I was just at the gym and heard an analogy that made sense to me: a career is like a marathon.  It’s long, it’s hilly and it requires a lot of training.  The marathon route can take a left or a right but it doesn’t end until the finish line.  Clearly someone is going to win but I think anyone who can complete a marathon is a winner.

Most people don’t just show up and run the marathon without a lot of training and planning.  A career is much the same: you need to figure out your end goal (your dream job 2-3 years out) and then figure out how you will get there.  What skills will you need?  What experiences will be required?  What first steps can you take to develop those skills and acquire those experiences? 

One of our clients wants to get into sports marketing.  He has some experience with events planning and the education he will need.   He certainly has the desire and knowledge but the one thing he doesn’t have is a proven track record of professional work experience.  And in this environment, he is finding that to be more difficult that he thought.  He is now trying to get a job with a high end health club in marketing and hopes to help run their golf tournaments. 

Was that his first choice?  Of course not.  But, like the marathon, there are hills (the economy) and twists and turns but there is only one finish line.  And he will get there.