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Whether you want to be a district manager, business owner, or even the president of the United States, a career path will help you get there. No matter how realistic or ambitious your career goals might be, it’s important to define a career path first.
Defining a career path is a necessary part of achieving your career goals. They break down your end goal into smaller parts, which gives you achievable, concrete steps that guide you towards landing your dream job. Career paths also help you stay motivated and focused by eliminating wasted time spent on jobs that don’t align with your goals.
Let’s take a look at what career paths are, how to define a career path, and how to build a career.
What Is a Career Path?
Career paths map out the roles, skills, and experiences required to achieve your final career goal. In simple terms, a career path is a series of jobs and experiences that make up a career.
It’s common for career paths to change over time. They may change when you start working, gain a new interest, or achieve your final goal. It’s common for someone to change jobs along their career path, either from changing jobs within a company or moving to a new company, business, or industry.
No matter where you’re at in your career, it’s never too late to start down a new career path. Whether you’ve started down a path that’s not right for you or your goals have changed, you can still make a career change that aligns with your true aspirations.
Read our related guide to discover how to start a new career.
Sample Career Paths
Career paths can help you achieve a higher position within any company, industry, and job sector. They usually begin with an entry-level position, and they end once you’ve achieved your final career goal.
For example, if you want to become a doctor, you need to graduate from medical school, become a resident doctor, earn a specialization, and then finally become a senior-level physician.
Career paths are unique to you and your career goals. They break your career goal into a series of achievable steps, helping you stay focused and motivated while you work towards your final goal.
Read our related article to learn how to write a personal brand statement.
How Do You Find a Career Path? Understanding How to Define a Career Path and Build a Career
Defining a career path starts with outlining your goals. To do this, you can ask yourself questions that will help you identify what you want out of your career. Some of the questions that can help you define your career path include:
- What are your interests?
- What is your ideal work environment?
- How much money do you want to make?
- What are your strengths and weaknesses?
- What does an optimal work-life balance look like?
Once you’ve identified what you want out of a career, you need to find one that aligns with your aspirations. Explore job positions, companies, and industries that will help you achieve your final goals. Once you’ve found a job that’s right for you, you can start building your career.
Read our related article to discover how to set professional development goals.
How to Build a Career
Building a career starts with researching the position you want and identifying how to achieve it. Some careers require specific education, but some rely more on experience. To identify the requirements of the job position you want, you can look up job postings on LinkedIn, Indeed, and other online job boards.
As you’re working towards your career goals, it’s possible that your career path may change. You may learn about more job opportunities or discover that your original path isn’t a good fit. Sometimes, your education and experience will translate to your new path.
If you need additional skills and knowledge for your new career path, you can get microcredentials or continue your education through online classes.
Read our related article to discover the benefits of microcredentials.
REDC—Helping You Achieve Your Career Goals
REDC at Yavapai college offers the tools and resources that help you achieve your career goals. Our career development courses are online and self-paced, allowing you to get the education you need without having to sacrifice your busy schedule.
Are you unsure of your career goals? We provide a variety of career resources that help you with everything from finding the right career to connecting with potential employers.