Have you ever thought this to yourself? I certainly have!! After a few years into my career, I began thinking, what’s next?!

In speaking to my friends, I felt a great sense of relief that I was not the only one having these thoughts. For the first 22 years, your life is blocked into specific time increments.

• Elementary school
• Junior High
• Highschool
• College

After college graduation, life is what you make it. Thankfully, if you have the drive and willpower, it is possible to achieve your dream career. But remember millennials (aka me), this does NOT happen overnight. Getting to the executive level takes years and years of behind the scenes work, where you are not praised daily. I am 2 years into my career, and have had a fabulous experience thus far.

Things to consider

• Is this the career path I want to be on?
• Do I want my boss’s job?
• What am I working towards?

It’s easier for me to set a goal for an executive level position than to figure out the steps I should take to get there. The reason for this is because there isn’t one path that will lead to those roles. Instead, there are many routes one can take. Knowing that whichever route I’m on, necessary experience will be gained, is rather comforting. It is imperative to have a great reputation within the industry/company and to make strong connections throughout your career, as well as speak to your skills and show what you know. More on that here.

Advice to myself:

Stop stressing out and slow down. Immediacy isn’t always a good thing. It is better to stay at the assistant level longer than be promoted too quickly. If you are a couple years in, and realize you no longer want the position of those above you, it is probably time to move on. Always have a sense of what positions are available in the market, even if you aren’t looking to move. Never stop networking because those connections may think of your name when a position opens within their company. Lastly, constantly update your resume so that if an interview opportunity arises, you’ll be ready. Keep up the hard work, and things will fall into place!!