How to Make a Career Plan, and Why it’s Important
How to make a career plan, and why it’s important
Where do you see yourself in 10 years? I know, I know, it’s a question that can be a bit overwhelming. A lot can happen in 10 years, especially when you add children into the mix. Without a plan, who knows where you’ll end up. With a plan, at least you’ll know if you’re heading in the right direction.
Before I became a Mum I was ambitious and determined to get ahead in my career; I had a good idea of what I wanted. I enjoyed travelling around the country for my job and was happy to work long hours when I needed to.
Then T came along. Suddenly I didn’t know who I was anymore, life felt completely different, and I found it a struggle to figure out what I wanted. You heard it hear first – a certified life and career coach who didn’t know what career she wanted!!
Thankfully that settled down fairly quickly, and I was able to make a plan. I have my ambition and determination back, and I know where I’m headed. But I know that isn’t true for every Mum. So let me help you figure it out, because although I believe having a career plan is helpful for everyone, I believe it’s even more important for working Mums.
A career plan can save you time
I don’t think I’ve ever heard a Mum moan about having too much time on her hands, so listen up!
Even if you’re not much of a planner, when you leave the house to go on holiday, you usually know where you’re headed. Am I right?
Imagine going on holiday without a plan. For a start, packing would be ridiculous. Should you pack wellies or flip flops? Will you need thermals or a swimming costume? Would a hot water bottle or sun cream be more useful? Packing is much easier when you know where you’re going, because you know what you’ll need.
Having a career plan is helpful for knowing what skills, knowledge and experience you need, to get where you want to be. Instead of signing up to every training course going, when you make a career plan, you can be way more selective. So, just like your thermals might not be very helpful on a beach holiday – it might not be the best use of your time to go on a training course for website design, if your dream job is to be a social worker.
Having a career plan means you won’t be wasting your time doing training you don’t need for your future, which means more time for the things you want to be doing!
A career plan can give you direction
When I became a Mum I felt like my life was turned upside down. I felt lost and out of my depth. I was craving direction and to feel a bit in control again, even if it was only in some areas of my life. Maybe you can relate?
Thinking again about going on holiday (can you tell I really want to get away?!). Before you go on holiday, you usually make a plan of how you’ll get there. It’s unlikely you’ll jump in your car and just drive aimlessly until somewhere takes your fancy.
Before Sat Nav existed, I used to waste hours of my life getting ridiculously lost. Annoying other drivers by going round the roundabout several times trying to find the right exit. Missing the junction on the motorway I was meant to take. Finding myself somewhere I didn’t expect to be, having taken the wrong turn and feeling stressed not knowing how to get back on track.
Thankfully the development of Sat Nav means driving is much less stressful for me now, and I can actually focus on driving rather than trying to figure out where I’m going.
When you have a career plan, it takes out the stress of making decisions in the moment, because you already have a plan to follow. It also helps avoid that horrible feeling of realising you’ve ended up in a job you don’t like, not knowing how to get out of your career rut.
A career plan keeps you moving towards where you want to be
Journeys take so much longer with children. When it was just Adam and me, we would aim to stop as little as possible, so we could get to our destination quicker. We would eat on the go, and try not to drink too many fluids, so loo breaks weren’t as necessary!!
Life is a bit different these days. We’ve not hit the potty training stage yet, so at least we don’t have to stop for number 1s yet! But when T has a number 2 in his nappy, being in a car with him is not where I want to be!! So we need to factor in nappy change stops, snack stops, stretch your legs stops, not to mention make-sure-he-doesn’t-sleep-the-whole-way-so-isn’t-tired-later stops!
Even when we have to go on slight detours (in search of the most appopriate place, according to the type of stop we’re having to do), we’re able to get back on track as quickly as possible, thanks to SatNav’s ability to reroute.
When you have a career plan, you will take the most direct route. Even if you have a career break, or take a slight detour to find a ‘career for now’ while your children are small. With a plan, you can get back on track as soon as you’re ready.
Having a career plan is a great way to make sure your career is going in the right direction.
How to make a career plan
So hopefully I’ve won you over, and you’re in agreement that having a career plan sounds like a good idea. Here’s some thoughts on how to write your plan:
Know where you’re headed
While a lot of people think about their 5 year plan, I suggest we create a 10 year career plan. Reason being, if you have small children who are dependant on you, it’s likely you’re not going to have as much time as people who don’t. It might be that you haven’t finished having children yet, so that’s something that can take up a bit of time too!
Write down your thoughts on the kind of job you might like to have in 10 years time, when your children are less dependent on you.
