Slashdot Mirror
Long-Term Career Plans for Programmers?
zeno_lee asks: "Over the weekend, I spoke to a successful man in his 50s. He works in finance, but has had jobs in construction, trucking, and accounting. All throughout he has had concrete goals and pursued them vigorously. In his 20s he set a goal to be an expert in his field in finance, and achieved it successfully. I'm in my 20s and he advised me to envision what I want to do when I'm in my 50s, set my priorities and goals, and achieve that vision. He mentioned that success (career wise) depends on carefully planned goals with a vision, not a haphazard obstacle course with no end in sight.
Beyond receiving a paycheck in the short term and steadily gaining expertise in my field, I have not given my long-term career any concrete thought. I don't have a vision of what I will be doing when I'm 50. Has anyone thought of their long-term career thoroughly and are working towards it? By this I don't mean the usual vague response 'I'll probably be in management one day.' I'm looking to hear from both junior 'careerists' in their 20s who have concrete goals, and the older folks in this field who have established careers and have an opinion about this."
I expect IT to become much more plug and run and that IT jobs will go the way of typewriter rapair jobs.
This is quite true. If you are in a fast-paced and relatively new field like programming, you'd better not make your plans too rigid. It's interesting that you mention "typewriter repair jobs" because I was actually going to use the now-defunct Smith Corona Typewriter company as an example of changing technology spoiling the best laid plans.
The person asking the Ask Slashdot question also states that he's "in his 20s". Are you 20 or 29? There's a huge difference. Are you married? Any kids? Not only will technology and the world around you change, but you are certainly going to change in the next 30 years. The goals I set for myself when I was 20-24 are certainly not what I consider my goals are now. And your future family might not be thrilled with your goals if they require 60 hour work weeks during your midlife.
It's nice to give some thought to your long term goals but I would be wary of making rigid plans 30 years down the line. The advice this finance guy gave you about how "success depends on setting long-term goals" sounds like something you'd read in an Anthony Robbins book (or inside a fortune cookie). Life is pretty complicated. You can't expect the secret to professional success to be captured in a single sentence. Be smart. Be able to work with people. Be flexible and adaptable. These suggestions, too, are no guarantee that professional success will come to you but it will help you a lot more than planing for the year 2030.
Good luck,
GMD
watch this
I have read, in the works of Steven Covey and the 7 Habits of Highly Effective whatevers, that you should try to envision yourself at your funeral, and picture what people are saying about you. Your children, coworkers, clergy, the guy from the donut shop, and so on.
It is from what these people say, summarizing your life and all the accomplishments therein, that you can glean precious kernels of wisdom that will help you focus your laser beam attention on whatever it is you wish most to have done.
That being said, I am afraid that I am at least as lost as you are. Frequently, I picture myself at that funeral, and all I can think of is a bunch of people saying "Boy, he just looks great (for a dead guy), doesn't he?"
But thats my problem, not yours. You need to figure out what you want. Then go for it. And if you don't know what you want, then just keep your nose in it and work hard. You know, ANYBODY who does a good job for 30 years at ANYTHING has no cause for shame.
www.avacal.com -- the home page of pete shaw
Most people in their 20's imagine that they will find a suitable life partner within the next few years (if they have not already done so), and start to settle down, have kids, buy homes, etc. That is a very noble plan, but if/when it does not happen then take advantage of the situation. Use the opportunity to achieve other goals (such as travel, save money, or whatever) so that when things do start to fall into place you're ready for the change.
I didn't get married until I was in my late 30's. This was not what I had originally planned, but I used the situation to my advantage and had a lot of fun traveling, etc. Now I'm in my 40's, have two young kids, adequate supply of money, and am very satisfied that I have already seen the world so to speak, so that I can concentrate on what's now important (my family). And I can make decisions driven by that priority (who needs to work like a dog for another promotion).
My point is that no matter what your plan is for life, you probably won't follow it exactly. Be flexible, and when something goes wrong use it as an opportunity.