I am a huge planner! Planning helps me prioritize, manage my time, and drive away anxiety. So it should be no surprise that I also plan my career! Today I am sharing an exercise I created and like to call Reverse Career Planning! The best part about this exercise is that you do not have to wait to be in graduate school, or about to graduate to do it. This is for anyone and everyone at every stage!
This is what you need:
- A poster board - I prefer a trifold poster board.
- Markers/colored pens to help organize your thoughts.
- A Dream!
Check out the full exercise is the video above!
Quick Summary:
Quick Summary:
Step 1: Separate your poster board into Aim Sections and Determine your Overall Career Goal (or dream career).
Step 2: Create your Career Aims! Examples include: Research, Education, and Outreach Initiatives.
Step 3: Write all your current activities under these aims. This includes education you aim to obtain, potential and current research projects, and prospective outreach initiatives and professional organizations you are apart of.
Step 4: After writing down all your activities, now you can prioritize which activities most directly impact and help you reach your career goal. Mix and match initiatives from each aim. Write down how you plan to prioritize your highest value items in the next week, month, or more. Then you can create timelines for all your goals.
Want to learn more? Feel free to reach out to me via email, instagram, or twitter with any questions or comments!