I am the last person on this planet who will say “get real” when listening to someone’s career dreams – astronaut, rock star, professional ice skater, twenty-something millionaire, President of the United States, the next Bill Gates, Mrs. Fields or Oprah. Anything is possible -- and who I am to judge a person’s career dreams? For one, no one ever deflated my career dreams. Second, discouraging a person’s career dreams is mean – and I am not a mean-spirited person. Third, anything is possible; I’d just like to help your career dreams be more probable.

College Times offers the odds of securing some of the most hard-to-land careers. For example, the chance of becoming an astronaut is 1 in 12,100,000. Statistics like these are tough, cold -- and can be a huge deterrent. They also mask the things you can do to improve your odds in fulfilling your career dreams. Here are five:

1. Build self-awareness of natural abilities. Some career dreams are bound by natural abilities while others can be achieved as a function of raw motivation. “Becoming a professional athlete” is an example of a career dream that may be bound by natural ability. “Becoming a millionaire” is an example of a career dream that is open for all of us. Do you know whether there are any underlying natural abilities needed for your chosen career? If so, do you have a realistic assessment or self-awareness of where you are on that continuum? Do you need to hone your skills in some way?



2. Have confidence. If you have the underlying skills and abilities to succeed -- you need to believe you can succeed. I've stumbled on this one a few times. (My trusted advisers would tell me that "I kept getting in my own way"....confidence.) Do you have the self-efficacy or confidence that you can accomplish your career goals, regardless of what others around you are saying? Can you clearly visualize yourself succeeding in this career?
3. Be tenacious. Whether working toward a degree, becoming an elite athlete, starting a business, etc. you’ll eventually need to push yourself beyond your comfort zone and persevere when the tasks become challenging. Do you remember the line uttered by every professor, coach, or leader -- “if it were easy, everyone would be doing it”? The wisdom in that line is the ingredient of tenacity for making your career dreams come true.
4. Gain knowledge about the career. Despite some of the popular motivational speakers might be telling us, we cannot just will or visualize ourselves into achieving career goals. Do you know what it takes to achieve your career (education, experience, skills)?
5. Have a realistic plan. Once you have the knowledge, you need a plan – ideally, a tested path that has worked for others with your skill level. Talk to people who already occupy your dream career and see how they got there. Talk to more than one person because there usually multiple ways to break into a career. Craft a plan that works with your life.

Career dreams are yours to own, nurture, and grow. Regardless of how statistically improbable your career dreams may be, you can always do things to improve the odds.

Wishing you success,

Paula