Comments on: Planning your future http://boxesandarrows.com/planning-your-future/ Boxes and Arrows is devoted to the practice, innovation, and discussion of design; including graphic design, interaction design, information architecture and the design of business. Mon, 20 May 2013 13:09:05 +0000 hourly 1 By: David Heller http://boxesandarrows.com/planning-your-future/#comment-9612 David Heller Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://boxesandarrows.com/planning-your-future/#comment-9612 Erin,
I really like the practical part of this article and I have one question for you. what do you do when you see your career path in 5 years not w/ your existing company? Do you put that in your career plan? As a manager how would you deal w/ the integrity and sincerity issues that are implied in my first question; meaning, how much can you encourage the level of open honesty in a work environment so that such a plan would be useful to everyone?

(obviously, other people’s thoughts would be greatly appreciated here as well.) — dave

]]> By: Erin http://boxesandarrows.com/planning-your-future/#comment-9613 Erin Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://boxesandarrows.com/planning-your-future/#comment-9613 That’s a good question David. If you know for a fact you will not be with company x in five years and are planning towards that goal, then that may not be the best thing to work on with your boss. On the other hand, there are goals that you have that this company is helping you meet which should also be beneficial to the company. That is the stuff you work on with your boss.

As I said – I have a lot of personal professional goals on my plan that have nothing to do with my job at my company. They are professionally related – things like presenting at conferences, writing more in the field, working on my book. My job goals don’t necessarily foster that, but they need to be on the plan so that I carve out time and opportunities to make them happen.

I believe that portions of the plan should absolutly be discussed honestly with your boss. Other portions may be best left off if you know they involve leaving or working for another company (especially of they are competition).

]]> By: Andrew http://boxesandarrows.com/planning-your-future/#comment-9614 Andrew Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://boxesandarrows.com/planning-your-future/#comment-9614 “If you know for a fact you will not be with company x in five years and are planning towards that goal, then that may not be the best thing to work on with your boss.”

Five years is an eternity in our field. And good bosses know that, especially at startups. I’m lucky enough to be working for a boss right now that has said “I know that this company is just the current configuration of some people. Many of us will work together again in the future, and so I want to help you grow in case we find ourselves at another company together.”

Not to say that if you have the goal of working at a *specific* company you should bring that up! Don’t do that!

]]> By: ML http://boxesandarrows.com/planning-your-future/#comment-9615 ML Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://boxesandarrows.com/planning-your-future/#comment-9615 I think the other thing is that some managers are just not really open about anything except the bottom-line since they know there is a great big pool of applicants knocking really hard on the door. So it’s a balance of how much you want to really disclose without hurting an opportunity that is already working for you.

Also another advise to folks doing some introspection…you might have to do this while on vacation or just during some quiet time without distraction. I noticed that as I try to plot out a plan for myself while working I got mired in day to day issues/firefighting both personally and professionally and I wasn’t being honest of what was in the plan because it was clouded by frustrations. I’ve decided to take a month off just so that I can think through logically/emotionally/practically/spiritually about both personal & career paths. I like the values part and date aspect of the outline. They are great markers for maturity and growth.

]]> By: Catharine http://boxesandarrows.com/planning-your-future/#comment-5620 Catharine Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://boxesandarrows.com/planning-your-future/#comment-5620 Thanks for this. I’m passing it on to my staff…

]]> By: Livia Labate http://boxesandarrows.com/planning-your-future/#comment-5621 Livia Labate Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://boxesandarrows.com/planning-your-future/#comment-5621 That was great Erin, I had been going through my plans latelly and one thing I found really useful was going through old plans (mine were from four years ago) and identifying changes and why they happened. It really helps understanding and shapping up your future.

]]> By: Livia Labate http://boxesandarrows.com/planning-your-future/#comment-5622 Livia Labate Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://boxesandarrows.com/planning-your-future/#comment-5622 That was great Erin, I had been going through my plans latelly and one thing I found really useful was going through old plans (mine were from four years ago) and identifying changes and why they happened. It really helps understanding and shapping up your future.

]]> By: buzzie http://boxesandarrows.com/planning-your-future/#comment-5623 buzzie Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://boxesandarrows.com/planning-your-future/#comment-5623 In one of those job transitions now, asking myself questions like “do I want to be on the creative side or the account service side?” Wow, my advertising silos are really hard at work. And recruiters have the same question “Are you really going to be happy doing this ONE THING?”

As you say, no one is looking out for your career path/growth but yourself. Thank you for looking after mine just a little bit.

]]> By: kimothy777 http://boxesandarrows.com/planning-your-future/#comment-5624 kimothy777 Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://boxesandarrows.com/planning-your-future/#comment-5624 Great stuff. I will be sharing this with others who might need to hear this. Thank you…

]]> By: buzzie http://boxesandarrows.com/planning-your-future/#comment-5625 buzzie Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://boxesandarrows.com/planning-your-future/#comment-5625 Wow Erin. Written in 2004, this article still gets my fav award. And now I see that I commented in 2006 as I was looking for my next gig. Well, that gig became Dell Computer. And at the end of the month I will again be in transition. I am making a commitment to copy out your plan and write it again.

Has this post been updated or continuted. I am about to submit it to Mixx and Digg and Sphinn again to see if I can share if with a few more people. It’s a great inspiration even 4 years later. Thanks, jmacofearth.

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