Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

This is one of the interview questions i dislike most. I always think of myself answering with a sarcastic answer like “How on earth am I supposed to know, am I God?” or “Running this company...” but I always end up answering with some pat answer like, “I see myself progressing through the company and...”

I was at a Career Change/Development workshop last week and this question came up. I am not thinking of changing my career at the moment, so I didn't think the topic was relevant to me, but I came out of the workshop learning some new things.

The first is PDSA, Plan Do Study Act. I am one of those people that make an attempt at planning and try to follow it, but I have never made any serious effort to go back to the plan periodically, Study it to see how it can be improved and then Act on the plan again. It is a cycle you are supposed to repeat until you have achieved the goal. Another is filling the Skills and Experience Gap, which is how to identify your current skills and how to fill the gaps between your current career skills and your future career skills.

But the most important thing I think I took away from the workshop has to do with this question, Where do you see yourself in 5 years? The trainer mentioned that even if you are thinking you don't need a career change now, like I was indeed thinking, what about five years from now? Would you want to change your career? Apart from that, the current recession has taught us the lesson that you should always have a backup plan, do you have a backup plan for your future, in case the one you have planned doesn't work out.

That got me thinking! I have actually been thinking of a sort of career change when I am 40, which happens to be in 5 years time. With my current career as a software developer, I figured I might not be competitive as younger developers, especially when I look at the the very young graduates around me. They make me feel ooold, they are just starting out and they have all the time ahead of them and they don’t have the added responsibility of getting home to take care of kids and chores.... So I definitely need to think on my feet if I want to remain competitive. And I have to start now, to plan for that career change or career level. What I do now determines where I am in five years. Where I am now is because of the decisions I made five years ago.

This is not limited to just career, even if you are a stay at home mum, you still need to ask yourself that question. The question applies to all aspects of life,

• My relationship with God
• My children, what type of people I want them to grow up to be
• My marriage
• My relationship with friends and family
• My health

So where do you see yourself in 5 years? For some people they already have it worked out and planned. But some of us it is something we have to Plan Do Study and Act upon from now, so please don't wait for 5 years to start , start now. Just Do it, don't wait!