How do you make a career plan if you don't know what career you want?

How can I plan for a career when I have no idea what would be a good fit for me?

It's a good question, and most people would agree that the best way to make a plan is to start with the end in mind. But that's pretty tricky if you don't know what end you're aiming for. It's especially hard when it feels like so much is out of your control at the moment during the Covid-era.

The first step towards achieving any goal is having a plan

I know I talk a lot about the importance of having a career plan, but at the end of the day, the first step towards achieving any goal (no matter how small) is having a plan. So why not treat your career goals the same?

This blog is about making a career plan even if you have no idea where you want to end up.

Let's use the example of going on holiday. When you decide you want to go on holiday, you often start not knowing where you want to go, how you're going to get there or how much it will be.

So what do you do? Do you just give up on the idea? No of course not.

You do your research. You speak to friends about places they like, you go online and look for good deals, go to a travel agent, figure out how you’re going to travel there, decide where you’re going to stay etc etc. Most of the time, you will have done all this before you think about packing your suitcase. There's a way to achieve things even if you don't have the end goal from the get go.

I don’t have time to sit down and make a plan!

I know the feeling of spinning lots of plates. I understand it can be difficult to get time to yourself, let alone time where you’re on your own and have head space to really consider what you want. Since becoming a Mum, it often feels like I’m in survival-mode, with little capacity to think about the future, and the idea of making big changes can be overwhelming at times.

Funnily enough, taking some time to plan where you want to be can actually take the stress out of making changes. Knowing the end goal means you can make small steps over a long period of time, making you more likely to achieve your goals.

This is my passion, empowering people to enjoy their life, while pursuing a career that’s a good fit.

Ultimately I help people to find a career that feels like a good fit for them. We spend a lot of time at work (on average we spend 3,515 full days at work over the course of our lifetime!) so it makes sense that the happier we are at work, the happier we'll be at home.

If you want to make a career plan, but don’t know where to start, this is that very first step

The most important thing to remember is to do the 'what' first, then worry about the 'how'/ later. In this case the end goal of your plan is to decide what job would be a good fit for you, with no thought of how you might start making it happen. With this as your end goal, your plan might include researching different options, trying out new things, understanding different industries.

Grab a piece of paper and write in the middle: Knowing what job will be a good fit for me.

Now write down everything you could possibly do to make that goal a reality. Think of all the action steps you could take to get clear on what you want to do for work.

To give you an example. Let's say you wanted to lose a stone: you could join slimming world cut sugar out of your diet, give up alcohol, go for a run everyday, join a gym, get a personal trainer… the list is endless.

See it as a treasure hunt, looking for clues as to how you can reach your goals.

Here's a few action steps you can add to your list of action steps to help you achieve your goal of finding a career that works for you:

Write a list of all the things you don't like about your current job. Then write an opposites list - your opposites list might give you clues of the kind of job you're looking for. Think of all the jobs you've ever had, go through them one at a time - make a list of things you enjoyed about each job, and the things you didn't like. This might give you some more clues of the things that will help you enjoy work.

Consider what your skills are - things you do well, things that other people ask for your help with, things other people say you're good at. Out of all your skills, which ones do you really enjoy using? Skills you have, that you enjoy using might give you another big clue about the type of tasks you want to do.

What are your passions? Think about the things you loved to do as a child, that maybe you don't make time for anymore. Think about the things you love to read about online. Think about the things you end up talking about. Your passions might give you a clue about the kind of work you might find interesting.

Work out what your values are. Think about a time where you felt content and happy - what was going on in that moment? How were you living in line with your values? Think about a time where you felt angry and sad - what was going on there? How were your values not being respected? Your values might give you a clue about the company you want to work for.

There's so many things you can do to help you get clearer: read books/blogs, hire a career coach, speak to someone doing the kind of job you're interested in, develop new skills. Keep asking yourself ‘what else could I do?’ until you have a long list of action steps to start working on.

Feel it’s impossible to have a career plan?

Maybe you’re a Mum and feel like it’s impossible to think about having a career because your kids are so dependent on you.

Maybe you feel like there’s no point making a plan at the moment when it’s impossible to know what you’ll be doing next week, let alone next year.

Maybe you feel selfish for thinking about what you want.

Maybe you know what you want but you’ve put it on the back burner for now.

Maybe the idea of any change at the moment feels too overwhelming to even consider.

Please know that you are not alone.

There's things I want to do right now that I can't as I have a 5 and 18 month old who require a lot of my attention. But what I do have is a plan and I am working on it everyday to achieve my future goals. It's a brilliant feeling that I'm keen to share.

You might decide to plan for a career-for-now and a career-for-later, when your kids aren’t so dependent on you.

You might decide that making a plan for the future is your way of regaining a bit of control in a world full of uncertainty at the moment.

You might realise that your happiness has a direct impact on the people around you. Thinking about what you want isn’t selfish.

You might realise that it’s possible to plan for the career you want for a few years time. Your current situation might delay your career goals, but it doesn’t need to stop them.

Get your head out the sand and put a pen in your hand

So whenever you hear someone say it's important to have a career plan, instead of panicking, putting your head in the sand and hoping for the best, make your plan about working out what you want to do. Whether you're 18 or 59 a career plan is the first step to getting where you want to be.

So grab a pen and paper and start planning where you want to be in your career.

If you're feeling stuck, feel free to reach out - I'd love to help.

If you've enjoyed this post and would like to hear more from me, you can join my free community: the Career Change Collective, or follow me on Instagram.

Want more support with your career planning?

The End Career Paralysis mini course has been designed to help you reflect on your life and career so far, recognise what’s important to you, and make some plans to move towards a work that feels like a good fit.

If you’re unhappy in your job, and know that something needs to change, but you’re struggling to know where to begin, I’d encourage you to sign up for the End Career Paralysis course today. I know it can really help you, as you begin to plan out what you want from your career.