How to make a career map
Getting from point A to point B in your career is easier to achieve when you have a map to guide you on your journey.
Without a map or GPS available on your phone, it would be hard to get where you want to go. The same thing goes for your career! That’s why creating a career map can be a helpful exercise in making progress professionally.
What’s a career map?
When you make a career map, you identify your destination (your next job or career) and outline the steps to take to get there. Career mapping is creating a personal guide to follow toward your career goal, beginning with where you are today. With your career map at the ready, you’ll have a clear understanding of:
- Your point A (where you are today) and your point B (your career goals)
- The steps to take along your route (e.g., figuring out what skills to gain)
- The milestone moments to mark that you’re on the right track
- The “why” behind what you’re hoping to achieve (the gas that keeps your tank full)
How to make a career map in three steps
1. Plot your starting point on your career map
The best way to gain clarity on your starting point is with time dedicated to self-reflection. Your starting point is your life today. You can begin by creating a list of information like your current job, skills you’ve already gained, and any educational or professional qualifications relevant to your goals.
But, in mapping your starting point, you also have a chance to assess how you feel about your day-to-day experiences. Ask yourself: What do I like about my current job? What do I wish was different about it? Also, consider the pros and cons of your work-life balance, level of autonomy, salary, and other related factors.
2. Determine where your career map leads you
Visualizing your point B (achieving your career goal) can sometimes require a little imagination. It can be daunting to envision the future, but try your best to set aside any worries or fears for now, and try this exercise:
Reflect: Imagine it’s five years from now and everything is going your way professionally. What do you do for work? What does an average day look like? It’s vital to envision not only what you’re doing but how you’re feeling while you’re doing it. Getting a crisp picture of this in your mind will help make the destination feel more real.
Remember: It’s also okay if you don’t know where you want to go yet! Maps can have dotted lines or fuzzy destinations that become clearer over time. Similar to determining your map’s point A, asking yourself the right thought-provoking questions can help bring things into focus.
Consider how you’d answer each of these questions:
- What type of work can you imagine yourself doing?
- What types of roles include what you like most about your job now?
- How do you want to feel about your work every day?
- Do you work well in high-stress environments, or would you prefer work to be predictable?
- Do you like to work independently, or do you thrive within tight-knit teams?
- Do you want to work in a public-facing role, or do you prefer to be behind the scenes?
- What skills do you enjoy gaining the most, and which roles require these skills?
- Do you prefer to be analytical or to think big picture?
- What do you want your life to look like outside of work? How much time do you need for non-work activities or responsibilities daily or weekly?
- Do you need flexibility, or do you prioritize routine?
There are also resources online, including this simple career exploration tool from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics to learn about careers of interest or this short assessment that matches interests to potential careers. Books like What Color is Your Parachute and Do What You Are might be worth checking out from your local library. Or, simply search for careers by your interest (think: “jobs for people who like math.”). Of course, you could also schedule a session with a coach if you’d like to talk through your ideas with someone.
Once you’ve landed on your big goal (or point B), you’ve already unlocked something to celebrate.
Try this: Writing out your big goal can help make it more real for you. Take 2 minutes to grab a pen (or text a friend!) and write a sentence: I will pursue a career in ____ because I want ____ and it matters because____.
3. Building the route along your career map
With your starting point and destination now on your career map, it’s time to decide on the route you’ll take. Of course, the road to your goal won’t be a straight line — and there will be essential milestones along the way. Consider those milestones small goals worth taking a moment to celebrate, too. After all, they’re how you’ll know you’re on the right track.
Your small goals achieved on your route guide you to your big goal — your point B career goal. So, deciding your small goals warrants a thoughtful approach, too. With your point B in mind and your point A as your foundation, you can plug in the steps (or requirements) to make progress.
To reach your career goal, which additional skills will you need to gain? Where and how can you gain them? If it’s through a learning program, consider the application process and the program as points on your career map. Similarly, if things like networking, shadowing, or other professional experiences would be beneficial, incorporate them into your career map, too. These points might also result from having a conversation with your manager at work, as there might be an internal recruiting team within your company that could be of help in these areas.
If you’re having trouble determining the skills and experiences to best set yourself up for success in your dream career, you can often gain more insight by reviewing job opportunities for roles similar to one you would want and noting the requirements. If it’s possible, ask someone with your dream job to meet over video or in person for some tips for success. Platforms like LinkedIn can be helpful for making connections.
Also, remember that not all of the work toward your goals needs to be as formal or structured as a learning program. Checking YouTube for tutorials to learn an in-demand skill, listening to an audiobook on your industry of interest, or polishing your resume are all great examples of smaller inputs that amount to big accomplishments.
Guild Learner Story: Doris E.
Doris E. is employed as a baker, and her specialty is cake decorating. While she is good at what she does, her current job requires reading recipes in English and speaking English with coworkers and customers. English is not her first language. For Doris, improving her English was a big career goal so that she would have more options in her next role. She started by enrolling in English as a second language courses and practicing daily. She began to experience growth in her speaking skills, and it was helping her perform better at her job.
Doris explains, “I know my knowledge about English is very little, but I try to improve every day. Everyday I try. And when I talk with my coworker all the time, I ask them, ‘Oh, what's the meaning about that?’ The meaning I try to learn. Now I can communicate with my coworker. I can provide good customer service and I can understand also the recipes now. I feel thankful to start studying English. I [was] told that at my age I cannot study. But now I know that I can study, you know? I can study English, and also maybe I can study another career. I'm very excited for that.”
Hitting milestones in her English lessons helped Doris — not only to make progress toward her big goal of becoming proficient in English — but also to think even bigger. What else was she capable of, she wondered? What other career opportunities could she consider? She’s following her career map, and her journey is expanding.
Bringing it all together: Putting your map to work
There is no such thing as a perfect, “correct,” or typical career map. Everyone is different, and so are our goals and the challenges we’ve faced. The way we feel as we go off on our journeys to achieve our goals will vary greatly. All of this is more than okay. The important thing is that you have a career map — period — and you’re using it to guide you.
Of course, life won’t stop happening as you go on this journey. There might be detours or pauses. There might be hesitation or doubt. If you only focus on how far away you are from your destination, you might feel as deflated as a flat tire. But, if you can instead focus on each smaller goal as a checkpoint to reach, you’ll keep putting miles behind you. Progress is progress. There’s no stopwatch clocking your time to follow your career map.
Finally, you’re human. You’re allowed to change your mind. You might scrap your map and start over. You might get halfway, choose a different destination, and frame another big goal. Or, your map might expand. The only rule is that you’re going in a direction that feels right to you.
And here’s something exciting to look forward to: The momentum you’ll get from simply starting to move, following the direction your map leads, will point you toward a future you’re excited to live in.
Reflect: Creating a career map can be challenging. Try taking a moment to pause and reflect. What thoughts and feelings came up as you learned about career mapping? What are you excited about? What do you feel nervous or anxious about?