When deciding what you want from your career, it’s important to think things through. You spend far too much time at work to be in a career that doesn’t meet your skill sets or that you don’t enjoy.

Brainstorming is a great way of ensuring that your natural and academic skill sets meet your career path.  This will ensure a happy and successful working life.

Here’s how to start your brainstorm:

1) Make sure you have a pen and paper to write down your notes.

2) Write down what motivates you to achieve and what you enjoy the most about your current job.

3) What are your natural talents?  How could you use these to achieve within a work environment?

4) What’s your perfect job?  Be realistic with yourself: there’s no point wanting to be a pop star if you haven’t got a good singing voice.

5) Which parts of your current job do you dislike, and why?  What would you want to have instead?

6) Evaluate your skill set and educational attributes.  How do these square with your dream job?  Can you compromise to find a job where your skill set and your dream coincide?

7) What position would you like to retire within and what package would you like to be on?

8) What steps in both professional and academic development do you need to achieve your goals?