The end of the year is always a good time to think about your career. At the same time your employer is planning for next year, you should step back and be sure you have a strategic plan for yourself.

You are in charge
There is only one person in charge of your career — you. Your manager is not your career counselor and cannot take on this responsibility. In today’s lean environment, bosses oversee more people than ever and just do not have the time to do career planning for everyone. Managers are also judged on their own performance and must focus on the work they need to do, which does not include managing your career. In addition, your manager will not want to lose you to another department if you are doing well in a position that is critical to his or her own success.  Recruiters you meet in the job hunting process are just trying to fill round holes with round pegs and are not going to be interested in finding you an occupation different from what you already are doing. Your family, which cares a great deal for you, has a serious conflict of interest. They do not want you to be too stressed or work too hard and may encourage you to settle for something that is not good for your long-term career plans. The bottom line is you are the only person who is going to ensure that you get the challenging assignments necessary to get you where want to go.

Ask yourself questions
In order to decide what type of job you want to have you need to think about what you like to do and where you want to go with your career. Ask yourself a series of questions. What do you want to be doing in three, five and 10 years? Is your current job going to give you the experience you need to get there? If not, what should you do to get on the right career path? Can you change jobs in your company or should you look elsewhere? Do you need to get another degree and if so, when will you get it and can you get your company to help pay for it? How much money do you want to make and will you work nights and weekends on a regular basis if that is what is required? Do you like to travel or stay in one place to do your work? Do you enjoy working with people or do you prefer to work independently? What trade-offs are you willing to make if you find a job with some but not all of the qualities you would like? How will your personal needs, such as time for family, religious, sports, cultural, and non-profit activities, fit into your career plans? Exploring these issues will allow you to decide what you look for in a job. While no job is perfect, you have a much better chance of finding your ideal position if you have a clear understanding of what is most significant to you.

Find the right place
There are many companies that offer similar jobs but have very different work environments. The work atmosphere is most often referred to as the company culture, and the situation will vary by department depending on the people working there and the managers in charge. You need to find both a company and a department where you enjoy the individuals enough to spend at least 40 hours a week with them. To put this in perspective, you will likely spend more waking hours with your work colleagues than you will with your family. Many people believe that the work is not that dissimilar from one place to the next but the people they are with on a day-to-day basis can transform a routine occupation into a stimulating experience. You see this same personal dynamic on sports teams. Sometimes a talented player does not do well on one team but becomes a superstar when traded to another team. Find the team that brings out the best of your talents.

Get line experience
If you want to eventually move to senior management you need to get experience in the part of the business that generates revenue for the firm. This is referred to as “line” experience and is different in every company. The term likely originated at a manufacturing company where there is an actual manufacturing line where products are made. However, at a technology company line experience could be considered engineering or in a service company it might be sales. A skill set could be viewed as line in one firm but support in another. For example an accountant who is in a client role at an accounting firm is in a line position generating revenue at the professional services firm. However, if the same accountant became the chief financial officer of a manufacturing company he or she would be considered support. It is usually easier to get hired into a line position early in your career since you are less expensive and people want to train you and take a risk on you. You may not like your line job and decide to spend most of your career in a support position, but the experience will always be on your resume in case you want to leverage it in the future.

Your career is a major part of your life and you need to give it the attention it deserves. Take time away from your day-to-day responsibilities at least once a year to review your career plan and make any mid-course corrections. You are the person in charge.

• Takeaways
o Think hard about where you want to go in your career and make sure that you get the experience you need to reach your goal.
o Look for a company with not just the right job but also the right team. You will spend a lot of time at work and you want to enjoy being there.
o Get line experience early in your career. Line is the place the company makes its money.
o The only person managing your career is you. Step up and take charge of your career.