
©EHL insights
In the last blog we laid some foundations for considering a new career path. Six broad areas of thought were provided for you to mull over. Hopefully now you have some broad career goals. This week will pick up on those choices, provide some tools to assess your choice and map a path forward. It doesn’t matter whether you are starting out or mid career, this exercise is worth doing every once in a while to ensure you are heading in your right direction (and haven’t drifted from your goals).
Make sure you can clearly articulate your goal. Not just for a career, but identify an actual job. Instead of saying “I want a career in teaching”, perhaps you want to be a department head, special needs teacher or principal. Maybe you want to be a financial advisor specializing in superannuation. Narrow and clarify your goal and commit it to paper. Now let’s make an action plan.

©Jake you
First, it’s time to do some research in the form of backward mapping. Let’s say your desired career is to be a professional basketball player playing in the NBA in the USA (be real – this would be a bit hard for me when i’m only 172 cm tall). Try to find someone currently in the type of role you want to see yourself in. Got it? Now try and find out what they were doing 10 years ago and map their journey to today. Using my previous example about basketball, maybe they were playing College ball. That provides me a guide as to where i should be if i am looking at a (unlikely) career as a basketball player. This exercise will do a couple of things. First it will help you assess whether your career goals are realistic. Second it will provide you a proven career path to your desired goal. Maybe you will find out you need longer than 10 years, but you have someone else’s proven pathway to success.
The process using the illustration of backward mapping using the NBA player is easier as you can google your way to the pathway. But if you want to be a dental hygienist or financial advisor specializing in superannuation, you probably won’t find those people online . . . you’re going to need to find them. And here is the diamond in this process. Try and actually find someone doing the role that is your career goal. Ask them if you can take them for a coffee. Tell them you are considering a career in their field and would like to hear their journey and advice for someone embarking on the same trip. Listen to where they were 10 years ago. What are the traps for new players? What would they do differently if they had their time again? What is the best course of learning?

©American Express
Most people would be more than happy to share their journey with someone wanting to travel a similar path. And you may find you have gained more than just a map to your goal. You may have gained a mentor, someone you can go back to on your journey and check in. Or better, you may have just opened your network in your chosen industry. They will know others who know others. You have proven yourself to be hungry (by taking the courage to take them for a coffee). You have walked away with an invisible asset – a supporter who may potentially keep an eye out for possibilities in your field and could support you on your career journey.
Now go for it – move from ‘that’s not a bad idea’ to making it happen . . . now. Get on that phone!
Of course you will also be doing general research on your chosen career and finding out what’s involved, what courses are required and what commitment is needed.
OK – so now you have clarity on your chosen career, you have a possible road map to success and are opening up your networks in your industry. Next week, in PART 3, the last in this series, we’ll focus on how you turn this research into an action plan . . . with feedback loops.
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