I have interviewed for several positions over the years. Every interview I can remember we get to the question, you know the one I am talking about. It sounds like this, “where do you see yourself in 5 years”? It sounds like a valid question on the surface, but what are you really trying to find out?

My response was always, “I’m not sure, what I will tell you is I will work hard everyday and I am not sure where that will take me”. Generally, this is not the type of forward thinking most interviewers are prepared to hear.

The interviewer wanted to know you had goals and a direction to work towards.

My goal was to not limit myself, or my growth by putting a ceiling on the opportunities that may present them self if I preformed well.

The truth is that when you work hard doors open, and they may not be the doors you had intended to open. That does not mean I would not be happy heading in a different direction.

I see this situation much like a college student spending years of working on a specific field of study, not to mention thousands of dollars in tuition debt only to find they do not enjoy the field of study they chose 4 years earlier.

Don’t limit your thinking, open those doors. Maybe we shouldn’t start with the end in mind. Maybe you make progress towards the direction you would like to go and surpass your wildest dreams.

The key is to keep moving forward.

I’m off to work, have a great day and thanks for your time.