Five-Year Career Plan - Step 3 to Step 6 - Career Mapping Exercises

Sep 22, 2026

A structured five-year career planning worksheet guides users through defining their desired life and work five years ahead, then assessing their current situation, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, obstacles, and relationship or health context. It prioritizes selecting the top three long-term goals with deadlines, then breaking each goal into actionable steps, identifying needed skills and resources, and addressing risks, motivation, stress management, and periodic plan review and adjustment as new experiences arise.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryForms

FormatPDF

Pages6

Reading Time2 min

AccessFree to download

Step 3: Where Do You Want to Be in Your Career in Five Years?

Step 4: Where Are You Now?

Step 5: Your Top Three Most Important Goals

Step 6: Break the 3 Goals into Actionable Steps

Step 3: Where Do You Want to Be in Your Career in Five Years? Describe in detail where you want to be. What will you be doing? What will it look like? What will it be like? How will you look and feel? Be as descriptive as possible. What does your career look like? Do you have a family? Where are you living? What do your finances look like? What will you be doing for fun? What will you look and feel like? Step 4: Where Are You Now? Describe where you are right now in your life. What skills do you have that are useful to where you want tobe? What knowledge and experience do you have that will help you get where you want to be? What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses? What opportunities are available to you right now? What obstacles are in your way of reaching your five-year plan? Is your current job a step towards the career you want? Are you in a relationship that is headed towards a more serious level? Do you have a savings account , a retirement account? What does your health look like compared to where you want it to be in five years? Step 5: Your Top Three Most Important Goals From your list in step 3 , choose three long-term goals to work on and a deadline of when you want to have them finished. These may or may not be your five-year goals. They could be smaller , milestone goals that you need to complete in order to reach your five-year goal. D EA D L I N E : | 1. | | | --- | --- | | 2. | | | 3. | | Step 6 : Break the 3 Goals into Actionable Steps GOAL 1 Consider where you are now vs. where you will be when you complete this goal , what steps or actions do you need to take to get to where you need to be? ddd From the list of actions above , what do you need in order to complete each step? (skills , experience , resources , finances , tools , assistance from…, etc.) Where will you get these? What could possibly go wrong with this plan? What obstacles might you face? How will you handle these? How will you stay motivated while working on these goals? How will you handle times of stress , frustration , or lack of motivation? GOAL 2 Consider where you are now vs. where you will be when you complete this goal , what steps or actions do you need to take to get to where you need to be? From the list of actions above , what do you need in order to complete each step? (skills , experience , resources , finances , tools , assistance from…, etc.) Where will you get these? What could possibly go wrong with this plan? What obstacles might you face? How will you handle these? How will you stay motivated while working on these goals? How will you handle times of stress , frustration , or lack of motivation? GOAL 3 Consider where you are now vs. where you will be when you complete this goal , what steps or actions do you need to take to get to where you need to be? From the list of actions above , what do you need in order to complete each step? (skills , experience , resources , finances , tools , assistance from…, etc.) Where will you get these? FIVE-YEAR CAREER PLAN TODAY'S DATE: START DATE: END DATE: EVERY PERSON’S FIVE-YEAR PLAN WILL LOOK DIFFERENT. THERE’S NO RIGHT OR WRONG WAY TO CREATE YOUR CAREER PLAN, AS LONG AS YOU ARE FOCUSING ON WHAT YOU REALLY WANT FROM LIFE. Step 1: Write about life , your goals , your passion , your dreams. Consider your finances , your relationships , your personal life , your health , and the things you do for fun. Step 2: Write about the things that motivate you. That inspire you. Things that you think about often. Things that make you want to do better , be better , and have more. What could possibly go wrong with this plan? What obstacles might you face? How will you handle these? How will you stay motivated while working on these goals? How will you handle times of stress , frustration , or lack of motivation? Once you’ve completed your three goals , go back to Step 3 and select three more. Continue to work your goals unt

FAQs

What should I write in Step 3 about my five-year future?

Describe in detail where you want to be, what you will be doing, how your life will look and feel, where you’ll live, your finances, fun activities, and whether you have a family.

How does Step 4 help you plan effectively?

It asks you to evaluate where you are now, including useful skills, knowledge and experience, strengths and weaknesses, current opportunities and obstacles, and whether your current job and relationships support the career you want.

How do I complete Step 6 once I choose my top three goals?

For each goal, compare where you are now to where you will be when finished, list the steps to reach the goal, identify what you need for each step (skills, resources, finances, tools, assistance), and plan how you’ll handle obstacles and stay motivated.

Sep 22, 2026

Upload by Mary Man