It has been said that if someone finds a job that he loves, he never actually has to work a day in his life since the job is so enjoyable and rewarding that it hardly feels like work. This idiom resonates with me because I believe that embarking upon my chosen vocation or calling for a tangible portion of my life will be challenging, rewarding, and enjoyable. As determined as I am to pursue the career of my choice, human resources manager, I understand both that I will need help achieving my objectives and that I will need to help other along the way. I will explore this by focusing on my career and personal goals, providing an assessment of my current abilities and resources to accomplish my career goals, looking at what I will need to achieve my career goals, and determining how I can give back during my career and after retirement.
Career and Personal Goals
My goal is to become a human resources manager at a large, reputable company where I can be of service to a critical mass of people. Such professionals are responsible for planning, leading, and coordinating their companies' administrative functions. Specifically, they spearhead recruiting, interviewing, and retaining of new employees; discuss strategic planning with executives; and serve as a link to connect executives with employees (“Occupational Outlook Handbook”). Human resources professionals are used in almost all sectors, which makes sense since any business with a workforce can benefit by having a human resources department. The widespread use of human resources managers means that there will be no shortage of job opportunities when I am ready to start my career. In fact, the job prospects are positive for human resources managers as growth for the 2014-2024 period is slated to come in at 9%. This would be quicker than the average growth rate for all professions (“Occupational Outlook Handbook”). In order to qualify as a human resources manager, I will need at least an undergraduate degree, though some employers insist on at least a master's degree. In addition to the educational component, I will also need a few years of work experience before pursuing on my dream job (“Occupational Outlook Handbook”). According to statistics, human resources managers had a median yearly wage of $104,440 as of May 2015. I anticipate that such a wage, though a median figure, would certainly be enough to enable me to own a home, build a rainy day fund, start and support a family, enjoy what life has to offer courtesy of vacations, and save towards retirement (“Occupational Outlook Handbook”). The potential for a six-figure salary would help me to live a comfortable upper middle class lifestyle. Money is not the most important thing, but it is possible to secure a well-paying job in the industry.
Current Abilities
While I am still honing some of the skills I will need to become a successful human resources manager, I do believe that I already possess some abilities and competencies that will help me get into my chosen field. Good human resources managers have strong analytical, interpersonal, and critical thinking abilities that aid them with decision making and problem solving (Mayhew, “What are the Qualifications”). As I continue to pursue my degree, I am developing these skills through my research, projects, and assignments, and I will further develop and hone critical skills as I enter the workforce and obtain the experience I will need to eventually transition into a human resources manager role. The fact that I have an outgoing personality will benefit me over the course of my career. As an extravert, I enjoy discussing issues, feel comfortable around others regardless of whether or not I know them or not, and like to take charge to get things done. These skills will help me as I liaise with management and workers to communicate directives and request so as to keep everyone on the same page (“Happiness: the 5 big personality traits). It has been my experience that people tend to feel a bit more comfortable around extraverts than they do around introverts, so I plan to use my natural personality as a tool to effectively do my job in a professional and an impartial manner. Again, since most companies have human resources departments, I believe that I will be able to leverage my contacts at various companies in and around where I live to possibly get internships either during the summer break or during the academic school year. This will give me hands-on experience, open up important networking opportunities, provide me with the change to find a mentor who can help me to achieve my goals, and improve my employment prospects going forward. I understand that I will need the help of others in order to achieve my goals, and it is my plan to reach out to people who can give me advice on how to succeed as a professional.
