Career development is the process of taking your experiences to manage career transitions that will move you into the professional future you want. What does this mean? Am I too late on the bandwagon? What should I keep in mind going forward?
Think of career development as the Candy Land board game. You have a career goal (getting to the end of the game) and you go through different life experiences moving you forward (spaces on the board). While on that journey you will be working at different places (Gumdrop Mountains, Lollipop Woods), meeting new people (Lord Licorice and Princess Frostine), and encountering opportunities that propel you forward (Gumdrop Pass).
You might not realize it, but you have been developing your career before you even knew it. Career development is a lifelong process, not something you figure out overnight. It could have started when you decided to pursue a healthcare-based profession, or that you wanted to do T-ball because you were going to be a professional baseball player. When you decided on being a pharmacist, which colleges you were applying for, what organizations to join, and which residency/job to pursue, you were creating a path that was leading to where you wanted to go.
Tips to get you to Candy Castle:
- Know your end goal and what it will entail – Do the research. If your goal is to be the director of a large academic hospital, make sure you know what the job entails. Is that position a realistic goal? Will that position fulfill you both professionally and personally?
- Have a realistic timeline – Different career goals will take different amounts of time to achieve. You cannot expect to be director of pharmacy the instant you finish your PGY1. Making goals and milestones can be effective to making sure you are on the right path.
- Meet the right people – Who you know is a significant part of moving forward. It is helpful knowing pharmacists in the position that you are attempting to obtain. These practitioners can give you advice and provide you with opportunities to move down your path. Remember, every relationship should be for the best for both involved. You should never use any individual as a body to step over to obtain a goal.
- Stay motivated! - You are going to need to stay motivated, determined, and passionate in what you are doing. If any of those characteristics falter, you can start to be at a standstill on your path. Your development path might not go the way you anticipate and it will require some flexibility.
If you are looking for tools to help you on your path, the ASHP New Practitioners’ Forum Career Development Advisory Group (CDAG) has you covered. Go to https://www.ashp.org/New-Practitioner/New-Practitioners-Forum/Career-Development to read about many different topics including career transitions, specialty certification exam study guides, information on job hunting, and research and grant writing advice.
**This post is provided by me as a member of CDAG, but does not necessarily represent the views of the entire CDAG or ASHP.**