Some careers just happen. People leave one job for another when they’re offered a promotion, or a new opportunity comes their way. They take a new position based on a pay increase, new management opportunities, or because they like the project they’ll be working on. Do that three or four times, and you’ve built a career.
Many people don’t think about their career paths or what they need to do to ensure they’ll have the skills tomorrow’s jobs require. But technology professionals don’t have that luxury.
YOU DON’T HAVE TO PREDICT THE FUTURE TO PLAN FOR IT.
No one can see the future. There are no crystal balls for career planning. So how are you supposed to know what skills you’ll need in five years? Ten? Twenty?
Just because you can’t predict the future doesn’t mean you can’t teach yourself how to identify shifting trends and emerging technologies. And it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t prepare by learning the right new skills. This short guide will show you how to think about your career for the long term. It includes ideas about what to look for and how to take advantage of changing technology to keep your skill set relevant for the future. Most importantly, it shows you how to think deliberately about each step in your career.