Take Stock of Your Career

It's the end of the year, and we're about to move forward into 2015. If you haven't stopped to think about where your career is in 2014, I'd urge you to take a few hours over the holiday season and do so.

Many of us wander from job to job, taking opportunities given to us, accepting the first job offer we get when we are looking for work, and sticking with companies year after year. There's nothing wrong with that, but it's a passive way of having a career.

The job you have today might not be the one you wanted. That's fine if you are happy with it, but what if it's not your ideal job? Shouldn't you be thinking about what that is? Perhaps there are a few things you might consider:

• Are you challenged by your job?
• Does the level of responsibility cause you stress?
• Are there other projects or technologies you'd like to work in?
• Are you making enough money to provide a good life for your family?
• Does the industry you work in excite you?
• Do you wish you could use more features or have more input into the design of your application?
• Are you on call too often or do you get called too much?
• Would you rather be a consultant or FTE?
• Do you want to telecommute?
• Do you want to travel less or more?
• Do you work too much?

These are a few questions that I ask myself regularly. I tend to take stock of my career in the summer, and evaluate if I still want to continue in my current position. I really try to consider my options, think about the jobs other people have and the challenges they face. I think about my family and the balance I have with life outside of work and the time I spend at a computer.

I really, really try to look forward and honestly weigh the positives and negatives of changing jobs. It's hard, and it's certainly scary. I've been doing this job for over a decade, and while it's slightly evolved, it hasn't dramatically changed. There are things I like, and things I'd change, but overall, it's the best job I've ever had and I wouldn't change (for now).

You can change your career, and move a direction you want. It may take time, even years, but it can be done.

However it starts with a single step. Maybe you want to learn SSIS or Biml. Maybe you should work on a certification and grow your general knowledge. Maybe you want to start a software project and build some skills. It's up to you, and you can start moving in a new direction if you have the desire to do so.