Sit down and have an honest discussion with yourself. Don’t waste time, don’t put it off and by all means be objective even a little tough on yourself. The days of state of the art lasting several years are over. Today changes come abruptly and without much notice. Positions and entire job categories disappear do to changes in business conditions, software and product requirements.
Don’t wait to find out you are being left behind. You can be doing a great job and find out your services are no longer needed; if you don’t know where you fit in your career tree you may be in for a big surprise. The idea of long career cycles that give you the opportunity to grow and move within your field are gone, just like flip phones, hometown drugstores and doctors making house calls.
Be prepared: have an up to date resume, have an up to date reference document, keep a current job description of your position and all the ancillary functions you perform that your superiors take for granted, know the competitors, familiarize yourself with current computer programs used in your field even if you are using proprietary software, spruce up your wardrobe, check out your industry for any changes, keep your contact list up to date and do some mock job searches. You may not run into a problem however if you do, you could find out that there are many others in the same situation and being prepared will get you to market quicker.
Writing a career plan is just as important as a company having a business plan. The time and effort that goes into writing one is well worth it. Guaranteed after spending several days breaking down what you
offer an employer, what you have accomplished, what experience is relevant, what are your strong points, and your negatives will help you present a more accurate picture of yourself if needed. Being familiar with your plan will help you execute if you need to pursue a career replacement, update or change. As you plan your career, it should include moving towards a management position. management positions usually allow more visibility and give you more opportunity to see the bigger picture. Parallel moves often, lessen you importance, make you more easily replaceable, they can also open opportunities in new areas so carefully review parallel moves if they get you closer to the door it may be time to look for new horizons; if they open new opportunities to advance make sure you have the skill sets required.
A career is a living breathing thing just like a business, it needs to be nourished to grow, it needs to be tested to advance, it needs commitment to be rewarded, and it needs relevance to be desirable, that has not changed; making sure your years of experience are relevant will help you move forward when required.
Thank you for the time you have taken, I hope some of my thoughts have provoked some consideration.
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