Skip to main content
Social Sci LibreTexts

1.6: Developing Your Personal and Career Vision

  • Page ID
    152192
  • \( \newcommand{\vecs}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \) \( \newcommand{\vecd}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash {#1}}} \)\(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)\(\newcommand{\AA}{\unicode[.8,0]{x212B}}\)

    Where do you see yourself in the next 5, 10, 15, 20+ years? What path do you want to pursue? Each of you has your own thoughts and ideas about your future. Some thoughts may be clear while others may be fuzzy, and some are somewhere in between. Regardless of the level of clarity you have at this time, take a moment to visualize where you see yourself in the next 5 to 20 years. Start thinking about:

    • What kind of work will be meaningful to you and allow you to feel a sense of accomplishment at the end of the day?
    • What level of responsibility do you plan to hold?
    • What type of work environment will energize you and give you a sense of purpose?

    As you begin self-exploration in the next section of this text, begin painting the picture of your career vision in your mind. Before the end of the semester, your mental image will be drafted into a career vision statement.

    Career vision statements are powerful and meaningful when paired with career exploration. Creating a vision statement may take several attempts and rewrites until you identify fully with your career vision statement (Martinez & Shaker, 2021). Listed below are examples of career vision statements to help you brainstorm. You will have the opportunity to draft your personal career vision statement in this class.

    Career Vision Statement Example #1:

    “I will become a well-known and respected leader in the food industry revitalizing the ways food is produced and marketed, making healthier products to help people live better lives.”

    Career Vision Statement Example #2:

    “I will provide the best technical support and customer service to our clients, helping improve their business and lives, striving to solve problems with a positive attitude that spreads to my co-workers.”

    For more information on creating your career vision, please visit: Career Vision LiveCareer.com [www.livecareer.com]

    Each phase of the career exploration process delineated in this text will help you refine and solidify your Career Vision Statement by the end of this course. Enjoy the process!

    Activity 1.4
    Creating My Career and Life Planning Vision Statement

    As you begin Phase 1 of the career exploration process by answering the question “Who Am I?,” you can start thinking about your personal and career vision. Where do you see yourself in the next few years? What accomplishments do you wish to achieve in your personal and professional life?

    Where do you see yourself in five years….

    Where do you see yourself in ten years….

    Where do you see yourself in twenty years….

    What will your ideal career look like?

    What kind of work is meaningful to you?

    What level of responsibility do you desire (worker, manager, executive)?

    What type of work environment will energize you and give you a sense of purpose?

    Reflect on your responses above and develop a draft of your career vision statement here:______________________________________________________________________

    __________________________________________________________________________

    __________________________________________________________________________

    __________________________________________________________________________


    1.6: Developing Your Personal and Career Vision is shared under a CC BY 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Heather Burns & Elfi Hoskins.