December 2024 - Amy | Human potential platform
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Month: December 2024

What is a Career Plan and How to Create One?

Posted on by by Nataliya Melnyk, Marketer at Amy

Have you ever had a goal that you were excited about but somehow never reached? We have all been there. Setting goals is the easy part. Achieving them? That is where many get stuck. The reason might not be a lack of effort but a lack of planning. Without a clear plan, goals often stay just like that: ideas in our heads. With a plan, you get structure by breaking big goals into small, actionable steps. You stay focused and resistant to distractions. You tackle challenges. 

If struggling with procrastination and missed chances seems familiar, think of a career plan. Yet another argument to create one is when you regularly underestimate what it takes to succeed. In the article, we will find out how to achieve a desired career path as an employee. As a manager, learn about your part in the article’s final section.

What is a career plan?

A career plan is a roadmap that outlines your professional goals with the steps to achieve them. To move forward with goals, you define a timeline and build up the right skills along the way. With a career plan, you know where to start, stay on track, and measure progress. 

Why a career plan is so important?

Mapped-out targets bring clarity, drive growth, and motivate by uncovering opportunities and skills needed down the line. Here, purpose and achievements are not only in mind, but they are visible.

5 steps to create a career plan

Reflections on current status and future career

1. Self-assessment

Asking yourself questions is present at every stage of creating a career plan, but the following are essential to begin with:

  • What are my life and work values, interests, and aspirations? What work format do I prefer? 
    Recommended assessment on the Amy human potential platform: Your Work Values and Your Life Values to go through core groups.
  • What are my strengths and weaknesses?
    Recommended assessment on the Amy human potential platform: Personal SWOT Analysis to clarify your talents and growth areas in addition to opportunities and threats for your role.

2. Goals

Set SMART career goals. SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound:

  • Short-term: Learn a new tool relevant to your job in 2 months.  
  • Long-term: Transition to a managerial role within 5 years.  

The questions for you to outline aims are:

  • Where do I see myself in half a year or 1 year for short-term goals? In 5 years for long-term goals?
    Recommended assessment on the Amy human potential platform: Career Pathway Reflections to define a clear picture of where you want to be in 5 or 10 years from a career perspective. 
  • What resources do I need to achieve these goals?  

3. Research

Take a closer look at potential roles, projects, or industries that appeal to you and fit your goals. Dive into the specifics of various fields, discover emerging trends, and consider how different roles or projects can help you grow professionally. The more you explore, the clearer your career path will become. 

4. Skill development

Consider your expertise and identify skill gaps. 

  • What skills do I use most of all?
  • What skills do I wish to use more? What to gain? 
  • What skills do my desired roles require?  
  • How do my current skills compare?  
    Recommended assessment on the Amy human potential platform: Skills Gap Analysis and Skills Development Plan to review what capabilities you already own and what you expect. 
A picture of working on a career plan

Action plan

5. Mapping a career path

Mapping a career path is the final step in crafting a career plan and means not just knowing where you want to go but also understanding how to get there. You create a framework for action and long-term growth.

Sample of a career plan

Let’s take Mike, a software engineer, as an example of how goals can be divided into steps that fit aspirations.

  1. Break goals into actionable steps. Instead of aiming broadly for a senior role or a management position, focus on smaller, specific tasks that will lead you there.

Mike aims to become a senior software engineer, that’s why manageable pieces for his goal are:

  • Contribute to more complex projects within the team.
  • Mentor junior developers to build leadership capabilities.
  • Learn advanced skills like designing scalable systems.

For these steps, Mike needs to add:

  • Resources: Access to online courses on Coursera. Websites like LeetCode and Codewars for practicing coding challenges. Development environment: PyCharm, Git, and AWS. Guidance from a career coach, senior developers, or mentors to gain insights on skills improvement and career progression. 
  • Success criteria: Completing courses. Moving into a more senior role. Receiving positive feedback from managers on improved performance and leadership.
  • Barriers (if any): Balancing work and upskilling.
  1. Incorporate strengths, skills, and opportunities. Revisit the skills and opportunities you identified earlier. This is where you connect what you have with what you need. Focusing on building your skills while actively seeking opportunities ensures you are applying your learning.
  • List the skills you already have: Mike is proficient in Python and Celery.
  • Identify gaps: His target role requires cloud computing knowledge and leadership experience, so Mike makes those areas a priority.
  • Align your learning with real-world opportunities: Mike should enroll in an AWS certification program to build cloud expertise and volunteer to lead a small project within his current team.
  1. Create a timeline for your milestones. A timeline adds structure to your plan and helps you stay on track. Start by listing your goals and assigning realistic deadlines to each milestone. Review and update your plan when you face unexpected challenges and progress.

