Career Wish List

Fellow reader, I ask that you sing along with me, “All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth, my two front teeth!” Cheesy right, but this song has traveled across generations and is still sung today to many children. You are probably asking yourself what I am getting at well; I want you to reflect on such a song because I want you to know wants, dreams, and goals are not only for children.

Your career wish list can be the launchpad to your success. For this reason, I encourage you to use the tips below as you start creating your career wish list this holiday season. In creating your very own Career Wish List, please start with these three steps!

Step 1: Think & Research – This brainstorming phase creates the foundation for identifying your areas of interest. Recognize what industries and jobs you are familiar with and find others that might interest you. You could ask yourself what you like to do in your free time and how you can turn that into a potential career path? For example, if I enjoy helping others, I might be interested in customer service or even the medical field. Once you have a general idea of your areas of interest, it is time to start researching! So that you understand the career options related to your areas of interest.

Step 2: Determine needs versus wants – Prioritizing what matters most will help weigh your options. Ask yourself, do I want an in-personal or virtual job; do I need a temporary position or a long term? Do I need any certifications to obtain the job I want, even down to asking yourself if you prefer a face-to-face job or a technical position? Determining what necessities matter most and the things you are willing to flex on will help you plan out vital elements of your Career Wish List goals.

Step 3: Identify preferred location, pay, and the environment – This last step is the icing on the cake to finishing a career wish list. All of which are areas that significantly impact someone’s enjoyment in a job. Seeing how much commute time is acceptable for you to drive to work? Or you may even need to note that you want a position close to where your children attend school for easy pickup? Remember to write all of your thoughts on your list, don’t worry now; if your list is too long or seems a bit much, keep taking note. Now let’s talk about money and identifying how much you need to make vs. want to make vs. what your experience says you are qualified to make. Money is a very complex topic but for the sake of this Career Wish list, focus on the minimum and maximum amount of pay you are willing to accept. Also, note the environment you work best in or prefer. You could write whether you like or dislike teams settings, or maybe you know you prefer individual projects. Write it all down!

To wrap up writing your Career wish list, be sure to reread, remove, or make changes to what you have and then reorder your list from most important to least important. A career wish list can and should be updated frequently depending on shifts in life and new career interests. I do mine personally every year. I close with this – the Holiday season is the perfect time of year to sit down and reevaluate your goals. Consider this activity a gift to yourself and in a year, check off the goals you achieved. Wishing you much success in your newfound Career Wish List!

Additional tips and many others are available through our online tutorials at wrksolutions.com in the online learning section. You also can visit your local Workforce Solutions Career office and receive a lot of outstanding services. Some services include job search assistance, career counseling, resume assistance, and many more.

Feel free to share your career wish list and the goals you have achieved in the comments section.

 Alexandra Howard is a new member of the Texas Gulf Coast Regional Navigator Team for Workforce Solutions. She will be collaborating with community partners in the Gulf Coast Region to educate and train employers, Workforce Solutions staff, and job seekers to assist in advancing company growth, career, and academic mobility. Alexandra has prior job experience in recruiting on behalf of the employer and candidates. Understanding the skillsets job seekers provide and the necessities of the employers aids in maintaining a successful Adult Education & Literacy Integration. She has a Bachelor of Business Administration from Sam Houston State University and is currently obtaining a Master of Public Administration from Texas Southern University.