Things Needed to Achieve Goals
In order to set myself apart from the pack in the competitive marketplace, I intend to go beyond earning an undergraduate degree and a Master’s degree by pursuing certification specific to the human resources space. For instance, I can enroll for the Senior Professional Human Resources certification from the Human Resources Certification institute. Studies actually demonstrate that employers are increasingly requiring that applicants earn relevant certification before applying for human resources jobs. So I will earn one of the various available certifications for human resources professionals to bolster my skill set. Pursuing this course of action will help to differentiate me from other job applicants and show employers that I am serious about my career (Mayhew, “What are the Qualifications”). I would prefer not to have to borrow in order to pursue more education and training, but I am willing to incur the cost of properly preparing for my career since it will pay off in the end. That said, I would prefer to avoid taking on debt valued at north of $50,000, and I would apply for as many scholarships and bursaries as I can to potentially drive down the cost. I would also explore the potential of having my employer pay for some or all of the expenses. One article notes that 83% of companies that took part in an International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans in 2015 said that they provided their workers with educational help or tuition reimbursement (Zillman. "These 6 Companies Give Their Employees Unlimited Tuition Reimbursement"). With some research on my part, I can make it a point to find employment at a company that invests in its employees’ educational ambitions, which would enable me to get the training I want – at no cost to me. In terms of whom I need to meet, I have a good network of professionals through my LinkedIn account and am a member of a number of groups that help me to do some one-on-one networking. I plan to expand my network by joining more relevant organizations and by finding a mentor. As for how I plan to secure enough money for a comfortable retirement, I will save and invest using automatic savings plans offered by most banks these days. That will make it easy to save since the money will be automatically withdrawn and put in a savings account. I all also periodically retain the services of an investment planner to get professional advice on my saving and investing strategy. This step is important because changes in my life such as getting married, having children, and more will potentially necessitate changes to my saving and investing goals.
Giving Back Post-Retirement
After I have worked in my chosen field for a few decades, I hope to have saved enough, one, to have comfortable retirement and, two, to give my children a portion of my savings as their inheritance. As for retirement, I would love to travel and see more of the world, to stop and smell the roses more, to spend time with any grandchildren that I may have, and to give back. I anticipate that I will rely on a lot of advice and encouragement from others to achieve my career goals, and so I will provide the same sage advice to others both when I am in the workforce and after I retire and have more time to dedicate to such an endeavor. As a retiree, I will look to serve as a mentor since I will have a wealth of experience and advice to share with up and coming professionals who, like myself, are ambitious. Giving back is important since, as the good book says, it is better to give of one’s self than it is to receive from others (New King James Bible, Acts 20.35). I am not an overly religious person, but I am someone with a properly-calibrated moral compass, and I like the idea of helping others with no expectation of reciprocation. As for leaving a legacy for my children, I would rather give my children the money I have saved for them while I am still alive rather than have someone else do it for me when I pass on. This will make the transfer of wealth more satisfying and more meaningful since it will break with the inheritance-by-death tradition that is all too common in society today.
I am full of anticipation as I embark upon the path that I believe I am destined to travel. I look forward to working hard to accomplish my goal of being a human resources manager. When considering my planned career and personal goals, looking at my skills and resources, assessing what I need to make my career goals a reality, and figuring out what my life will be like post-career, I feel confident that I am well on my way to a fulfilling life. Even so, I know that I will need help along the way, and I am more than willing to lend a helping hand to others both during and after my active working years. All considered, I look forward to the hard work needed to achieve my goals, to grow in my career, and to transition to a comfortable and productive retirement.
Work Cited
Lenon, Barnaby. "What really makes a good teacher?" The Telegraph. 15 Jan. 2015. Web. 31 July 2016.
"Happiness: the 5 big personality traits - which one are you?" The Telegraph, n.d., www.telegraph.co.uk/news/8489547/Happiness-the-5-big-personality-traits-which-one-are-you.html. Accessed 10 August 2016.
"Occupational Outlook Handbook: Human Resources Managers." United States Department of Labor Statistics' Bureau of Labor, 17 Dec., 2015, www.bls.gov/ooh/management/human-resources-managers.htm/
Mayhew, Ruth. "What are the Qualifications of Being a Human Resources Manager?" Chron. work.chron.com/qualifications-being-human-resources-manager-8714.html. Accessed 10 August 2016.
Strauss, Valerie. The 12 qualities great teachers share. The Washington Post. 17 June 2011. Web. 31 July 2016.
The Bible. King James Version, Thomas Nelson Inc., 1994.
Zillman, Claire. "These 6 Companies Give Their Employees Unlimited Tuition Reimbursement" Fortune. fortune.com/2016/03/04/companies-employees-tuition-reimbursement. Accessed 10 August 2016.
fortune.com/2016/03/04/companies-employees-tuition-reimbursement
