Career Plan Template

Here’s a link to a Career Development Plan Template. This template appears to be logical and thus ‘should’ be easy to complete. Well for me, this kind of logic has never yet given me the answers. All I end up feeling when faced with these questions is inadequate because what appears to be logical, leaves me cold and devoid of inspiration regarding the best way to earn my living.

I think that this kind of incremental logic was presented to me at school, at university, and within various organisations, and, it has never ceased to confound me as to how to answer the questions. With this level of confound-ment, in the face of such apparent logic, then I came to the conclusion that it must be me that was missing something. By my mid-thirties, having pretended I understood and generated the answers I believed that others sought from me, I finally accepted that as I kept landing roles which, whilst I was capable of dong, were actually my worst nightmare. I had over-stretched the “good-girl” muscle to breaking point and needed to listen for what I wanted to do instead.

You know what? Even reading the above sentence triggers guilt in me: “What right have I to do what I want to do????” (link to Marianne Williamson‘s words to remind me of purpose!). If we all have to work to earn a living and we have to do this 5 days a week and we have to show up and do a good job, then, would it be best to do a job that we enjoy? If we enjoy our work we might become good at it? If we are good at our work might we be of better service to others in the world? Also if we are happy are we are likely to be well? My guess is that you too answered ‘yes’ to most of the above.

So how can you get to that place?: Step one: Write down not “What is your primary career interest?”, as instructed on the template but write this down instead: Write of the thing that you love or adore, write of what excites you or give you joy, Write down what it is that nourishes you symbiotically as you nourish others. Write of who inspires you and what things in the world fill you with hope. This is the real starting point for identifying your career pathway. Once you have done this, then (and only then), feel free to take steps no.2 to no.8. Humans can only fit into a career development plan template, if they take the liberty of designing some of the questions themselves.

Explore here to learn more of career coaching with Rebecca and here for a glimpse into her coaching world.