What can you do in 2025 to support your goals?

Photo by Isaac Smith on Unsplash

Seven years ago, I did a career planning exercise that shifted the course of my career. It was so helpful that I like to revisit it every so often.

And what better time to share it than at the start of a new year!

The reason I like this exercise and why it’s so helpful for me is that it helps you visualize the big picture of what you want your life to be, and then helps you break down what you can do now to work towards that goal.

So let’s dive in. This exercise works well as a journaling exercise - I like to do it via pen and paper in my journal but you can also do it in a digital doc.

What do you want your life to look like in 10 years?

You wake up. It’s 2035. You’re (today’s age + 10). Yes, I know, that might be a hard age to think of. But it’s going to come whether you like it or not, so what do you want life to look like?

Where are you waking up? What kind of home do you live in? What type of neighborhood/town/area do you live in? Is there a specific city you want to be in?

Who are you waking up with? Do you have a spouse/partner? Children? Pets? Other?

What are you doing with your day? What are you contributing to the world? What’s your job or main focus or responsibility? Where do you go to do it? What does your day-to-day look like? What level of responsibility do you have? What’s your ideal industry? What problems are you solving?

What are you doing with the rest of your time? How are you contributing to your family, friends, and community? How are you adding joy or fun to your life? How are you relaxing or recharging?

What else is important to you? How are you continuing to learn and grow? What mark are you leaving? How do you want people to think of you?

Be really descriptive and specific. I find that the more detailed I am, the more real the visual feels, and the more excited I am to go after it.

What’s your big picture?

I love that this exercise doesn’t just focus on “what’s your goal job?” But also forces you to look at the rest of your life around that job. Or maybe the focus of your life in 10 years isn’t even your job. Because your life is more than just work! And often, your career goals impact the rest of your life - it can impact where you live or what you can afford to do with your free time. It can also impact how much time or energy you can devote to family.

Where do you need to be in 5 years?

So you have your vision for your life in 10 years.

Rewind 5 years.

What do you need to achieve to get there?

If your goal is to be the boss - what experiences do you need under your belt to become the boss? How will you create a situation where people will advocate for you to be a boss? Or if you are your own boss - where does your work come from? Do you have a network?

If your goal is a job that requires an advanced degree - have you finished the degree 5 years from now? Or started it? Or at least set yourself up to have a strong application?

If your goal is to have a family or to retire early - what financial milestones do you need to hit to support that lifestyle?

What can you do now to get there?

Now, think about the next steps. That big lofty 10-year vision might feel out of reach today (and it should if you’re dreaming big), but you can start putting the plan into place now. Think about what you can do in 2025 to put you on the path to that 5-year midpoint and the 10-year vision.

If you want to pivot to a new career path - start networking with people already in that career. Make a list of people you know and reach out to ask if they are open to a 15-minute conversation, or if they can introduce you to people working in your target career. Ask them about the necessary skills and experiences, and start learning the skills that you lack. Seek out those experiences where you can - in your current job, through volunteering or through your own projects.

If you want to be a leader in your industry - start talking to your boss or other leaders about the skills you need to get there. Put something in your 2025 goals that will help you develop as a leader. Speak up and ask for projects that align. Join industry groups and volunteer for leadership roles. Submit yourself as a speaker at conferences.

If you want to be in an advanced role that requires an advanced degree - start researching and applying for programs. Reach out to alumni of those programs and ask about their experiences and how the program helped them reach their goals. Take prerequisites if necessary.

Revisit as necessary

The first time I did this exercise was in December 2017. My goal was to be an expert in analytics. At the time, I was about a year into my first marketing analytics role - despite my title (Digital Analytics Manager), I had very little analytics training and a lot of skill gaps. This was making it hard to land a better role. I had a lot of imposter syndrome. I had been toying with the idea of doing a graduate program, and once I laid out where I wanted to be by 2027 (an expert), I realized I should be done with (or at least close to done with) a masters program by the midpoint (2022). And since I’d be doing a program part-time, I’d need to enroll … ASAP. Within six months (June 2018), I applied, was accepted, and started taking the first courses towards my MS in Data Science. In July 2019, while I was still working on my degree, I landed my current job with a 35% pay raise. In June 2022, I graduated with my masters degree. And over the past 5 years, my job has gotten more advanced, incorporating the data science methods I learned in my degree program.

Today:

• I’m a Data Scientist in tech

• I’m a conference speaker (so far I’ve presented at 2 conferences, I’ve spoken on 1 panel and moderated 2 others, and I’m already scheduled as a speaker for at least one conference in 2025 with hopefully more to come)

• I help organize two annual data events in my city (Women in Data Science Chicago and MeasureCamp Chicago)

• I’ve provided direct advice and mentorship to over 30 other current or aspiring data professionals over the past 3 years

• I’ve offered indirect advice and mentorship to thousands more via social media

And I’m still 3 years away from the deadline of my first 10-year vision.

But, I’ve already started thinking about resetting the clock and setting a new 10-year vision based on where I am today.

What about you? Let me know in the comments what you plan to do in 2025 to work towards your goals.