Long, Long-Term Goals

October 2nd, 2012

Since my last post about finding a job as a knowledge manager in a game company, I've been asked many times how that's coming along and why I'm not working as a gaming librarian yet. The thing is, my goal to work as a gaming librarian is a long-term goal. As in ten years long-term. A number of other important goals must be met first.

The most obvious short-term goal is getting some solid work experience in my professional field. Five to ten years working at a company with an established Knowledge Management office, or at a company seriously interested in establishing one, is my current career focus. Not only does this help meet short-term financial goals, but it also helps me establish a solid experience base to compliment my education. Working with experienced professionals who can share tips of the trade will be very different from listening to lectures. And I'm more of a hands-on learner anyways.

Once that career is in motion, I can seriously look at joining professional organizations and participate in career-related conferences. My ultimate goal here is to establish a forward-thinking reputation and eventually be able to present my ideas to my peers. I very much enjoyed presenting at the Canadian Games Conference, so I look forward to taking a role as an active participant and advocate within my professional circles.

The final step--and this is that 10-year-away one--is returning to the game development circuit with a plan based on solid education and solid experience. Of course, even this is mutable. The future has a strange way to reshape you, after all. While I think it's valuable to set long-term goals to work towards, I don't like to be restricted from other opportunities either. I don't know exactly what I'm working towards or when I'll reach it, but I'm sure it'll be grand when I find it.

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Posted by: Simon Ludgate