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Being a Visionary Helps You Succeed in College and Career

Posted on Jul 02, 2012 - 06:00 AM | Career Prep | Comments (0)

Everyone loves a visionary, that person who sees the next big thing in business, technology, entertainment, you name it. They even become household names: Thomas Edison, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Steven Spielberg.

But being a visionary isn’t just about innovation and revolution. It’s a skill you can apply to your own future. It lets you set up a career and college path to your future success.

Establishing a Career and College Path

The first thing you need to do is consider careers that interest you. Will those jobs be hot in 5 years? 10 years? 20? Many of today’s jobs weren’t even around 10 years ago, so examine market trends. Some traditional jobs will be around for a long time – doctor, teacher, engineer, etc., while others are disappearing. And many others are cutting-edge and growing rapidly. Find stable or growing fields.

Take personality tests and career assessments to determine your interests and abilities. This points you to jobs where you’re a natural. Can you see Bill Gates doing anything but working in computers or Steven Spielberg making anything but movies? Follow your talents and interests and then use the following tips to establish your future career.

Set goals. Every visionary has a goal. Edison wanted to improve the light bulb; Henry Ford wanted to make cars affordable. What’s yours? If you want to be a lawyer, what kind of lawyer? If you want to be an engineer, what kind of engineer? What kind of doctor, teacher, etc.? Will your field have certain demands in 5 or 10 years that it doesn’t have now? Could you focus on e-legal rights, virtual medicine or online teaching? Examine fringe possibilities that could be cornerstones of the business world in just a few years.
Become a leader. Leadership skills convince others to support your vision. You won’t hear family, friends and teachers say you can’t do something if you’re already doing it. Become a leader in high-school activities and clubs. It impresses employers, colleagues and colleges.
Raise the bar. Don’t set your sights low; if you do, you’ll never reach the education you need for your career. Set the bar as high as you possibly can. Even if you fall short, you’ll have achieved more than those who took the easy way out.
Take advantage of opportunities. Great opportunities will come your way. Maybe it’s an internship at your dream company, or an overseas trip; a chance to network at a party or a much-needed reference from a teacher. Or it could just be an affordable educational opportunity that drops in your lap. Know when to take advantage of great opportunities!

Make Your Career Vision a Reality

Edison struggled endlessly when developing the light bulb, finally concluding that he knew “1,000 ways not to make a light bulb.” The same is true with you. You will encounter adversity – a difficult class, a change in career interests, or an internship you couldn’t get. Don’t give up. Adjust your plan as you need to – just make