What Is a “Career Ladder?” Let’s Explore…
April 9, 2012
When we hear the term “ladder” – I believe we all get the same word picture in our minds. A light bulb has burned out, and we need assistance to reach it, so out comes the ladder to complete the task!
A career ladder serves a similar purpose in our working lives. We often realize where we are today, and we may even know where we would like to end up. But have we identified the steps we need to take – in between – to get there?
Going up your career ladder, the key is to first know where you would like to get to. This makes it much easier to know where to step next. But with so MANY different types of career ladders (job or industry paths), the size of your ladder is based upon what you want out of your career! So it helps to know if you are even standing on the right kind of ladder for you.
Designing your personal career ladder starts out in a discovery phase, doing career exploration through self-assessments, job research or even job shadowing.
Career exploration activities and assessments will indicate which job roles and duties would be a great fit for you. Are you currently in one of these roles? Do you like it? Do you want to climb up that ladder to higher levels, or do you want to consider a different ladder? It’s your choice.
Once you know that you are on the right ladder or you want to change to a different one, then you should determine: “Which step am I standing on?” Are you on the very first rung with limited knowledge about your field, but with lots of room to grow? Or are you possibly on a higher step, with some experience which just needs to be sharpened? Using this process to plan out your career path will ensure your success in getting to your goal!
Need help? Contact your local Goodwill agency and sign up to attend free workshops on career exploration classes in your area!
Bren Moon
GoodProspectsSM
Program Project Manager
Phoenix, AZ
bren.moon@gwaz.org
