Where do you see yourself in five years? I’ve always struggled with this question. I generally want to gain more knowledge and skill and feel fulfilled in my work. But I have never had a career development plan. This has resulted in me remaining in jobs I have outgrown for longer than I would have liked.

Jobs are like relationships, some people are always looking for a replacement, some have multiple at the same time, and some endure for a long time. We all have individual relationships with our work and career development looks different for different people. Career development does not always mean promotion or changing jobs, it can mean taking on new challenges in our existing roles or increasing our skillset. 

Early on in my career a consultant suggested I was 'wasted' as a nurse and should progress my career and train to become a doctor. I was happy with my choice of profession and was a little insulted as their suggestion seemed to expose a view that nurses were 'less' than doctors. However, I'm probably being harsh, she came from a family of medics and struggled to see why anyone wouldn't want to be a doctor! I’ve had similar conversations with nursing support workers about becoming registered nurses. But have recognised there are multiple ways of progressing a career which doesn’t necessitate a change in profession.

Our view of what we consider career success is personal. One of my friends won’t take a job unless there is a clear trajectory for promotion. Another friend sees career development as earning more money.I enjoy being able to eat and pay bills, so salary is important. I have been promoted, but I’ve not sought promotion for the sake of a promotion. Our priorities and approaches are different and none of us are wrong, we do what works for us.

There should be opportunities for people to develop in their roles. This could mean taking on additional responsibilities, a project or some additional training. Conversations about how people want to develop in their career are important and should include role aspirations and the support available for people to achieve their goals.

Dumping undesirable work on people and badging it as a ‘learning opportunity’ isn’t the same as career development. My mum worked as a shop assistant for a large high street retailer. When a customer wanted a refund, staff would press a doorbell on the counter, and the refund key holder would rush to attend.Having been there for years, she was asked to take the responsibility for the ‘refund key’; she declined. I didn’t understand - why wouldn’t she want to receive the honour of a refund key like an Oscar and don a cape and fly to the aid of a refund requester? Apparently, the refusal was because she wasn’t "one of Pavlov’s dogs". Fair enough!

Engaging actively in personal development reviews is a good way of starting to think about how we develop our careers and remain fulfilled in our work and identify opportunities for progression. Considering what our skills are and where we can grow these as well as what we enjoy doing can help us to formulate our career plan. Finding out what opportunities are available to aid our development, as well as talking to our managers about creating opportunities for us to grow skills, knowledge and experience can also be helpful.

Career coaching is a great way to explore where we are now and where we want to be. RCN members can access free career coaching to gain greater self-awareness; identify career goals and the steps we need to take to achieve them.

Further information can be found here: Career Coaching | RCN Career resources | Royal College of Nursing.