5 Year Plan?

Have you ever been asked, in an interview or otherwise, where you see yourself in 3-5 years?

It's easy to say something like, "In a role where I can utilize the skills for the betterment of the organization and myself."

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Anyway, what is your real plan?

For those of you that took some Organizational Behaviour courses, you will remember the idea of a 'Gap Analysis'.

Essentially, you look at what you would like to have (or where you would like to be) and determine the appropriate steps to get there.


Why Should I?

There's a few reasons:

    1. So you're not stuck giving that generic BS of an answer mentioned at the start of the article.
    2. To create goals to which you can align yourself
    3. To give you motivation and reason behind the day-to-day choices you make

There are likely different goals of where you would like to be in a variety of areas in your life.  I have outlined a few categories and questions that may help you with this:

Career:
What level do you want to reach in your career? Why aren't you there now? What can you do to get there?

Education:

Is there any knowledge you want to acquire in particular? What information and skills will you need to achieve other goals?

Family:
Do you want to be a parent? If so, how many kids? How would you ensure you'd be a good parent?

Financial:
Do you have a desired salary How much do you want to earn by what stage?

Physical:
Any athletic ambitions? Do you want good health in your later years? What steps are you going to take to achieve this?

Recreation:
How do you want to enjoy yourself?  What will need to happen to ensure you have a balanced life?

Volunteering/Public Service:
Do you want to make the world/your community a better place? If so, how?


Do you have a plan for the next 3-5 years?