In the last part of “Do You Have a Life Plan” I had you write out lists based on Career, Financial and Personal Goals. Before moving on to the next step, I want to take a closer look at each category to be sure you’ve thought each one through completely.

Career Goals

Obviously, step 1 is deciding on a career. Once you’ve done that you need to evaluate if you have the necessary education and skills for that career choice. If you don’t, you will need to include in your plan what steps you will need to accomplish them. What classes will you need, where are they offered, what will be the cost, is there the possibility of an apprenticeship… I have a friend who decided he wanted his MBA but after looking into it realized he would not be able to afford it. After weighing many options he decided to join the military. He researched and set up his plan so that he could accomplish his goal by having the military pay for his schooling in exchange for his future service.

Let’s assume you already have the education and skills needed. Now you need a plan to get the job you want. Include things like talking to people in that job and researching companies in that field. You may realize that you will have to start at a lower salary or in a department, or even a location, that you don’t want in order to get experience or connections to eventually advance to your dream career. Another friend took a 1-year posting in Nigeria to get experience. He still says it was the worst year of his life but when he came home he had his pick of companies to work for.

Look back over the Career list of goals you’ve previously made. Does the list cover everything? If not add to it.

You’ve made your original lists and now you’ve given the category of Career a lot more thought. Next time we’ll expand on your Financial goals to make sure you’ve got them covered.