Mike’s timeline looks as follows:

  • Month 1–2: Learn FastAPI and build a small personal project.
  • Month 3–6: Contribute to an open-source project using FastAPI.
  • Month 7–12: Lead a small team project to showcase leadership skills.
  • Year 2: Apply for senior roles while continuing to grow in cloud computing knowledge.
A picture of career plan drafting

Evaluation to make your plan work for you

  • Use career mapping tools like progress charts to visualize your career path.
  • Share your plan with a manager, mentor, or a close person to hold you accountable.
  • Schedule regular check-ins to evaluate your progress.  
  • Be ready to tweak your plan as new opportunities arise.
  • Recognize your wins, big or small, to stay motivated. 

Common challenges and how to overcome them 

  • Lack of clarity: Use self-assessment tools or career coach guidance to sharpen your direction. Career coaching empowers you to get started on the right foot and gain confidence. With a career coach, you can create a solid career roadmap and overcome obstacles when hesitant. 
  • Fear of change: Start small with manageable steps, as big ones may feel overwhelming.
  • Balancing work and goals: Use time management techniques, such as blocking dedicated time for self-development.  
  • Stagnation: Seek new challenges or roles within your organization.  

How an HR and L&D manager can assist

  1. Use self-assessment surveys and platforms for employees, like the Amy human potential platform, to identify their career drivers.  
  2. Prepare Individual Development Plans (IDPs) that include short-term and long-term goals your employees target. Align employee’s goals with organizational objectives in the plan. 
  3. Map out career pathways and career ladders within departments based on employees’ desired roles and skills. Provide resources such as role transition guides, job shadowing, and rotational programs.
  4. Promote cross-departmental collaborations. Create mentoring programs and peer learning initiatives. Offer internal training programs and online courses. An L&D team might launch leadership training for mid-level managers aiming for executive roles.   
    Nearly 59% of employees claim they had no workplace training and that most of their skills were self-taught. 85% of employees want to choose training times that fit their schedule. That’s exactly what Amy offers—customized programs that cover microlearning for flexibility, tailored assessments for diverse needs, and on-demand support for teams.
  5. Schedule regular check-ins and annual career discussions. Use performance reviews to adjust career plans. Give constructive feedback to guide employees toward their goals. 
A picture of managers and career planning

If you face low employee engagement in career planning, you can introduce microlearning and career planning tools to boost participation. As an L&D manager, you might use data from learning platforms like Amy to suggest personalized learning paths for employees.

Turn goals into reality with Amy

Goals need structure to come to life. Otherwise, they often stay out of reach or in the ‘maybe someday’ pile. A defined, thorough career plan benefits both individuals and organizations. For employees, it provides clarity and purpose. For managers, it promotes a supportive environment where talent can thrive. While employees take ownership of their aspirations, HR and L&D managers give tools and resources to turn those aspirations into achievements.  

Start by reflecting on where you are now and where you want to be. The first step will set you on the path to big accomplishments. And Amy, as a human potential platform, is here for you to ease this path.

How a Career Coach Can Help You Smoothly Navigate Your Career Transition

Posted on by by Mariia Shevchenko, CEO at Amy

Thinking about a career change but not sure how to take a step forward? Wondering if it is too late to start fresh in a different field? Career transition marks growth but also brings challenges. You adjust to new roles and build new skills. With career coaching, you can smoothly navigate career changes and get the guidance to confidently move toward a path that is right for you. Whether a career change at 30 or a career change at 40 and beyond, all is achievable. 

How about we explore what career transition looks like, why it can be challenging, and how working with a career coach could help build the bridge between where you are and where you want to be? 

Career change types: role, position, or job?

Career change is not always about starting from scratch. Career transitions vary from subtle shifts to bold moves into entirely new industries:

  • A job switch involves a minimal change in the role but a new employer or self-employed model: from a sales specialist at a mid-size company to a sales specialist at a large company.
  • A career change involves a new industry or field of work: from an accountant to an event manager or from a nurse to a real estate agent. 
  • A role change within the same industry lies between the two—offering growth and variety without leaving the sector: a chef becomes a restaurant manager at the same restaurant. 

