Career Strategy Help 2

[scninmn]

Hi,

I'm currently a process engineer with 13 years of experience in semiconductor and thin film processing. I have many strengths ranging from leadership and mentoring skils to technical analysis and problem solving.

At the current company that I work at, I can easily pursue the management chain and also go down a more technical path. Each would likely keep me mostly satisified.

When I think about what I want to do 2-5 years from now, I can mostly identify a roadmap for that, but when I think about 10 years from now, I'm quite lost.

How do you understand what you want to be doing 10+ years from now? To me, that is a different question, that what do I want to do 2-5 years from now.

Any thoughts?

Regards,

Scott

 

[PSE]

A virtually impossible question for anyone to answer for anyone else. A lot of factors are involved, age, location, family status, health, financial status etc. These all can impact your long term career goals. No one here can fully understand your circumstances so any "advice" is really only "opinion". You probably know the answer already but it may help to get thought provoking questions from others to help firm it up in your own mind.

with 13 years experience, presummably you are in your mid thirties. You should be setting money aside for retirement and at the same time be working toward being free of most major debts. If you are married perhaps your are considering or have started a family. What has this to do with career goals 10 years from now? Everything as you are establishing your "long term" lifestyle and need to decide which career path provides the best opportunities for you. The Semiconductor industry has a tendency to do some "boom" and "bust" cycling. Which career path would best weather such cycles.

Regards,

 

[heieup]

I've recently done a mind map to focus myself on where I want to be long term (ultimately in some cases).

Think about everything !
Family, love, self development, environment, career, financials and throw every idea you have on paper. You might be specific on what you don't want (maybe don't want to work shifts) or more than what you do want, it will all shape your thinking.

Then put it away.
Come back to it a few weeks later, refine it, redraw it, refocus the negatives into what I do want (given what I know I don't want).
Do this a few times and it will start to firm up. Don't worry about the speed though it has taken me a good 7-8 months before I got anywhere near.

Then separate out your career leg and start writing what you do and don't want from your job. Factor in things from the main map (e.g. no shifts, or no more than 20 mins drive to work) Try to be generic about what you enjoy. E.g. I like designing, not just designing bridges.I like making decisions, not just choosing what to purchase.

Then look at it as a whole, if you repeat the refining enough times it will start to get a picture. The main thing though is the thinking, and that subconscious bit of your brain will do loads of work (you know that bit that wakes you up in the middle of the night to tell you the name of that actor in that film you couldn't remember yesterday !!!) and every time you pick up your map, you'll refine it more.

The mind map is just a tool to get you brain to start to rationalise what you really want. Its vital that you consider it in terms of your entire life, because thats what really matters, not work.

its just one way, that has worked really well for me, might help. So Good luck !

 

[bvanhiel]

Keep in mind that at most companies the tech path dead-ends quicker than the management path. Yours may be different, but it's something to consider.

-b

 

[rtmote]

The ten year stuff is your instinct. You won't be able to find words but they serve as whispers to the dream within.

Robert Mote

http://www.motagg.com