You might think there’s too much to develop for your future, but it’s just a question of priority and focus, remember you have time and a goal will help you achieve the end result.

The difficulty lies not so much in developing new ideas as in escaping from old ones. – John Maynard Keynes

My advice to a mentee about developing.

The best advice I ever gave to someone was “Work on developing the skill that will give you the most long term benefit” and this was quite recent as well. I had just finished a review session with them and they had asked me was that it, did I have anything else that could guide them in their career. I thought about this for only a fraction of a second before that sentence popped into view, up until that point I hadn’t given it too much thought myself and I had to ask “How do I develop myself for the future” what had I done over the last 20 years?

Develop a future.

For me, I’ve been developing skills that are outside my comfort zone that push me, Strategic thinking and Leadership skills (Hence why I volunteer as a school governor).

But after reading Stephen Covey’s books (yes that one), I had started to realise that I had no direction after becoming a Chartered engineer, now I had to do my own gap analysis to see what I had to work on (which if you ask should be your strengths) and what skills I saw I was missing for the next step in my career.

First before jumping into a SWOT or gap analysis, think about what role you want to be doing in the next 5-6 years, research this to understand the skills that are generally required and then do the gap analysis to compare what you’re missing and what you need to build on, then it’s a case of finding the opportunities to both gain those skills, experience and finally to practise them (some of these will be free, some you may have to pay for and some will cost your time).

How to develop.

It’s not easy to decide on a direction, so here’s an idea – Talk to people or more specifically other engineers (in my case). Talking to them about their careers and what roles have open up various opportunities will give you a greater understanding of what’s available, but before (again) you run off to start this, please consider the industries and companies available to you locally that have a need for that role (because if they don’t, you’re going to have to move or travel to them), this is all really a balancing act to find that end goal.

Let’s not stop with just focussing on careers like engineering, you may be happy with where you are and what you’re currently doing and that the skills and development you want are more side hustles that could develop into something later on, well the same applies go look for others that have gone before you and find out what they did, what challenges they faced and how they overcame them. This you can then develop into a skill set for you to invest your time into.

Thought on developing

There’s no easy route and if you read books like ‘Zero to one’ – Peter Theil and ‘Mastery’ – Robert Greene you’ll see the amount of time and effort (with luck) that comes along with developing yourself. but I would encourage you to read the engineer interviews that I’m doing because I’m doing the first part of my tip which is to ask others for their journey, see if that helps.

So, remember these steps:

• Work on the most beneficial skill for long-term growth:
  • Identify and focus on developing a skill that will provide long-term benefits to your career.
• Think about your future role:
  • Define the role you want to be in within the next 5-6 years.
  • Research the skills and competencies generally required for that role.
• Compare gaps and opportunities:
  • Conduct a gap analysis based on research.
  • Identify opportunities to develop missing skills through practice, experience, or learning (some free, others may require payment or time investment).
  • Focus on your strengths first and master them.
• Talk to people in your field:
  • Speak to peers, colleagues, or professionals in your industry to understand career opportunities and paths.
    • But also use platforms like LinkedIn to talk to others in different fields or companies you may wish to work in.
  • Focus on industries and companies available locally to avoid potential relocation challenges.
    • This isn’t a restraint, it’s part of your research to understand what you will have to do.
• Explore alternative skills:
  • If you’re content in your career, consider pursuing side hustles or skills that could lead to future opportunities.
  • Learn from others’ experiences in these areas to develop your own skill set.
• Understand development is challenging:
  • Acknowledge that personal development takes time, effort, and sometimes luck.
  • Read books like Zero to One by Peter Thiel and Mastery by Robert Greene to understand the effort behind mastery.

Good Luck!

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