Career Planning

Let's imagine your life as one long road trip. Where you are today, is not where you will be tomorrow, and maybe you have no idea where you want to end up.

My life, and my career feels like this. I look back on my job two years ago, a year ago, six months ago, or even three months ago, and I am shocked by how different all of these versions of my job have been.

I think about each and every lesson I have learned, whether is was intentional or not, and I appreciate the learning moments I have had. This makes me look forward to the future.

It's scary though - not knowing where I want to go. This brings me to the point of this post. I just want to talk about mapping out a career plan.

If anyone is like me, and likes plans, systems, and procedures, then this post will hopefully help you as much as I am trying to help myself in writing it. By writing this all down, I am trying to make myself aware of my feelings, more confident in my decisions, and more ambitious with my goal setting. So, I am proposing the following steps and suggestions in mapping our your career plan.

Steps

  1. Start with a "working" vision - this vision will change along the way, but it's a good starting point.
  2. Spend time discovering yourself - learn what your interests are.
  3. Do some research and take some classes - courses are a great way to schedule thinking time.
  4. Plan some action items - make a list of tasks, plot them out on a calendar, and make sure they are small enough to be achieved, but help you move forward.
  5. Identify both short and long-term goals - don't over complicate things.
This last point is about where you are now. If you decide to stay with your current employer, then you might want to think about what growth opportunities are available to you. Where might you best fit into the bigger picture?

Job Search

If you are not sure where your skills will take you, here are some links to some great sites to help you find a job across the globe.

Dave's ESL Cafe
(this is the site I used when I found my job in Japan back in 2007)

Transitions Abroad

TEFL Search


Or if you'd like to stay here in Canada
Job Bank



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