When in doubt, you can evaluate your desire for a career change in a domain or role with the Domain vs Role Change exercise. 

domain vs role change assessment

As a result of the exercise, you will be confident in the level of change you want to make: to go for a completely different domain or finetune your responsibilities within the current role. No matter the scale of your change, career transition is still a nut to crack. 

Challenges of career change

When you take the leap to a whole new career, you may doubt your experience or don’t know what careers exist on the job market. Career change in your 30s may come with financial uncertainties and imposter syndrome. Career change in your 40s or 50s brings family dependencies and a steep learning curve for new skills. Both aren’t easy:

  • Responsibilities and financials. The challenge is to continue to commit to responsibilities, like paying the bills and caring for loved ones. Ensuring you meet basic life necessities, such as housing, food, and healthcare, is key while transitioning careers. Otherwise, career change feels risky to pivot.
    How to handle:
    • Build a financial cushion before leaving your current job. Save at least 6 months’ worth of living expenses to weather potential gaps in income. You can search for part-time opportunities or freelancing in your new field to ease the career transition while keeping a steady income. 
    • Discuss plans with your family to create a shared strategy for managing duties.
    • Create a plan with small, actionable steps to progress at your own pace.
  • Skills, learning, and time bound. Switching careers usually requires new training or certifications and dedicated time for those during evenings or weekends.
    How to handle: The answer is mapping your transferable skills and skills to gain to a career plan. Learning better advances if specifying time blocks. For example, 30 minutes a day to boost programming language. The time blocks approach applies to various areas to keep a healthy work-life balance.

  • Finding the right fit. Between work, family, and other activities, research and planning can be overwhelming. Searching for open job opportunities, applying for them, and going through cycles of interviews for a new role takes time and patience. But persistence means a lot.
    How to handle: 
    • Identify what you want in a role—flexibility, creativity, or impact. If you leave a job without knowing what to do next, test the waters with internships and volunteering to find an occupation that resonates with you. 
    • View and use rejections (if any) only as a means of feedback to refine your approach and strengthen your candidacy. 
  • I am a “beginner” again. Fear of starting over can hold you back.
    How to handle:     Treat this stage as an opportunity to learn and grow. You don’t erase your past—you build experience and credibility. For more confidence, seek mentorship from someone who has successfully navigated a similar path.

Navigating career change on your own vs. with a career coach

Going through a career change alone seems tempting—after all, no one knows your life better than you, right? But let’s compare the two paths:

coaching approaches comparison

Working with a career coach

The image of a career coach at Amy

“Why go through a career transition alone? As a career coach, I’ve seen how overwhelming and isolating this process can be. Whether you’re moving from employment to entrepreneurship, transitioning back into the workforce, or simply shifting into a new role, guidance can make all the difference.

Coaching provides a safe space to:

  • Clarify your goals and strengths
  • Overcome doubts and skill gaps
  • Strategically position yourself for success

Through my experience helping clients navigate career transitions, I’ve learned that having a structured, supportive approach accelerates success and builds confidence. Don’t let uncertainty hold you back—take the leap with the right tools and support to ensure a smooth and rewarding transition.”

Jane Klymenko, a career expert at Amy with 10+ years of coaching experience and the main area of expertise in Work-Life Balance

Standing at a crossroads with too many signs pointing in every direction—that is how career change, in most cases, feels. And that is where a career coach comes in to help you figure out the path right for you and make your career transition smoother.

Action plan for career change with a coach 

  1. Assessment. A career coach defines why you are looking for a change and your challenges. They outline values, goals, and skills transferable from previous work experience. This way, you don’t have to second-guess. You have a clear starting point. 
  2. Roadmap. Whether switching industries, chasing a leadership role, or starting fresh, a career coach creates a roadmap for you. Imagine GPS, but for your career. The roadmap often comes as an actionable career plan to track progress and results. You have measurable steps and resources needed.
  3. Preparation. Beyond identifying the career paths and opportunities that align with you, a career coach equips you with a well-structured resume, interview preparation, job search strategies and sources, and networking approaches.
  4. Support. Ever feel like you’re stuck in your head, going in circles? A coach keeps you on track, offering encouragement and boosting confidence. You aren’t doing this alone.

With a career coach by your side, navigating career change becomes less about fear and more about certainty. Besides, career coaches offer insights you might overlook, helping you spot opportunities and avoid pitfalls.

Success story at Amy: from software engineer to product manager

Background

Jake worked as a software engineer for a mid-sized tech company but wanted to transition into product management. While he had technical expertise, he lacked direct experience managing products and leading cross-functional teams. His dream was to work in a dynamic environment where he could bridge the gap between technology and customer needs.

