What Goes Up Must Stay Up Pt. 1

We are all aware of the quote "What comes up, must come down".  This slogan is true for a large array of situations.  However, when it comes to your career you have all the power you need to go up and stay up. Remaining relevant in your industry can be extremely challenging if you don't know the direction in which it’s going and if you don't have a plan to get there.  At the very least, you should annually review and revise your and career development plan, to make sure that it’s working to keep you ahead of the curve.  We all know if you fail to plan you plan to fail, so don't take the development of your career plan lightly.

Start out by researching next year’s trends in the industry that you are in.  Finding this information can be as simple as going to Google and typing "Next year’s trends in __________". Put your industry in the blank, and start figuring out what the experts are projecting about your industry. After reading a few articles you will have a clearer picture of what you must do to "Stay Up".

After finishing your research, it’s time to develop your three-part plan. The development of your plan should consist of: where you are currently, where you want to go, and the most important area, how to get there.  This is the meat and potatoes of this initiative so take your time with this and don't get frustrated if this takes a little longer than you anticipated.. Trust me, it’s well worth the time and effort.
Once you have refined and designed your plan, take it to a trusted source,like a mentor, and have them give their honest feedback.  It's always important to have a second or third pair of expert eyes take a look.  They can only make your plan better than you could ever imagine.

Now that you’ve read this blog entry , it’s time to implement! Don't tell yourself that you are going to develop your plan later in life.  Take the opportunity to develop it now, it could be the difference between having that corner office at a major corporation or sitting in a corner mad at yourself because your career isn't what you hoped for.