It’s okay to want a career plan

Hello, lovely person. It’s today. We’re going to talk about career plans, but first take a second to remember you’re alive: breathe in, then out.

You are a person before you are a title. Whatever you do (or did) for a living, wherever you volunteer, whatever organization benefits from your time … remember that.

You breathe in. And out. You eat, sleep, laugh, itch, and learn. And you care.

Sometimes, in the social impact world, we put “care” first. Specifically, we put “care for others” first, and we put it ahead of the eating and sleeping and laughing. That’s noble, but it’s not always good.

You create your future every day

People aren’t often encouraged to think about their careers in the nonprofit sector. The dynamics of ambition are messy for a million different reasons (some legit, some not).

At the same time, everyone worries about the future sometimes. Even when we love what we do, we all wonder occasionally if we are making the right career choices.

If we talked about this more often, those worries and questions might provoke less shame and anxiety.

So today, you’re invited to think about yourself.

Don’t think about what your organization needs or what you believe the world expects from you. Think about the activities and environments that light you up. Think about the experiences and opportunities that would help you grow.

What is my job on the planet? What is it that needs doing, that I know something about, that probably won’t happen unless I take responsibility for it?

― Buckminster Fuller

You deserve a career plan (and here’s where to start)

No matter how old you are, how often you work (if at all), or what stage you’re at in your career, you deserve a plan. If you aren’t sure where to start, Stacey Abrams created a roadmap. Her exercises explore topics like:

• Ambition
• Fighting Fear and Otherness
• Building Your Own Board of Advisors
• Money Matters
• Handling Mistakes
• Winning at Work-Life Jenga

Pick one of the topics that speaks to you and answer the questions. Even if you don’t write them down or make a spreadsheet, just spend a minute or two this week constructing a vision of your future. It’s incredible what a difference a few minutes can make.

Dreaming is a service to yourself and others

Let’s be honest — you are probably one of those people who put other people’s needs ahead of your own. Planning for your own career may feel uncomfortable, even selfish. It’s not.

The nonprofit sector needs people who are willing to push boundaries and who expect respect. The sector needs people are willing to dream, make plans, and demand more from the world. In fact, the whole darn world needs more people who are both ambitious and driven by a sense of service.

If taking 10 minutes to focus on your future feels selfish, then don’t do it for yourself. Do it for the colleagues who will get to work with the best version of you. Do it for the people who will benefit from your work. Do it, knowing that there are others following in your footsteps. Think of the good you can do.