to formulate a career roadmap. Here is how you can do so:

· Self-perception: You cannot discern anything that you seek without discerning yourself. A truthful evaluation is inescapable to know what your eventual objectives ought to be. Like in the case of life, there are strings of inclinations attached to every aspect of your career. A knowledge of all such penchants and preferences facilitate the generation of a career roadmap and moving as per it to your pleasure. If you reflect on your long-term concerns, the career plan that you formulate will offer repeated delight at every step. You also need to systematically and exhaustively ‘swot’ over every single aspect that you have achieved in your career. Towards this, it is essential that every learning experience that you have undergone becomes a focal point of your review. Thereafter, you ought to weigh those learning experiences and record all prime issues that emerge; and concurrently outline and describe the position where you stand. You may even consider going through a makeup evaluation so that you can utilize the findings to identify areas in which you are likely to excel and delight in. Discussing your thoughts and objectives with mentors will stand you in good stead.

· Generating a plan:  A well-thought of line of action will facilitate in centring in the correct direction and your destination. Evidently, you will not waste your time in getting involved with mundane issues pertaining to your job. It is your objectives that define your career endpoints; if your career objectives are vague, you move forward will also be similarly blurred. Therefore, you need to query yourself to become clear about your objectives. Pertinent questions that you should ask yourself  are:

v What is the echelon of responsibility that you want to shoulder?

v What are the assignments that you would prefer to undertake or lead?

v What is the outcome that you want in your section or company?

v What is the type of organisation that you would prefer to be working with?

v Who are the people with whom you would like to operate with?

v What is the remuneration package that you are looking for?

v What is the nature of work-life balance are you seeking in your life?

· Reassessment of objectives:  Your career path is not single-lane with no options of detours or turns. You must peruse your roadmap from time to time to see if the path you are trudging is the most suitable one or not. As you advance in age, there will be many happenings that will influence your life and routine; wedding and domestic obligations will be major occurrences. The realm of your career is never unvarying and it may not be possible to envision your future with precision. Several variables will come into play unannounced and you will have to be flexible towards them. It may appear that the generation of a career roadmap is restrictive, given the deviations, fluctuations and contests that you may face subsequently. However, this may not be truly relevant. A well-formulated career road map will help you traverse and sail across alterations and ups and downs with relative ease. It should be remembered that a career plan – be it extending into the immediate or distant future – with your career objectives enumerated without ambiguity will facilitate envisioning a thoughtful picture of your working span. You will find viewing at every issue pragmatically and plan for options that are significant and quickly attainable.

The crux of the matter is knowing where you want to be and once you are clear about it, there is every possibility that you will reach there. It is your objectives that will you going forward. Therefore setting them ought to be the maiden step; you will transform the invisible into visible and the intangible will thus become tangible. And if at all you feel that the objectives cannot be attained, you need not adjust them; instead you should adjust your moves.