Not sure? I hear you! I’ve put together a mini course to help you make a decision on the next steps in your career. It might be useful to start there, and come back to this blog when you’re a bit clearer on what you want your career to look like.
Mind the gap
Do some research into the kind of role you would like to have by looking at job descriptions, checking out the company website, search LinkedIn for people who do the job already.
What skills are needed to do the job? When you read the job description for the role, what skills are listed?
What knowledge and experience is required? Is there a training course or qualification mentioned in the job description? On LinkedIn, what kind of jobs did people do before they went into the job you’re interested in?
It can be really valuable to speak to someone doing the work you’re interested in. Ask them to be completely honest about their day to day experience of the job, how they got there, how it might work around family life, if they have any suggestions of how you could get into that line of work. You might want to consider shadowing or volunteering to get a feel for the job to check it feels like a good fit for you.
Make a list of all the skills, knowledge and experience someone would need to succeed at the type of job you’re interested in.
Bridge the gap
Out of the list you’ve made, what skills, knowledge and experience do you already have? Maybe you feel confident that you could apply for the role now. In which case, go for it! Jump out of your comfort zone. Don’t let imposter syndrome hold you back! If you meet the essential criteria on a job’s personal specification, and know it’s a job you’d love, then you have nothing to lose!
If you’re feeling like there’s a lot of gaps in your skills, knowledge and experience, don’t panic. This is where we make a plan. It might not be the job for now, but it can be where you end up!
Go back to the list you made of everything someone would need to do the job well. Do some research on different ways to develop the things you need. For example, is there a qualification you require – how long will it take, how much will it cost, would your current employer support you to access the training?
Set yourself some milestone goals
This is where we pull it all together. First you need to make some milestone goals: where you want to be in 10 years, 5 years, 2 years time:
10 years time: where do you want to be? Depending on how many more babies you fancy having, your children might be about to go to secondary school, giving you more time for your career.
5 years time: where do you want to be? Your children might have started school in 5 years time, which may free up some time (and finances if you’re no longer paying for childcare)
2 years time: where do you want to be? What’s realistic for you? Bearing in mind childcare, and that your children will still be fairly little. Maybe you will have had another child by then?
Make an action plan
For each milestone, put together an action plan with a step-by-step guide of what you need to do to develop the skills, knowledge and experience you need to reach your career goals.
Go back to the list you made of everything someone would need to do the job well. This is the list of things you hope to be able to include on your CV in 10 years time. Make a plan of how you will develop each thing you need and put it into a timeline.
Start by looking at your 2 year goal. What actions can you take now to make sure you have all the skills, knowledge and experience you will need to do what you want to do in 2 years?
An example of how it might work:
2 years time: having developed some of the soft skills you need through volunteering and asking to be put on different projects at work, you’re confident that you’re headed in the right direction. Your focus is now on studying for the relevant qualifications you need.
5 years time: having gained the necessary qualifications for the role, your focus is now on finding a job that puts it into practise and gives you the experience you need.
10 years time: you have all the skills, knowledge and experience to feel confident to apply to the job you know will work for you and your family.
Review
At least once a year, check on your progress (although I’d recommend doing it more frequently). Is your goal still the same, or has it changed? Is there a new gap you’ve become aware of, that needs bridging? Your career plan isn’t fixed, it’s normal to have to alter it as you go.
It feels so good to be able to tick things off a list, so make sure you track your progress as you go.
Don’t be scared to change your mind, this is your plan. If something needs to change, that’s fine! Unexpected pregnancy? Heard about a job you didn’t know existed before now? Decided to take a career break? Life happens. You might find you want to go in a totally new direction after you’ve taken a detour, that’s ok. Just remember to plan it out so you stay on track.
Be persistant
Keep pushing towards your career goals, face the fear and do it anyway. Have a clear idea in your mind of how it will feel when you have reached your career goals. Why is that important to you?
Why career planning is even more important for Mums
No one can do it all, especially when you’re a busy Mum, spinning lots of plates as it is. It is possible to have a career that works for you and your family. It just might take a bit more time and a bit more planning now that you have to consider your children too!
At the very least, having a career plan will help you answer the ‘where do you see yourself in 5 years time’ question in your next interview!!
The way I see it, you spend a substantial amount of your life working – I figure it’s worth putting a bit of effort into planning out a career path that makes you excited. I believe that there’s more to a career than the numbers on a pay slip at the end of the month, especially when a large chunk of that is paying for childcare!
If you’re still struggling to decide what you want the next steps of your career to look like: I’ve put together a mini course: End Career Paralysis. Check it out!