Challenges

Jake faced several uncertainties and obstacles during his career transition:

  • Confidence in his abilities: He doubted whether his technical background was sufficient to position himself as a product manager.
  • Skill gaps: Jake struggled to identify which skills from his engineering role were transferable and which new skills he needed to develop.
  • Networking and positioning: He was unsure how to build relationships in the product management field and effectively communicate his value during interviews.
  • Additionally, Jake encountered challenges with managing self-doubt, setting realistic timelines, and navigating the overwhelming number of resources available for career changers.

Results of working with a career coach

A career coach helped Jake tackle his challenges step-by-step:

  • Clarifying his unique value: identified the technical skills, problem-solving abilities, and customer focus from his engineering role that would be valuable as a product manager. This helped Jake craft a compelling narrative for his career transition.
  • Building essential skills: developed a personalized learning plan, focusing on core product management skills like roadmap creation, stakeholder management, and market research.
  • Strategic networking: learned how to approach industry professionals through LinkedIn and informational interviews. He also leveraged his existing network to find opportunities in product management.
  • Mock interviews and confidence building: conducted mock interviews to prepare him for common product management questions, helping Jake feel more confident and articulate during real interviews.

After six months of focused work, Jake secured a product management role at a growing startup. He is thriving in his new position and feels fulfilled by the challenges and creativity it offers. Jake attributes his success to structured support, clear guidance, and his own dedication to the process.

Meet your coach

At Amy, you can choose your personal career coach based on their area of expertise and, of course, on your objectives. Shape your career change with career coaching to embrace a new path with ease.

Career Change: Is it Worth Taking a Risk?

Posted on by by Nataliya Melnyk, Marketer at Amy

Thoughts about changing careers carry weight. They might show subtle signs of professional frustration or serve an urgent warning for a shift. They might signal that it is time to reevaluate your goals or priorities. Is it worth taking a risk and changing a job if you aren’t sure? Not always. At least not without some thought or planning, unless an urgent career change. So, when should you consider transition?

4 signs you need a career change 

1. You wish you had more time for yourself

Poor work-life balance and connected health issues—such as anxiety, stress, the pressure of overworking, and burnout—can shift your priorities. When these challenges arise, finding a flexible career that allows time to focus on your health, family, or hobbies becomes essential.

2. You feel bored and frustrated

Job dissatisfaction and lack of growth: the job no longer challenges you or doesn’t match your interests or long-term goals. You might feel stuck in repetitive tasks with no opportunities for advancement. You don’t see a future in your current position. At this point, a career change is about finding a role that brings back a sense of fulfillment and joy.

3. You lost motivation

Which means a lack of purpose: many career shifts are fueled by the need to push boundaries and engage in work that feels dynamic and rewarding. If your daily tasks are full of meaningless activities, it is natural to seek something more inspiring and aligned with your expertise and goals. A desire for purpose ignites professionals to do more and be more. Losing interest in a field may signal you have outgrown your current position or role. Switching them may connect your work with what truly excites you. 

4. You want to earn more

Financial need: the drive for better financial stability or higher income results from evolving responsibilities, such as growing family expenses or personal goals. If your current role doesn’t offer opportunities for financial growth, you look for higher-paying positions or explore industries with better-earning potential.

There are two major points in life when we think about professional changes—in our 20s, when we are just starting out, and in our 40s, when we begin to question whether our path still fits. At this stage, the idea of change can feel daunting because of the weight of responsibilities. But it is also a chance to realign your career with what matters to you now, using all the insights gained.

Midlife career change: why change careers at 40 and beyond?

You have years of experience in your work but still feel unfulfilled or crave a better work-life balance? Motivations may differ from personnel cuts because of organizational restructuring to seeking a healthier work environment or a fresh start. One thing is certain—you have enough confidence, skills, and resources required to make a move.

What can you get when changing careers in your 40s? 

Pros

  • Increased job satisfaction and impactful work—the opportunity to do what you love and what sparks your energy, matching your personal values with professional goals
  • Learning new skills and expanding your capacities and qualifications while taking self-paced programs
  • Reduced stress levels and more time for loved ones and hobbies, improving your mental health and beating burnout

Cons

On the contrary, transitioning to a new role may come with challenges, such as:

  • Adapting to unfamiliar tasks
  • For beginners, a lower starting salary

Still, the experience of switching careers often proves rewarding, leading to salary growth and enhanced job satisfaction.

