Are You Stuck In the Corporate Career Development?

Career development within a company is, of course, focused on the company. The company wants to know how you can you grow so that the company can get more from you. But what about your own desires and aspirations? 

The best companies out there will try and focus on your strengths, passion, interest, past experiences, and so on. They know that if they provide an environment where you can grow more and more into what you love to do, you’ll be motivated to produce, innovate, and motivate others to do the same. But still, even with these very intelligent organizations, thinking about your career development is somewhat constrained. 

You’ve probably had one of those career development talks with your manager. It’s great if a company that you work for cares about your development and not just about what you can deliver. You should definitely appreciate it. But you should see it as just one way to explore your career development options.

I remember taking to my manager about what kind of work I’d like to do. She listened, and then asked me, “OK, so what job title are you talking about here?” Like many in her position, she was trying to fit my dream into the company’s structure. Into the current company structure, to be precise. She didn’t even consider that I may be talking about something new that may not currently exist, but that I can create if there is a need. Have you heard of a “social media specialist” position ten years ago? No, of course not. And yet, it exists today.

What if you are a school teacher and you’d like to grow into a people development specialist? Can your company, in this case the school, help you get there? Or, imagine that a company hired you as a localization project manager and that you’d like to become a marketing consultant some day? You may think that these are rather strange examples. Believe me, they are real examples. Specifically, these are about my husband and me. And I have many more when I talk to my friends and family. For example one is about a software engineer dreaming about becoming a movie music writer. The career development discussions, tools, and opportunities that are available to you where you currently are may help you a little, but it’s very likely that they will not make your dream come true.

So, what’s the point? Go ahead and have all those career development talks with people around you. Look for opportunities that benefit both you and the company. But look outside as well. Find the ways to explore the possibilities, passions, and interests that you’ve never considered before. Connect with people who inspire you, follow your curiosity. Don’t be constrained by what your company has to offer.