BY VICTORIA (VICI) KOSTER-LENHARDT | Fellow
Where are you in your career today? Do you have a strategy, or are you a leaf floating down the river of life, going wherever the current takes you?
Jack Molisani and I have been talking about career management since 2001, when we sat on an STC Summit conference panel about the topic. Jack often reminds me that “You don’t get to vote on the way things are—you already did,” meaning every choice you made (or failed to make) in the past has lead you to where you are today. Like compounded interest, small changes you make now can have a big effect on your career down the road.
Each decade in life presents its own opportunities and challenges for career management. As we grow older, we become wiser. Every step of the way, we use newfound wisdom to make better decisions that expand our horizons. Milestones along the way give us the chance to stop, reflect, and make some adjustments before taking the next step. Whether you are a new graduate, in the middle of your career, or a decade or less away from retirement, you have choices to proactively direct your career in a way that makes the most sense to you. The question is, will you?
Your 20s: The Graduate
Just out of college with a new degree, young graduates have a fresh perspective and often (but not always) strong ambitions for a career. Companies want to hire you if you have good technical skills and a broad understanding of the industry. Mid-career managers see you as the kids who grew up with the latest technologies and expect that is how you will add value to the current team.
You are at the beginning of your career. Some of you already have your sights on being promoted into management quickly, because that’s where the salary growth is higher. Perhaps you’re a natural leader and often delegated the management role on projects, so you think a promotion will come easily. Although this could happen, the reality is you need to work three to five years to gain the writing experience and exposure on larger projects before you are promotable in large corporate environments. This is less true in small startups, which are more nimble and offer more opportunities for advancement. (Assuming, of course, the startup really takes off.)
One way to enhance your leadership and management skills during this period is to volunteer with the professional organizations that match your passion. Start networking with key leaders in the field. Make yourself visible and get involved. Volunteer to lead low-risk projects where you can practice leadership and management and (occasionally) make a few mistakes. As Bonni Graham- Gonzales says, “Good judgement comes from experience, a lot of which comes from bad judgement.” Gain the experience and then let your managers know you have what’s needed for the next step.
Your 30s: The Specialist
With several years of work experience behind you, you will come to a multi-pronged fork in the road and will need to make important decisions affecting your career strategy. Some choices include:
Stay the Course: Do you like your job the way it is, or do you want to do something new? I know many people who love what they do and want to do just that—no management track for them! Realize that deciding to not change is still a decision, one that will affect your career down the line. Also remember that deciding to not change isn’t forever, it’s just for now. Perhaps you have children and it is more important to have a stable job and a stable income than to work in a more exciting (but less stable) environment. You can always change your mind later.
Continue Your Education: Do you want to get a certification in a particular subject matter, or maybe go for a Master’s degree? This choice requires time and money.
Consider Management vs. a Technical Track: Do you want to be promoted to a management position? Be ready to work longer hours, show loyalty and dedication, and have less time for your family, friends, and hobbies. Do you want to change direction and get on the technical track? (For example, moving from a technical writer to a systems analyst.) If management isn’t what you want to do, you can sometimes earn a salary equivalent to a management position with technical skills.
Change Directions: Perhaps a 9-to-5 job isn’t your ideal work environment, and you’re thinking of going solo in the next few years (either as an independent contractor or by starting your own business). Do you want to change careers or perhaps move into a new industry sector? It’s not a bad time to switch.
Whichever choice you make, this is the time to decide how you want to specialize. It’s too early to think about what your legacy will be, but it is the right time to start thinking and take action to define your special niche in your chosen industry. In 2015, there are more career options than ever, and there are many professional organizations to help you decide before you invest the bigger bucks in advanced degrees and certifications.
Use the decade to specialize in more than one area, too. Follow the path by doing more of what you enjoy and being more of who you are.
Your 40s: The Expert
By their 40s, many people begin feeling a deep sense of self-confidence and awareness of the knowledge that they’ve acquired. Even if you haven’t followed a pre-defined and perfectly executed path, you will probably go through this phase. This is the time in your life when your priorities, likes, and dislikes become clearer. Once you acknowledge what you’ve accomplished so far, doors start opening. You are now the expert (or becoming an expert) in your specialization or niche. Colleagues at work and in your profession know who you are. They’ve watched you grow, whether you realize it or not. Now is the time to reap what you’ve sowed in your 20s and 30s and enjoy being the expert.
At work, this might mean being offered (and asking for!) plum assignments—those that are the most desirable. If things aren’t unfolding at work the way you’d like them to, it’s still a good time to consider changing departments or companies. An alternative to a job change is volunteering in an organization that values your expertise. Sometimes this is a great way to balance a solid job that you’re not particularly passionate about with an activity that energizes you.
One cautionary note: when you become the expert, people will ask you to do things—often for free. It feels really good when this begins to happen and is a sign of your achievement. Be prepared, however, to say yes and no. Some people won’t do anything for free. Others will do everything for free in order to gain more knowledge, experience, and recognition. Others fall somewhere in between. Be aware of your preference and the consequences of your approach. Consider balancing some pro bono work with paid work and vice versa. In your 40s, you’re still building your reputation. How you handle being an expert will influence the options available to you in your 50s.
Your 50s: The Self-Actualizer
Sometime around your 50th birthday (give or take a few years), something may happen that significantly changes your life: divorce, an important person in your life dies or becomes very ill, your health suddenly changes, children go off to college or get married, or you’re laid off from a job. Any one of these can reset the course of your career and it will often be scary. For some people, “scary” is inspiring. For others, it’s depressing or debilitating. However you manage this transition (and it is a transition), you will redefine your self, (re)discover your passions, and find a depth within yourself that you never knew existed. You will start a new journey of self-actualization and a new strategy will manifest itself.
At this point, you have many options because you have developed many skills, gained in-depth experience, and interacted with lots of people. Now is the time to take inventory, stop doing what you don’t enjoy (even if you’re good at it), continue doing what you do enjoy, and figure out the best way to earn the most money you can (for retirement) while leveraging all that you are. You may find that you are now able to steer your career in a direction where you combine any desires to give back with earning an income. So experiment until you get it right.
Your career strategy really is about the adventure, not the destination!
The Career of a Lifetime
Before flipping the page or closing this magazine, consider your next career move right now. Be strategic about it. Consider your options.
Where do you want to go on the chess board of your life?
Small moves are as significant as big moves.
Make each one count!
A U.S. expat living in Vienna, Austria, since 1987, Vici Koster-Lenhardt (vkosterlenhardt@gmail.com) was a pioneer in promoting technical communication as a profession in Western Europe during the 1990s and 2000s. After 21 years in various communications roles at The Coca-Cola Company, Vici changed careers in 2010. She is currently a consultant working at the U.S. Department of State where she is a job search strategist and career coach supporting the family members of Foreign Service officers find employment while living in Europe. She will give the opening keynote at The LavaCon Conference in New Orleans, LA , 18–21 October 2015.
Download Full Issue: Intercom Magazine Volume 62 Issue 6
I feel that this article should have included a section on “Your 60s+”. At this stage most of us have had long careers and are deciding when to phase into retirement. I started working fewer hours for several years before fully retiring at the age of 66. I still continued going to conferences and getting together with younger colleagues. Mentoring becomes an attractive option. People in their 60s+ are still active and should not be ignored in articles on career management.–Judie Dresser