Defining And Achieving A Successful Career

Before determining how you can have a successful career, it is vital to understand precisely what you consider a successful career to look like. Do you know what defines a successful career to you? This answer is entirely subjective. What you consider a success may differ from the person you share your office space with. To help you out, here are the most common determinations for achieving a successful career:

  • Salary – Do you measure the success of your career by the amount you are paid? 
  • Industry Expert – Do you want to be renowned in your field? Perhaps considered an industry expert? Or want to work for industry leaders or well-known firms or associations and establish a long-term career?
  • Job satisfaction – Perhaps you want to enjoy your job thoroughly, regardless of the wage or recognition. A successful career may give you a sense of pride, achievement and overall satisfaction.
Female office worker relaxing with feet on table
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels

With the above in mind, one of the most important decisions you can make when considering your career options is to ensure that you choose the right one. A career that will allow you to become successful as you see it. 

Does your chosen profession allow for it if you want a well-paid career? Of course, it may not be well paid at entry-level, but is there a long-term scope to attain an attractive salary? The fact of the matter is some careers will always have a ceiling limit on remuneration, so will you be happy with that limit?

Will your career choice be able to provide you with that job satisfaction you so greatly desire? For example, if you are looking for a career that involves being out and about and away from the confines of the corporate world, choosing a primarily office-based or administrative career will not give you job satisfaction.

Related Posts:

When deciding upon a career path that is suited to you, it is always a good idea to consider your skills, strengths, and weaknesses and what you do and do not enjoy. For example, someone who is a natural introvert is unlikely to enjoy or thrive in a high-pressure selling role, such as a pharmaceutical sales rep at Syneos Health. You will never be able to attain the remuneration, notoriety or job satisfaction you desire if you are toiling away in a profession you do not enjoy or fully appreciate. 

Together with choosing your career wisely, you should also plan out your route to success as best you can. Using the example of a lawyer here illustrates just how vital a long-term plan is. 

Two Women in Front of Dry-erase Board
Photo by Christina Morillo


Planning should start from and include your education and whether you need to attend a particular law school. The type of firm you want to work for and whether they offer the career progression, exposure and legal services you want to be involved in. For example, if you’re going to be a corporate lawyer, you need to know the firms that can offer you this route, firms such as Accuro Maxwell. You need to know the recruitment process and employment requirements they might have. You will need to understand the routes of internal progression and how to make an associate or partner. Will you need to undertake ongoing professional development? You should also include a timescale in which you want to achieve your plans. This level of planning can be applied to almost any field, from medicine to personal training.

Ultimately, you will not achieve career success on a whim or without the forward planning, a clear pathway and the determination to make it happen.

[mailerlite_form form_id=9]

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

[instagram-feed]