4 Steps to Career Success and Fulfilling That Longtime Dream
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When did you know?
"When I caught that pass and realized that I was about to score a touchdown, that is when I knew. I have replayed this scenario numerous times since the time I was a kid playing in my front yard. Now I am in the Super Bowl and it is happening."
A Hall of Fame pro football player was recounting his childhood dream and how it all came true.
What were your childhood dreams?
When we were all kids, we all had dreams of being "something." We were very clear when someone asked us about it.
As we progressed through school, those career goals sometimes changed. When we entered college, we were (in some ways) forced to choose a career.
When my kids were in college, I heard many stories of people changing their major numerous times. Sometimes, those choices would severely limit their market potential. In a lot of cases, they were mandated to make that choice in order to graduate.
What I found amazing with this football story is that this person kept that dream alive. I am also sure that he had days of doubt and wondered whether he would ever really make it.
Fulfilling that dream
Human Resources is a field that is now coming into its own. Colleges are offering not only a major in HR, but also in things like Organizational Development, HR Analytics, and other related fields. I find this a win-win for the profession, because so many of my colleagues got into HR by chance and did not have a college major in HR or credentials behind them.
My transition was through training and development before the head of HR at the company I was working for coaxed me to move into HR proper. My big moment came when I was asked to speak to a local HR group on talent management. I did not feel qualified but jumped at the opportunity. I had only been in HR for about four years and there I was, giving a speech.
When that speech ended, I had a line of people wanting to meet me, ask advice, give me business cards. As I walked out of the door and back to work, I knew then that I had hit my sweet spot. I LOVED this thing called HR.
4 steps to career success
There were four things that made me realize that this was my sweet spot: