Sarah was a mid-level manager at a tech company. She was competent and hardworking, but she felt stuck in her current role and was unsure of how to advance her career. One day, she came across Erik Bean’s paper on the importance of higher perceptions and career control in determining career outcomes. Inspired by the insights from the paper, she decided to take the following five action steps:
1. Self-Assessment:
Sarah spent a weekend reflecting on her skills, abilities, and career aspirations. She realized that she had a strong knack for strategic planning and team management but needed to improve her technical knowledge to advance in her tech-driven company. She also identified her goal: she wanted to become a senior manager within the next two years.
2. Set Clear Career Goals:
With her self-assessment in mind, Sarah set clear career goals. She aimed to enhance her technical skills, particularly in data analysis and machine learning, which were crucial in her industry. She also set a goal to lead a major project in her company to showcase her leadership and strategic planning skills.
3. Develop a Career Plan:
Sarah then developed a detailed career plan. She enrolled in online courses on data analysis and machine learning. She also decided to approach her supervisor to express her interest in leading a project and asked for opportunities to do so.
4. Seek Opportunities for Professional Development:
Sarah was proactive in seeking growth opportunities. She took on challenging projects that allowed her to apply her new technical skills. She also sought a mentor in her company who could provide guidance and support in her career journey.
5. Utilize Career Resources:
Sarah made good use of the free resources mentioned in Bean’s paper. She used The Learning Academy for her online courses, Glassdoor to research career paths in her industry, and CareerOneStop to access various career development tools.
Over time, Sarah’s efforts paid off. Her enhanced technical skills made her a valuable asset to her team, and her leadership in the major project she led was recognized by her superiors. Within two years, she was promoted to a senior management role, achieving the goal she had set for herself.
Sarah’s story is a testament to the power of higher perceptions and career control. By taking these action steps, she was able to take charge of her professional development and advance her career.
