Expanding Career Path Mindset to Include Skill Path Mindset
Shavon Terrell-Camper
Helping People Transform Their Lives Through Compassionate Mental Wellness Coaching | Mental Wellness Coach Dedicated to Guiding You Through Life's Challenges and Creating Lasting Well-Being
Read this article if you are:
- Finding it difficult to grow in your career
- Not sure on your next career move
- Frustrated with the job searching process
Traditionally, a career path represented a ladder an employee climbed throughout their career until the desired position was reached or they retire. For many industries, career paths are predetermined based on organizational charts. With the surge in technology, it takes less manpower to complete work and department sizes have decreased. With the decreases, career ladders are shorter and increasingly difficult to climb if you are in a career path mindset.
Career path mindset is linear, it goes from A to B to C to D. In career path mindset it common to limit yourself to one industry. To know your next step, you look for the job title you want next. Once you have identified the job title you work hard, learn what is necessary to prove you deserve the job and wait for an opportunity to become available.
Skill path mindset is non-linear, it goes from M to A to Z to Q. In the skill path mindset, you are responsible for building your own ladder. This mindset requires you to understand yourself professionally, define career goals, and take risks. Each career move is intentional and leads to your ultimate career goals. Your next step is determined by the skill-sets you want to enhance versus a specific job title. Once the skill-sets are determined, you search for opportunities to practice.
There are times when career path mindset is effective and times when skill path mindset is effective. It is your responsibility to recognize if your current mindset is working for your current situation. If not, it is your responsibility to adjust and create a more desirable outcome. You are the owner of your career and life.
If you are looking to integrate skill-set mindset into career path mindset, ask yourself the following questions:
- What are my career goals?
- What are the next three skills I would like to develop to reach my career goals?
- Who are the masters of the next three skill-sets I would like to develop and how can I position myself to learn from them?
"Not where we use to be, not where we want to be, but on the path to where we are meant to be."
Until next time,
Shavon T. Camper