Think About What You Want For the Next 5 Years

Career

Think About What You Want For the Next 5 Years
by Shana Spooner



Gloria recently quit her high paying corporate job. She created new products that eventually were sold in supermarkets and retail stores. Gloria loved the brainstorming sessions where she and her co-workers dreamed up ideas for new products. Then, Gloria actually created the product in the lab. One of her favorite projects was creating a new deodorant. "I liked the idea that I was making things that I could take home and use." It was also pretty cool to be able to conceive of a new product and then see it in the stores. So, why did Gloria quit this seemingly perfect job? "When I woke up in the morning, I didn’t want to go to work. What I enjoyed the most was making new products in the lab." Then Gloria got promoted to manager. "My job there was to keep the job on track and supervise the work. I didn’t like the politics. I spent more time selling my project to management than doing what I really enjoy. When I asked myself if I could do this for the rest of my life, the answer was no. So, I quit."

For Gloria, being happy on a daily basis is paramount to success. Internal feelings are more important to her than external trappings. So what did Gloria want from her one- hour career makeover? "I would love guidance on how best to approach a career transition. What should I be thinking about?"

Great question. Here are the four questions Gloria needs to answer for herself to ensure she’s happy with her next career choice.

What are your priorities for the next 5 years?

It can be daunting to figure out what to do with the rest of your life. And lets face it, things change. Five years will give Gloria the time she needs to figure out what she wants to do next, to learn about it, to practice it, and to be competent at it. It turns out that Gloria wants to learn about computer animation and work in the computer game industry. Her husband wants to be in that business also. They also want to start a family within the next five years.

What would be the perfect situation?

Gloria should start by determining the perfect situation for her and make concessions (if she must) from that vantage point. She shouldn’t start from what is marginally acceptable to her and then try to add perks to it. By starting with the perfect situation, Gloria will get a lot closer to what she really wants even if it doesn’t seem feasible at the time. "What would be perfect is for me and my husband to have our own business. That way I can have flexibility and be available to the children." Gloria and her husband dream of having their own gaming company someday. By knowing that and claiming that, it will guide the decisions they make now.

Where do you want to live for the next 5 years?

This is the time for Gloria to think about where she wants to live for the next five years. Knowing her priorities will guide her to the right place. Gloria found out that most game companies are located on the West Coast. Since she and husband eventually want to start their own gaming company, moving to the West Coast makes sense for the next 5 years. That way they can learn about the business by working for a number of other small game companies.

What 3 or 4 qualities do you absolutely need in a work environment to be happy?

I asked Gloria what she really enjoyed and didn’t enjoy about past jobs and patterns emerged. She enjoys creating something out of nothing. That means she is creative and enjoys problem solving. She also likes being involved in something from the beginning to the end. Then starting all over again. That signifies a love of constantly learning new things and the need for a career that is project oriented. So Gloria’s requirements to be happy in any job means that it absolutely has to have the following qualities: continuous learning, creativity, problem solving and it must be project oriented.

If Gloria follows these guidelines, she will make the right choices to a happy career and a happy life.

At the end of Gloria’s one-hour career makeover, she said, "This helped me get focused. Thinking about my priorities for the next five years is definitely helpful. It’s a lot easier than trying to figure out what I want for the rest of my life."


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Shana Spooner has been called "a career makeover guru." She provides her clients with clarity on the career direction they would be happiest pursuing and then gives specific actions to get there. Spooner’s makeovers are conducted by telephone so that she