Once you have chosen your professional goal, it is time to develop the plan to get you there. You will need to be realistic with your expectations. Many people want to retire early to their personal island after attaining fame and fortune.

Set your career plan into periods of one year, three years, five years, and ten years. You can work forward or backward through your timeline. You can also set known milestones, such as the time it would take to get a degree, and then figure out the actions needed in the spaces between.

For example, if you want to be a nurse, you can start with the educational requirements. A registered nurse (RN) must have at least a two-year degree. If you ultimately want to go into nurse management for a higher salary, you may need a four-year degree. Your job development may look like the following: 

Year One: Enroll in nursing school. Gain employment or volunteer in the health care industry for experience while in school. 

Year Three: Graduate from nursing school and take nursing exams. Obtain a job in nursing. Consider pursuing a bachelor’s degree part time. Look into companies that offer an employee development plan that have educational assistance for workers.

Year Five: Enroll in bachelor’s degree program part or full time.  

Year Ten: Have a nurse management position, earning around $100,000.  

As time passes, you should be flexible with your milestones. Events happen and your timeline may shift. Equally, you might pivot in a different direction given promising opportunities.