My 5-Year Career Plan: Narrative Essay
My teacher’s praise for “Murder from the Heart” has stuck with me. His praise was better than the Illinois Arts Council Award (2001), or the Arts and Letters Fellowship (2003), or the New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship (2005), or the Just Desserts Short-Short Fiction Prize (2008), or any of the times my essays have been selected as notable in Best American Essays (1999, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2013, 2014). (As requested in the Guggenheim guidelines: selected awards and honors.) My English teacher was a man I admired very much during a time in my life I thought I’d never get through. (So spurned by life! Oh angsty adolescence!) His comment on my work was a shared moment, a connection, a communication. A career as a writer is not so much about what you’ve accrued from your writing as it is about the conversations you have entered in with it.
I was like them. (Still am at times.) As a nineteen-year-old English major at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, studying fiction and nonfiction with Kent Haruf and Lisa Knopp, I turned in terribly young stories about greenish aliens that resembled Asians or—although I was Buddhist—about God. I used to believe that telling a personal story was all you needed in narrative, that the story would do the work, that plot alone was power. My youth made me dream, and I dreamt for myself a career similar to that of Amy Tan (the only Asian-American writer I knew back then, and the inspiration for my collegiate nom de plume, Pierce Tan: Tan after Amy; Pierce because my stories would pierce your soul). Like Amy, I would write a bestseller. I would write and write and write. I would be famous.
To sum up, a career narrative is more than just a professional tool; it’s a reflection of your journey, dreams, and growth. Building a good narrative takes introspection, strategic storytelling, and a focus on being real. The impact of a well-crafted narrative can be huge, providing clarity, direction, and a sense of purpose. In the ever-changing world of work, a career narrative can be your guiding light, leading to a fulfilling and successful future.
FREE Dream Career Essays | Best Examples for Academic Success
A well-done career narrative can really boost your professional life. It’s a powerful tool for job applications, interviews, and networking, giving a clear and memorable story that makes you stand out. Plus, it can bring clarity and direction, helping you make career choices that fit your values and goals.
I’m not against narrative. I love chronology. My first book, Talk Thai: The Adventures of Buddhist Boy, is a narrative about growing up in Chicago. I have written essays and stories and poems adhering to the rules of chronological order. I admire writers who manage linear time well. To write a memoir is to construct something that is unnatural. We take what comes in fragments, and we impose order. In Angle of Repose, Wallace Stegner wrote, “I believe in Time, as [my grandparents] did, and in the life chronological rather than in the life existential.” And I, of course, understand Stegner. I mean, what do we do to understand ourselves? We create a narrative. We tell a story, and in that story, we learn, we change, we teach.
A key element of strategic planning is to evaluate one's progress in regularly scheduled reviews and to adjust the plan as circumstances change. Anticipated future events seldom happen exactly as foreseen. Surprises in both external environments and individual circumstances are an integral part of life. For example, about six months after I moved into a lower-divisional administrative position, a new president was appointed, and he abolished my downgraded position while I was "on vacation." My knowledge that I had wisely planned several employment alternatives that did not include reliance on this president's approval was instrumental in weathering this unexpected loss. It is doubtful that there would have been time to plan if this loss had not motivated immediate job seeking. Another tale about the usefulness of conducting regular progress reviews to adapt a strategic plan was related by a successful science professor. Another principle of strategic planning for high-risk ventures is to cover your bets. For returning to activities in higher education, it is often necessary to apply for many positions simultaneously to increase the chances of receiving satisfactory offers. About a dozen applications were submitted prior to two career fairs. A recent science Ph.D. recipient visited about 20 different employer information booths and elicited "agreements" from about ten employers to send him additional information about their opportunities in time for a second look at the following year's career fair. Since ten booths did not voluntarily offer to provide him with information, he now has ten booths with invitations accepting his applications and cover letters.
After identifying these key moments, weave them into a clear, interesting story. Don’t just list what you’ve done; connect your actions to your values and career goals. For example, talk about how a tough project not only improved your skills but also showed your dedication to teamwork. The goal is to show a journey of growth, ending with a clear vision of your future.
Student Narrative Essay Examples – Write What Matters
Before considering any planning for career development, a person must have, or develop, at least an initial understanding of what is a personal career goal. Career development objectives should be defined for at least the following time frames: 1-5 years (immediate), 5-15 years (long term), and after 15 years. There are some common errors related to objectives. The most common error is a lack of knowledge of available job opportunities and suggested qualifications to attain these positions. A person can then plan to acquire the necessary qualifications, but otherwise will not be ready to act when an opening truly arises. In this situation, deficiencies can usually still be overcome, but solutions may be inefficient to say the least. A second error is the setting of incorrect goals. Positions in industry or academia that are inappropriate due to a person's own interests, skills, values, health, etc. are simply incorrect career goals. This is not to say that there are right and wrong objectives - only that the objectives must be right for the person setting them. Finally, too often, people frequently simply ignore the need for planning, relying instead on "luck."
218 Good Titles for Career Essays & Research Papers + Examples
gets a lot of buzz with job seekers. It’s common to mistake a personal brand as “enough” to support your job search. While there’s a definite intersection between what you stand for as an individual and your career aspirations, these are two distinct elements. A personal brand applies in many situations and stays constant across your life. A professional narrative speaks to a clear goal and focuses more on your work identity.
Crafting a Compelling Career Narrative Essay: First Draft
An NFL pro who had saved and invested his money once did a window-washing job in order to pursue his dream of becoming a rodeo cowboy. The successful young man, who already had a good contract with the pros, was asked why he would take such a risk. "Window washing allowed me to make enough money to help pay for a whole year of training in rodeoing," he said. "That's what it will take to be good enough to enter the rodeo circuit, get some sponsors, and maybe become a champion. I'm young enough to play pro football for a long time to come when I get back. I can always be a football player." What a beautiful contrast to the often-noted examples of athletes who fail to plan when young and who, after the bitterness of at stake, suffer from a lack of career alternatives. This athlete may not fulfill his dream, but he has a solid plan. Sensitive advisers and coaches provide opportunities for other kinds of work with challenging goals, such as being a gymnastics coach, developing marketing skills with a local sponsor, taking blacksmithing and leathercraft courses, and, of course, training and competitions for the finest rodeo schools. All of these prior Olympic activities develop job-related skills, are more fun for the athletes, and contribute to a sense of progress in off-field life. Setting long-term plans is a wise part of sound career management throughout the life cycle, and is most insightful in dealing with the unique situation created by the elite amateur sport system in the United States.