Evolution

Evolution Three and a half years ago I had a business plan, and I had a vision statement for my business. I thought I would have a gazillion signups on JibberJobber, and that a percentage (high or low, didnt matter because even a low percentage of a gazillion is a lot) would have upgraded. I had no idea that in my future I would write a book or two, or become a professional speaker, or have a product to sell, or become an executive editor, or that I would have different profit centers I would work on. My business evolved my business plan was for one discrete thing, but because of various factors, things changed. Just like your career plan.  I put that in quotes because if you are like me, I did not have anything close to formal with my career plan. At one point in my life the plan was to become the CEO of a Fortune 500 company.  I figured it would be a decades-long process of working my way up the ladder. When I landed my first significant job as the first IT manager to a medium sized company, I started to think that that was pretty sweet and I could do away with the huge company dream, and stay at a company that had a rich culture and was managed differently (private company vs. public company). Six years later, when I got the ax, I had a ton of emotions, but figured it was all a part of my story, and Id laugh about it in years to come. It wasnt part of the plan (who has getting laid off as part of their career plan?), but it seemed to be a common thing, so perhaps I was paying my dues. Fast forward almost four years, and my career has taken a different path. How has your career evolved? Think back to when you were in school What did you think you would be doing now? What did you think youd be doing for a career in the first few years of your first real job? How about now did you ever imagine youd be where you are at? And perhaps the big question understanding career management better, what do you think youll be doing in the next 5, 10, 15, 20 years? Will it be a traditional corporate job?  Will it be freelancing?  Will it be investments? Will you have one, or two streams of income?  Could you have five or ten? Will you trade money for quality-of-life, or might you trade quality-of-life for money? Could you, would you move from Expensive City, USA to Podunk Farms, USA?  Or should you go from Podunk to Expensive? What I thought five and ten years ago is different it has evolved. I wonder what Ill think five or ten years from now. What do you think? Evolution Three and a half years ago I had a business plan, and I had a vision statement for my business. I thought I would have a gazillion signups on JibberJobber, and that a percentage (high or low, didnt matter because even a low percentage of a gazillion is a lot) would have upgraded. I had no idea that in my future I would write a book or two, or become a professional speaker, or have a product to sell, or become an executive editor, or that I would have different profit centers I would work on. My business evolved my business plan was for one discrete thing, but because of various factors, things changed. Just like your career plan.  I put that in quotes because if you are like me, I did not have anything close to formal with my career plan. At one point in my life the plan was to become the CEO of a Fortune 500 company.  I figured it would be a decades-long process of working my way up the ladder. When I landed my first significant job as the first IT manager to a medium sized company, I started to think that that was pretty sweet and I could do away with the huge company dream, and stay at a company that had a rich culture and was managed differently (private company vs. public company). Six years later, when I got the ax, I had a ton of emotions, but figured it was all a part of my story, and Id laugh about it in years to come. It wasnt part of the plan (who has getting laid off as part of their career plan?), but it seemed to be a common thing, so perhaps I was paying my dues. Fast forward almost four years, and my career has taken a different path. How has your career evolved? Think back to when you were in school What did you think you would be doing now? What did you think youd be doing for a career in the first few years of your first real job? How about now did you ever imagine youd be where you are at? And perhaps the big question understanding career management better, what do you think youll be doing in the next 5, 10, 15, 20 years? Will it be a traditional corporate job?  Will it be freelancing?  Will it be investments? Will you have one, or two streams of income?  Could you have five or ten? Will you trade money for quality-of-life, or might you trade quality-of-life for money? Could you, would you move from Expensive City, USA to Podunk Farms, USA?  Or should you go from Podunk to Expensive? What I thought five and ten years ago is different it has evolved. I wonder what Ill think five or ten years from now. What do you think? Evolution Three and a half years ago I had a business plan, and I had a vision statement for my business. I thought I would have a gazillion signups on JibberJobber, and that a percentage (high or low, didnt matter because even a low percentage of a gazillion is a lot) would have upgraded. I had no idea that in my future I would write a book or two, or become a professional speaker, or have a product to sell, or become an executive editor, or that I would have different profit centers I would work on. My business evolved my business plan was for one discrete thing, but because of various factors, things changed. Just like your career plan.  I put that in quotes because if you are like me, I did not have anything close to formal with my career plan. At one point in my life the plan was to become the CEO of a Fortune 500 company.  I figured it would be a decades-long process of working my way up the ladder. When I landed my first significant job as the first IT manager to a medium sized company, I started to think that that was pretty sweet and I could do away with the huge company dream, and stay at a company that had a rich culture and was managed differently (private company vs. public company). Six years later, when I got the ax, I had a ton of emotions, but figured it was all a part of my story, and Id laugh about it in years to come. It wasnt part of the plan (who has getting laid off as part of their career plan?), but it seemed to be a common thing, so perhaps I was paying my dues. Fast forward almost four years, and my career has taken a different path. How has your career evolved? Think back to when you were in school What did you think you would be doing now? What did you think youd be doing for a career in the first few years of your first real job? How about now did you ever imagine youd be where you are at? And perhaps the big question understanding career management better, what do you think youll be doing in the next 5, 10, 15, 20 years? Will it be a traditional corporate job?  Will it be freelancing?  Will it be investments? Will you have one, or two streams of income?  Could you have five or ten? Will you trade money for quality-of-life, or might you trade quality-of-life for money? Could you, would you move from Expensive City, USA to Podunk Farms, USA?  Or should you go from Podunk to Expensive? What I thought five and ten years ago is different it has evolved. I wonder what Ill think five or ten years from now. What do you think?