Regardless of age, career transition requires a balance of practical preparation and emotional resilience. Along the way, it is important to remember that your career doesn’t define your worth. A career is just one part of who you are.

Think it over: reflections and preparation before diving in

Before making the leap, take a step back and analyze your motivations and goals. Self-reflection helps to gain clarity on what you truly want from your career and make a plan for how to navigate the career change. By taking the time to prepare, you set yourself up for a strategic career transition.

Checking current environment 

Initially, examine what you can do with your current work environment—whether you can improve conditions and address the career challenges within your company, which usually require less effort and resources. For example, talk to your colleagues or manager about concerns and career opportunities. Prepare the materials. If no shift happens, you can be sure you tried to break the ice. 

Assessing life circumstances

Ask yourself these questions:

  • What are the benefits of making a career change? What are the costs?
  • Am I ready for a steep learning curve, extra effort, and probably extra hours at the beginning of a career shift? 
  • Can I afford a potential gap in employment or a period of lower income?
  • Are my long-term goals aligned with my career transition?
  • Do I have any support during my career transition? Speaking of which, professional career coaches are always ready to give you a hand. 

Testing the waters

To be more confident about your decision, research companies you are interested in to learn about work specifics, position requirements, and culture. A financial cushion will also take off some of the pressure, especially for long transitions.

a picture of a man sitting at the desk and thinking

5 steps to navigate a career change

By following the steps, you can thoughtfully address a career change:

  1. Reflect on your strengths, interests, values, and goals
    Start by identifying the areas where you have excelled in your career. Think about what truly interests you and aligns with your core values and goals. Free tools like career coaching exercises can make the process more efficient and save your results for tracking. 
  1. Research opportunities
    Consider the type of career where you can match your skills, interests, values, and goals. If you hesitate about a full-time format, review options like part-time, job shadowing, and volunteering projects to begin with. Look at your industry and outside your field—job market trends, career platforms, company websites, and industry reports to check the availability of preferable roles. Having a diverse list of potential careers will expand your opportunities. This research can also highlight qualifications you might need to gain for these roles.
    Networking matters to the same extent. Conversations with specialists in the area will provide valuable insights into the career you are interested in, as well as its pros and cons.

  2. Analyze your skills
    Identify the hard skills and soft skills you currently possess and how they translate to your desired field. Use career coaching tools to evaluate them. Amy offers the Skill Development Plan and Skills Gap Analysis exercises to create a skills development plan, define gaps, and bridge them through courses and training programs. Remember to assess your transferable skills. Transferable skills are the abilities you have picked up over time—things like problem-solving, communication, or being adaptable—that can work in almost any job or industry. The key is showing how those skills connect to your targeted role and how your experience makes you a great fit even in a new field.
  1. Create a roadmap for proactive steps
    Once you assess your skills and opportunities, create a plan with steps and a timeline. Map self-reflection information. Set specific goals and take action. A roadmap will give you visibility and measurable results.
  1. Review your resume
    Before applying for new roles, refresh your resume and other related materials, including your LinkedIn profile. Highlight skills specific to a role you are targeting and the most relevant experiences.  

Example of a career transition: career in data science

Meet Mike, 45, who has been a marketing analyst for 20 years. He is ready for a career change but wants to stay in tech. While Mike enjoys working with data, he feels unfulfilled by the creative aspects of marketing and aims to dive deeper into data-driven problem-solving. After researching various career paths, he decided to transition into data science.

Mike began by analyzing his existing skills, like statistical reporting and proficiency in Google Analytics. Skills to strengthen were programming and machine learning. Skills to learn—Python and SQL, which are essential for data science. He enrolled in an online course covering data visualization.

While studying, Mike volunteered for a nonprofit project to analyze donor data. He started building a portfolio showcasing his capabilities. Mike attended a local meetup for data scientists, learned the day-to-day professional routine, and got feedback on his portfolio.

To prepare for job applications, Mike updated his resume and LinkedIn profile to emphasize transferable skills, which in his case were marketing-related, and a new project. After months of preparation, Mike landed an entry-level data scientist position at a tech startup. 

Using a structured approach, like leveraging existing strengths, gaining new skills, and proactively networking, Mike successfully achieved his career change goal.

Let a career coach help you

If you feel confused during self-reflection or stuck with your career transition plan, a career coach can smoothly navigate your career change—with confidence and clarity. Invest in your future with career coaching and step into your next chapter with peace of mind.