Career Goals

Recently MasterPo's employer implemented a TAP (not to be confused with TAPS) – Talent Assessment Process. This replaced the old APA – Annual Performance Appraisal. In short, it all boils down to another kind of annual performance review.

No biggie. Every company has something like it.

However, one questions/entry on the new TAP is a stickler for MasterPo: "Future Career or Educational Goals – Indicate career or educational goals for the next 3-5 years."

This one has MasterPo stumped.

The answer isn't so clear cut.

MasterPo would really like to say "Keep my job!" but that probably isn't what management is looking for.

Other answers like:

"Have my manager's job"
"Date the admin"
"Win the lottery"
"Quit my job to presume my dream of being a writer/photographer/artist but keep my healthcare via Obamacare"

These answers are probably not exactly what the company has in mind either.

The common wisdom in white collar professional work is that you're always supposed to be striving for higher goals and professional betterment through training and education. Certainly if there was a position MasterPo was longing for or a formal training or education course that really excited MasterPo that would be put down.

However, at this stage of MasterPo's life there really isn't any.

MasterPo does not want the manager's position (too much BS regardless of what ever he is being paid). And while getting another degree (MasterPo already has 2 college degrees) or certification (MasterPo has 2 active and 3 inactive financial certifications) would be awesome, family and personal commitments just don't provide the time MasterPo would need.

Such is the reality of the middle-aged, mid-level white collar professional.

So how to answer the question…

It has to be answered. The reality of business politics is such that it can't be left blank. Looks bad. Looks like you have no motivation or ambition or dedication.

20 years ago it would have been easy to answer that question, saying to achieve this-or-that level in project management or applications development. But over the passage of time MasterPo already achieved that – and more.

Over the years MasterPo has read in various career articles and websites the [supposed] dilemma of businesses of trying to keep good employees who don't really want any further advancement. In other words, dangling the carrot of promotion motivates some people but for those who like what they do (or at least prefer what they have now to the alternatives) promotion isn't a motivating factor anymore. Seems MasterPo is now in that same boat.

So what should MasterPo put down in that spot on the TAP form?

Still searching…