Originating a plan for career advancement

Are you concerned about your career? Do you wonder how you will attain your career objectives and fulfil your career aspirations? If you think on those lines, be assured that there are simple methods by way of which, you can formulate a career advancement plan. However, you need to understand that though the entire process can seem to be simple, it will not be actually so if you you do not go about it with seriousness and sincerity. But you need not be unnecessarily worried because your efforts are going to investments that will eventually pay good dividends. You need to reflect on and do the following:

• Visualise your career’s eventual position:  It is necessary that you have no doubts about your career journey, including the path that you intend embarking upon; that is a prerequisite for success. Your visualisation should not be unduly complicated. To put it in simple terms, you should be able to envision the position that you seek to be at in the immediate, near-term and long-term years. Your immediate future should be two or three years hence; the same is not distant from where you're at the present and hence, will not be  difficult to envision. Envisaging that will help you to identify your objectives that lie still further ahead. If you start planning for ten years from now, your comprehension of issues may not be crystal clear and may necessitate alteration of plans to suit trends prevalent then. But being forward-looking is a good trait. Remember that when you set goals for yourself, they have to be specific and motivate you to remain committed. When you have no doubts about the path that you are going to move on, you will automatically understand why and what of the issue.
• Be aware of the need to acquire additional qualifications: You may feel that your present qualifications are adequate, but you may not realise that in another couple of years, there will be intense competition. When that happens, you may find it difficult to acquit yourself well. Therefore, you need to identify in advance the qualifications that you ought to acquire, a discernment of which is possible if you study the qualifications necessary for higher posts in your organisation. This will help you gauge your position with regard to what you aspire for. The qualifications that you think will be necessary should be noted and prioritised. Caution should be exercised when you get to realise that a particular position is not apt for you, even if you possess all the requisite qualifications for it. Under such circumstances, you will emerge the best choice and therefore, need not place extra focus on or for gearing up for it. The truth will be that you have in your ready possession a record of all possibilities of growth.
• Draft your own growth strategy: Now that you have no doubt about what you intend to accomplish and that you are armed with all information pertinent to your focal points, you are well-geared to move forward and take on all career challenges head on. If you seek advice from a professional coach, mentor or even your immediate boss, your plan will be rendered more potent. They will be able to guide you on how you should acquire additional qualifications. On your part, you will have to accord precedence to the manner in which you acquire new qualifications. However, this may not be easy as you will have to work hard to maintain your present efficiency as you set out to improve your qualifications. But once you decide on the methodology, new  thoughts and ideas will come to your mind on how you should actually be performing on ground to add on to your knowledge and skills. It should be remembered that drafting a growth strategy calls for meeting deadlines; it is also essential that you exercise self-control since things may tend to get difficult, more so because you cannot be certain of the time that you will spend in acquiring new qualifications. Considering the foregoing, you should initiate a system of checks and balances over yourself so that you do not deviate from the path that you have embarked upon.

Career advancement is an issue that people tend to neglect but realise its importance when you find that you have been stagnating. In the light of the foregoing, you have to be in firm control of your career to prevent it from being adversely impacted. Your planning today will help you to scale greater heights. Remember that the responsibility to take charge of your professional future is yours alone and hence, you need to make certain that you indeed progress wisely on the path that you have set your foot on.