Your career is yours to create.
But it can be surprisingly easy to forget this powerful concept.
Which is forgivable. It can feel like so much is out of our control, given our careers are broken up into small steps which is often getting a job or getting a client or selling things. These involve other people. How can we create our careers, knowing that so much of it is all to do with other people or maybe even “luck”? Whether you’ll succeed or fail can feel like it’s in the hands of other people.
While I would never pretend that things are easy or guaranteed – it’s irresponsible to say you can do whatever you like with ease – what I do believe, however, is that we have far more control and more influence over our careers than we might think.
I truly believe that our careers are ours to create.
When I had the light bulb moment and realised my career was mine and I was the sole person responsible for creating it, my attitude shifted. I started to open my mind to new possibilities. I started to look for different opportunities and seek ways to build the skills I needed for the roles I wanted.
Your career is not for meeting expectations from others or for the sake of achievement. It’s because it gives you something to work towards; to be engaged in, to gain whole-hearted fulfillment from, and to feel like you are making a difference.
Do you feel like you are actively creating your career?
When you reflect on this question, don’t feel bad if you feel like you’ve been on auto-pilot. I know I’ve had that feeling before. “Creating your career” is an attitude shift, and it means you will actively start to seek goals that help you grow in the direction you want to go. And while it’s a process and a lifelong journey, this attitude shift can happen any time. And there’s no time like the present.
Some ways to get started
I always advocate for reflection time. It helps immensely with mental space and clarity. Everyone’s different, but one of the best ways to do this is to grab a notebook and a pen.
Journalling is a brilliant way to go a little deeper below your surface-level thoughts. I find it unlocks answers to things I didn’t even know I had questions for.
Here are some prompts to help you get started:
- Take stock of where you are now. What’s working? How do you feel about your role and the direction you’re currently taking?
- What are your favourite things about your career right now?
- What are your less than favourite things?
- What lights you up? When you’re working, what do you get excited by?
- What kind of impact do you want to have? Who do you want to help?
- Where do you want to work?
The next steps
A cascade of ideas for things you can do will probably fall out of these reflection prompts. My journal might have notes scribbled vertically in the margin, or a star next to a point I want to remember. The ideas you have might read something like this:
- Set a meeting with my team leader to discuss participating in that cool new project
- Research short courses that can help me build [insert] skill
- Reach out to that person I went to uni with who is doing the exact role I’d love to do, and see if they have time for a coffee to see how they got there
- Ask my mentor if they can connect me to [someone in their network]
It might feel like a mixture of excitement and overwhelm all at once. That’s half the fun! Just take things one step at a time. Even if you only focus on one of the ideas you have, it’s still a pivot towards taking responsibility for your career.
No one is going to create your career for you. Especially as you move from junior levels to more senior roles, you will be expected to steer your own career development and look for the opportunities you need to build your career in the direction you want to go.
Don’t sit back and wait for someone to show you the path. Forge the path yourself.
