Your Career Map

When it comes to career guidance I recommend creating a career map, not directions. Directions assume there is one best path to follow and that there is only one desired end destination. These days it’s rare for a person to stay in a single area or job role for their entire career. And there’s not usually only one job that leads to some singular next job. Careers take multiple shapes, have overlapping transferable skills, and can take us to exciting new places we had never planned. This is why linear or structured career maps often fall short.

For this reason, I recommend building a career map that can serve as a guide to all the areas of possibility you could explore. And, I strongly recommend against creating any form of career based solely on job titles. Instead, create a map based on your areas of interest. This approach does allow you to include jobs that might appeal to you, but also projects, growth opportunities, and networking connections that align with your career interests in a more holistic and natural way.

My favorite way to map out possible career paths is using a mindmap. A mindmap is a type of diagram that shows non-linear relationships among many different items. In a mindmap, you visually show many concepts all linked to, or arranged around, a central concept. In this case, you and your career will be at the center. A mindmap isn’t about providing step-by-step directions. It’s about visualizing the myriad possibilities and staying open to new paths and opportunities.

Each branch represents a potential direction, not a fixed route. This approach helps you remain flexible and open to various ways of looking at your career journey, encouraging exploration and growth in alignment with your evolving interests and goals. And, remember, there’s usually a way to draw lines from one area in your map to another – making even more paths and showing that there are fewer boundaries than you might think.

Map your many possible paths:

1. You at the center. For this exercise, grab some paper and writing utensils, or use an online tool (you’ll find mindmapping tools available online, or templates in collaboration tools like miro.com). Draw a circle in the middle; this circle represents you. Write your name, initials, or even a cute little drawing of yourself, and add a small amount of text indicating your current career situation. You might simply write your current job title, or that you are a student. You might indicate that you are seeking a job or happy in your current role. Keep it short and simple, this is just to give you a starting point. Think of this as the “You are here” marker on your map.
2. Brainstorm. Now, it’s time to get creative! Mindmapping is most often used as a brainstorming technique and that’s how you should approach this next step. To brainstorm means to simply try to come up with as many different and creative things you can think of.
   • In the space around you (the center circle), draw circles and write in the things you are interested in. Start by listing any and everything you can think of that you found yourself interested in as you worked through this career guide. These might be skills, types of job roles, areas where you might want to work, activities or people analytics applications you would like to try. You can even get creative and list people you admire, words that inspire you, or draw images and pictures that resonate with your career goals. Don’t overthink, just let your thoughts flow.
   • As you add these circles, keep space between them on the map so that you have room to add more later.
3. Map it.
   1. Draw a line between you at the center circle and any items that apply today. For example, if you listed the job field in which you currently work in one of your circles, draw a line between you and that circle. This shows you where you are already connected to your areas of interest.
   2. Using a different color or style of line, draw a line between any items that are connected (for example, if certain skills are linked to a type of job, you might see lines drawn between those items). You will likely have some items that are linked to multiple items; don’t worry if it gets messy, this is about creative thinking, not making a pretty picture.
4. Future-ize it.
   • In the space next to your career interest circles, use a new shape or plain text and add ways you can strengthen the connections in your map. These could be the development opportunities you have identified in this section of the guide. It can be jobs that would help you build the experience needed to connect you from your current role to a different one listed on your map. You can even list specific ways you identified for developing your skills earlier (e.g., a class you would take or a book you could read). You can even list a place you might go to for more information or to network with people on the topic.
   • It’s okay if some of the things you think of are already on your map in another location, you don’t need to write them twice. This isn’t about precision. This is about adding items that are action-oriented that could help you move from one area of your map to another.
5. Analyze it.
6. Update, edit, or organize as desired. Congratulations you have a map! It won’t look like a well-structured geography map, but it should give you a rough sense of where you are relative to your interests and show you the many places you can explore. Think of it like a whimsical map to an amusement park. It won’t tell you where to go, but it will show you where all the fun places are. With that in mind, take a moment to review your map. Are there things that are missing? Things you’d like to remove? Maybe you’d like to rearrange how close or far apart certain things are? Since you used a lot of brainstorming to come up with it, I recommend treating your first attempt at a career mindmap as only a rough draft. Take time now to update, edit, or organize as needed.
   • Order (optional): There are planners and there are those who like to go with the flow. If you don’t like being confined to a strict plan for your future, the mindmap might be all you need. But, some people love to plan and can’t have fun without it. These are the people who go on vacation and know exactly where they’re headed, how much time to spend at all the sights, and don’t want to just ‘figure it out when I get there.’ If you are a planner, the mindmap might feel too loose for you. To fix that, just add a little more structure. You can add arrows, numbers, or a color-coding system to indicate the order or importance of different areas and skills. You can label key items with actionable terms like “quick wins” (easily achievable) or “high impact” (for ones that align with multiple areas or can accelerate your career faster).

With your edited map in hand, you now have a unique visual that can be used to remind you of all the exciting and inspiring areas that are possible in your people analytics career journey. Save a copy of your career map, refer to it often, and look at it at times when you need a little jolt of inspiration.