Unit 1 The Road Ahead
Start Connecting Your Dots Today
“What do you want to do in the future?”
Parents and teachers ask students this question all the time.
But how many students actually know what they want to do in the future?
Many students are either unsure of what they know or confused about how to find the right career.
The following may help students discover a new way to look at themselves and design a path for their future.
Discover Yourself
It’s hard to climb a mountain without preparation, and designing a career path requires preparation too.
Begin your career map by taking a blank piece of paper and drawing some dots on it.
These dots will be a representation of who you are at this moment in time, so make as many dots as you can.
Write one or two words to describe one aspect of yourself next to each dot.
Awards, certifications, and courses taken at school are great places to start.
You can also think about your past and present achievements, interests, and strengths.
Parents, teachers, friends, and others you trust can also provide insight into you that you may not have noticed.
If you think it describes you, write it down as a new dot.
Hopefully doing this exercise will show you that there’s more to being you than you may have thought.
Examine Your Resources
Now, take a step back and look at your dots.
A good idea at this stage is to start categorizing your dots.
Do you see any patterns emerging?
For example, you might have several dots that highlight scientific skills or maybe some dots that point to creativity.
These patterns may point to something that is meaningful to you.
Another perspective is to look at what is missing from your map, which you can call “gaps.”
For example, you may feel that you need some work on mathematics or a foreign language.
At such a young age, you probably don’t have certain skills:
your technical knowledge might be at a beginner level, or your physical conditioning might need work.
Noticing these gaps will help you in the next steps of your map.
Set Up Goals
By comparing your strengths and weaknesses, or the dots and the gaps, your map should show you what you possess and what you need to work on.
Now, think of a long-term goal, like becoming a musician.
Your goal doesn’t have to be realistic;
remember that the purpose of having the goal clearly written is to map out a way to get there.
Understanding where you want to go is an important step, so the next step is laying out a plan to push on to that goal.
Fill in the Gaps
To reach your goal of becoming a musician, you need to fillin the gaps between the dots to create a path toward your goal.
Do you need to work on voice techniques or set up a personal website to promote yourself first?
You can plan other paths by researching what essential skills, training or education, or type of personality you may need to achieve a particular goal.
Talking to or shadowing people considered to be successful is a great way to learn about a specific profession too.
As you fill in each gap with a new dot, you can decide what to do next.
Each path is unique and has different challenges.
Take the Next Steps
Now, instead of aimlessly trying random things, you can look at your map to see what to do next.
Just look for a gap to fill.
Deciding which gap to fill is up to you, but your dot map should show you that whatever you choose, you will be moving toward your goal.
There is no need to rush anything though.
Take your time filling the gaps.
Since you’ve designed your own map, each gap you fill and dot you make “levels you up.”
If you’ve made it this far, you probably realize some dots will take time to complete, and other dots will take great effort.
No one knows what kind of person you will be five or ten years down the road, so each investment you make in yourself now will grow into expertise and experience in the future.
The dots are a way to see yourself in the present and then imagine yourself in as many futures as you can.
It’s up to you to start connecting your dots now.
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