Stages of Career Success: On Which Stage are You NOW?

How to establish a career? It is as simple as finding meaning and growth in your job. A career is often symbolized with a person climbing stairs, because growing a career equals to having progress professionally. Yet, many people are stuck in the same role for years. If you find yourself being stagnant in a position you applied for five or ten years ago, then you have simply established a routine in your professional life - not a career.

Remember, a career is something that keeps you fulfilled. When you build a career, you will yearn for progress no matter how long or far you have been going with your current job. And at a time when you feel stuck and not satisfied with your current position, that means you are not developing a career. 

To establish a solid career, get to know these stages of career development and evaluate whether you are growing and progressing in your field or not. 

Assertiveness - Change, growth or progress

Anything that pertains to development starts from within. This is not just a matter of self-awareness but of assertiveness. Starting a career means you have a mind that knows how to assert your situation; where you are and where you want to go. Climbing the career ladder to success always starts with assertiveness. 

Assertiveness itself is a healthy way of communicating. It is the ability to speak up for yourself in a way that is honest and respectful. When you have the level of assertiveness, you are likely to possess the self-confidence that does not come from pride or feeling superior, good relation with others, and gives value to something or someone by treating them with consideration. 

Read also: 4 Negotiations to Make for a Better Career 

Detachment 

It’s easy to get too comfortable in a job that you really like, creating a comfort zone that you do not wish to part with. In order to become successful in your career, you need to “detach” yourself from that comfort zone and challenge yourself to take on greater work responsibilities. After detaching and letting go of your comfort zones, you will feel the difference and that’s when you’re ready for the next level. 

To detach yourself from the comfort of your work, you can start small by eliminating your bad habit during work hours. For example, if you constantly watch irrelevant videos for hours and abandon your work responsibility for later, challenge yourself to not do it and prioritise work responsibility. When you think you can finish a task later because that task is easy to do, challenge yourself to finish it early and take on a more difficult project. 

Visualization - Dream, plan and set a goal

Once you are able to detach things that distract or hinder you from progressing in a career, you should start to visualise goals. Visualize what you want to do for the next five or ten years. You need to have a clear vision of the action plans you need to do to get to where you want to go. And when you set plans or goals, be mindful of the things that will fulfill you, such as compensation or job satisfaction. 

Transformation 

When you set a goal or when you plan to go up the career ladder, be willing to “transform” by investing in yourself. Investing your time and money in training and development is the best way up the ladder. You will realize just how much you have transformed when suddenly you are offered a higher position by your current employer or future ones. 

Continuance 

Going from one stage of your career to another does not end when you have achieved your goals. This is a cycle that you have to do repeatedly over the course of professional life. Continuance means to always have the zest for learning, growth and perfection.

Going through these stages of career means you are willing to take full responsibility for your own professional growth. This process is hard but fulfilling. Fortunately, this is something that gets easier over time until you get used to the climb, that success now becomes second nature.

Next read: 5 Mistakes You Should NOT Make during Career Change