10 Things to Add to Your Career Bucket List
- Samantha Davis-Haw
- Aug 25, 2022
- 4 min read
First things first, what’s a career bucket list? Think of your career bucket list as your sounding board for your future career goals. Do you want to live and work in another country? Add that to your list. Anything that you want from your position (whether current or future) can be a career goal. The career bucket list is a good place to get a clear view of where you are and where you want to go with your career. This is your personal guidebook to your dream career.
Still struggling to come up with some good ideas? Try sitting down and thinking of ‘I want…’ sentences that apply to your position. Here are 10 good career bucket list goals to give you some more ideas.
1. Work and live in another country.
This definitely takes time, so creating a clear timeline will help you get there. Start by looking into requirements for where you want to live. Do they require work Visas? Would you eventually want to get your citizenship? Look at the cost of living and the average salary for the position you would be looking for. How much would you need to have saved up to be able to move?
2. Start your own business.
Starting your own business from the ground up is certainly difficult, but is absolutely achievable. With modern technology and social media, you can have your own booming enterprise in no time.
3. Have a healthy work-life balance.
Having a healthy work-life balance is the key to maintaining good mental health. It also helps you keep your productivity up. If all you do is work, worry about work, or think about emails you have to answer while you’re in bed on Saturday, you’re not doing yourself, your work, or your company any favors. Take time to decompress, relax, and focus on yourself and activities you enjoy outside of your career.
4. Gain the confidence to ask for a pay raise.
Let’s face it, most of us probably wouldn’t work if we didn’t have to. If we did work, we might work in vastly different career fields that we currently do. Unfortunately to pay the bills and keep food on the table we have to earn a paycheck. With prices inflating, and wages remaining steady, what do you have to lose to ask for a raise? Do some research and see what the national average is for your position. Check out the Bureau of Labor Statistics for more information.
5. Become a mentor.
Mentorship is an incredibly rewarding experience. You often learn more about yourself and industry while you mentor someone. Mentoring is also a valuable skill for your resume. If you work in the IT industry and are looking for mentorship opportunities, check out Merit America. They’re a non-profit who’s goal is to end the systemic cycle of poverty due to inaccessibility to higher education.
6. Clear your weekly to-do list.
You don’t have to have major goals on your bucket list. If you have a lot of tasks that you have to accomplish weekly, and often find yourself getting a bit behind, try creating a weekly checklist, and setting aside specific time throughout the week to accomplish them. Once you clear that checklist the relief will be so worth it!
7. Being a featured speaker at a major industry event.
If you’re a leader in your industry, and your company is attending a major industry-wide event, look into speaking opportunities. Not only is this great for your resume, but it can be great press for your company. Try reaching out to local events and seeing if they have any openings. You can always start small and build your way up, maybe you could eventually be the keynote speaker for a conference!
8. Write a book relating to your industry.
If you’ve always wanted to write a book, but aren’t sure what to write about, try writing about your career, industry, or the knowledge you’ve gained at your position. You’ll be surprised with how much information you have stored up to share.
9. Be the leader of a project.
Are you a natural leader? Do you have great ideas for your company? Try reaching out to your boss and asking to lead a project for them. The worst they can say is no, and even then, you’ve put yourself out there and that’s always something to be proud of. They could always say yes, and then you’re on track to get recognition (possibly even a promotion).
10. Be able to retire early.
Retiring early is a dream for many, but involves a lot of financial planning and discipline. Try meeting with a financial advisor to see what simple steps you can take to reach your goal.
Making sure that your goals are attainable is a great start. If you work in IT, then saying that you want to earn your Doctorate in neurosurgery probably isn’t a realistic goal (unless you’re looking for a complete career change). However, if you enjoy teaching and work in IT, maybe one of your options would be to join a mentorship program.
Keep your horizons open, and keep goals on your list that are a little more difficult to achieve. For example, if you want to live and work in another country, that’s a great goal to add to your list! Is it going to be difficult? Absolutely, but is it still achievable? Yes. Having objectives that aren’t as easily attainable is a good way to keep your motivation up, and gives you a clear end goal to reach for.
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