Career Stages
Susan is living out a career pattern for the 21st Century. It’s very different from the stages followed by her grandfather, Tom.
When Tom got out of college, right after World War II, he went to work with a large corporation. Over the years he rose through the ranks from Trainee to Manager to Plant Manager and, eventually to Vice President of Operations.
Susan’s stages are very different. After she got her MBA, Susan landed a marketing job. It took her a little while to learn the ropes, but four years later, her employer was thrilled with her work and her performance.
But Susan was bored. She’d mastered her job and there wasn’t much more opportunity. She was coasting. She got married. She and her husband bought a house. That was when she realized two things.
Susan realized that she wanted a challenge at work. And she realized that she didn’t want a challenge with her current employer.
She moved to a large company, where she was still working in marketing. This time, learning the ropes was easier. Her job has expanded and she’s been promoted. She likes the company and the people she works with.
Susan still has things she wants to learn and accomplish, but she’s thinking about what’s ahead for her. She and her husband want to have children in a few years. Susan would like to keep working, but at a less intense level. Her employer doesn’t see a problem making that happen.
Compare that to her grandfather’s life. For Tom things went in a straight line, defined by position in the hierarchy. He planned for years for the retirement he would take after his career was done.
Today’s Career Stages are more like Susan’s than her grandfathers. There are lots of reasons for that, but in the next few posts we’ll talk about the new Career Stages.
Today Career Stages aren’t defined by age and hierarchy. They’re defined by your state of mind about your life and the work that is a part of it.
And, you won’t go through these stages once each. Instead you’ll probably experience each one several times in the course of your career. Here are today’s four Career Stages with a brief description.
Entry Stage
You’re in the Entry Stage when things are new to you. That might be when you join a new company, start a new job, are assigned to a new team, or begin a new phase of life. Your challenge is to learn the ropes and move on to developing yourself.
Development Stage
In the Development stage your challenge is to grow and develop, personally and professionally.
Balance Stage
In the Balance Stage, the growing at work has slowed or plateaued. Work life often recedes in importance. In this stage, your challenge is to answer questions like, “Who am I?” and “What’s important?”
Exploration Stage
Exploration is the stage where you look for something new to do. When you find it, you’ll be back to the Entry stage.
In the next four posts, we’ll examine each stage in some detail. Knowing the stage you’re in will help you select the resources and seek out mentors who can help you most effectively.
