Climbing the career ladder or lattice?

Which way are you going?

There is no time like today to think about your career.  Do you know what you want for the next step in your career?  How’s the atmosphere where you work?

May I make a suggestion?  Think about your dreams for the future.  Do you want to be a mystery writer or race car driver?  Realistically, that may not happen as too many people want to be another Jonathan Kellerman or James Patterson.   Who isn’t envious of Jimmy Johnson, the race car driver, or Lance Armstrong and his bike (not to mention his increasingly visible philanthropy, Livestrong)?  But you can move to a new career.

Are you climbing the corporate ladder or lattice?  We are seeing more in the research on careers that a career lattice may be more enticing than the ladder.  Think about this:

Replacement for the traditional “corporate ladder” enables employees to move in several directions rather than just upward. This gives employees a chance to explore new areas of the company and add more diversified tools to their toolbox”

Why don’t you seriously consider supplementing your income with a new business idea?  Many, many creative ideas evolve at the kitchen table or in the garage workshop.  Your creative idea to earn a little extra money may be helpful, if your boss one day swoops into your office with a sorrowful look on his face and a package from HR saying, “Bye, now!”  By developing a plan, you’ll be ready.  I’m a huge advocate of multiple streams of income.

Many people love their jobs but insecurity reigns in today’s job market.  Perhaps your group developed a hot new product recently.  You love your job.  But you can see that your manager seems infatuated with the work of the new grad from Harvard, Texas Tech or Ohio State

If you have the proverbial “golden handcuffs” which keeps you tied to the ladder, think again.  Take a look at your finances to determine what your passion is and start your plan to achieve that goal.  You may not arrive on the new rung on your ladder or lattice quickly, but we all need to dream which includes a plan to implement at the right time.

Many are facing the reality that retirement may need to wait until age 70 or longer with the loss in life savings.  Others try to determine how much is enough.  You hold the keys to what happens in your life.  Layoffs, career change and taxes are the realities in most lives.  What will you do when it happens to you?

Richard Bolles, the author of What Color Is Your Parachute, the job hunters’ bible, in the 2009 edition of his annually updated book, indicates people over age 35 change careers about three more times in their life.  And it may be more by the time you reach retirement.  So you’d better get busy!

As a friend of mine at her retirement party said, “Life is too short to spend it in the middle seat of coach.”  Are you sitting in coach?   I urge you to start your plans for improving your career, whether your career takes a step up, over or back.  You can do it!

If you’d like to read more career transition articles by Ruth Glover, please click here.