At different stages in our lives, we have future goals about our careers. Little kids want to have a certain job when they grow up. High school students pick out their college of choice. Others choose a trade school or opt for a career right after graduation. Once reaching that finish line, some change their mind about what they’re going to do when they grow up. Adults who have been in the working field for years sometimes take on a secondary career. It’s human nature to strive for something new and better. And oftentimes, that means starting over, or branching into something different.
What lies behind that need? The want to be better? More happiness with your career? For many, it’s the craving for success. It is human nature to want to succeed and sometimes that means exchanging what isn’t working for something that will. Whether your career is not panning out due to lack of happiness or commitment level. Or due to an unforeseen circumstance, such as a company going out of business or becoming dated.
Money
For some, success is determined by how much money they’re able to make. So long as their bank accounts are full, they consider their job one that’s successful. And that also offers room for future success. This doesn’t always consider obstacles such as working hours, benefits, or family situation etc. It just looks at monetary value and how much they are able to get. And if they belong in that school of thought, it’s a scenario that absolutely makes sense.
Happiness
For others, success is all about being happy. It’s about loving their job, and loving their entire life. It’s also about having a job that allows them to do what they want and when they want to do it, all while balancing the different areas of their life. Generally, being happy also means being financially secure, or not having to worry about factors such as stress.
Education
Another thought still is that one’s success remains with one’s level of education. As long as they are able to get a certain number of degrees or get their training in order, they see their career as successful. Sometimes folks might even keep returning to college for more degrees regardless of whether it helps their career.
Promotions
Then again, moving up in your work field can be seen as a tremendous amount of success. If you’re able to beat out the others and continually rise in your field you must be doing something right, right? That’s how many professionals feel, even listing their own worth by what level they were able to achieve. As well as how many others they were able to out-perform in their career of choice.
Others might see a combination of the above, looking for a well-rounded approach to their professional success.
So what is success to you? A paycheck? Sustainability? Moving up the chain? To set and obtain achievable goals, it’s important to define this term. Once you know what you’re looking to earn in your career, it will be much easier to gain it. And to set goals to meet those milestones, while moving on to your next ones. Because, no matter how you might define success, reaching new levels is one of the easiest ways to prove you’re on the way up, and how to measure every kind of professional achievement.