Career planning exercises 2020-2021 (CHEM-E0105)

When you don’t know what the future will bring, or when the path you thought you were on takes an unexpected turn, it makes sense to pursue a diverse portfolio of options. Stay active and cultivate knowledge, skills, resources, and relationships until you’ve got strong new legs to walk on in exploring your career.  

Self-reflection is a practice best nourished by talking out loud in social exchanges with people who respond, sympathize, question and share their own experiences. Just the simple act of creating and telling a story about what you want to do, or why you want a change, can clarify your thinking and propel you forward, by committing you publicly to making a change. But even that is hard in the current context of self-isolation and social distancing. Still, with a bit of initiative and creativity, you can find ways to explain yourself out loud — by scheduling walks that respect social distance, by working with others online, by creating a Zoom group that meets regularly to share plans.

An article by Herminia Ibarra, Professor of Organizational Behavior at London Business School