Way back in 1983 I was a rookie in this business and I was told time and again that the two most important questions to ask a Candidate were 1) “Reason for Leaving” and 2) What their 3 to 5 year career goals were. Back then, 65 to 70% of the people I spoke with had a pretty good idea of where they wanted to take their career so this made sense. Today fewer than 25% of all the candidates we speak with have any answer at all regarding the career goals or vision.

Times have changed and so has career planning. The question deserves to be asked whether or not it’s still important to think this way. My strong belief and conviction is that it is even more today than ever before. Here’s why:

1. “Those who fail to plan, plan to fail.” – My Mom used to tell me that if you don’t know where you’re going any road will get you there….so don’t be surprised where you end up.

2. With “center led organizations” and Outsourcing, Off-shoring, etc. Jobs are moving outside of the U.S. If you don’t guide your career away from those roles that can easily be outsourced you will find “your job” located someplace you do not live...and paying a lot less.

3. The 90’s are over! During the mid-90’s to 2001 tech pros could simply identify the hot skill (see software tool), get some experience and voila! They were making Management level salary without the responsibility, headaches and accountability of being in management. No longer. Salary increases as responsibility increases. It’s back to the world our Fathers worked in.

Stephen Covey wrote an entire chapter in his book “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” on the topic "Begin with the End in Mind." If you think about this it is almost too simple. If you start with the end in mind then everything you do will be affected by where you want to end up. This is true in our personal lives and it is true in your career. Envision the end and work your way back to where you are now. This is the key to your success young grasshopper.