Are you tired of your job just being a job? Do you want to take on more exciting opportunities and responsibilities at work?

Perhaps you’ve heard your friends’ success stories of taking on more interesting tasks. This may have you feeling like you’re going nowhere or that you’re at a dead end.

Nothing could be further from the truth. By getting on a serious career development path, you can go to great new places in your profession.

Does this all sound exciting? If so, read on for five great tips for developing a career.

1. Set Career Goals

Having a five-year plan seems like one of the most cliche career tips, but it’s good advice nonetheless. Having an end goal in mind proves to be a great motivator to taking the steps needed to get there.

Having goals goes beyond the five-year plan. Consider your day-to-day work, and set small goals on how you can improve it. Regular goal-setting is the motivation you need for success.

2. Receive Mentorship

Find someone to serve as a career support coach. This can be a manager, a friend, a former teacher, etc. Allow them to correct your mistakes, and listen closely to the years of wisdom they have on you.

If you’re a woman rising up in your field, look into Brooke Taylor’s executive coaching for women. Brooke helps women in executive leadership positions find meaning in their careers so they can keep working without burning out. This is an essential part of staying effective as a leader.

3. Gain More Knowledge

Even if you’re a college graduate, you should still be a lifelong learner. Consider taking more courses on management or business topics you may be struggling with. You don’t even have to go back to school for this, as online platforms such as Skillshare are a gold mine of useful information.

You can also gain useful knowledge for your career by reading books on self-development, business, managing people, etc. There are many reasons people say that readers are leaders, and taking more time to read will prove that statement true in your life.

4. Build a Network

Your career should allow you to build contacts with various professionals. You should be able to build relationships who you can discuss several topics related to your business with.

This network-building boosts your reputation in people’s eyes, and it increases the number of references you can use as you seek more advanced positions.

5. Regularly Assess Yourself

This is one of the harder career tips to follow. You’ll have to continually be aware of your blind spots and weaknesses to learn how to overcome them. Hard as this is, being aware of these issues and seeking out solutions is going to be the most stretching and rewarding part of your career growth.

Developing a Career

These tips for developing a career will pull you out of a “dead-end” mindset and onto an exciting career path. Take these tips to heart and start changing your professional life for the better.

For more tips, visit our Business section.