Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

[dreams82]

I hate this question! I don't even know where I see myself tomorrow, let alone 5 years down the road. In 5 years I will be 30. I feel so unmotivated and disenchanted with work right now-not sure what direction to go in next. I have had a few interviews, one was for an HR position, and the other was for an Accounts Payable positon. I have walked out of both not wondering why I was even there. I know there are plenty of threads on being lost and confused, but honestly, where do we see ourselves 5 years down the road and how the heck are we supposed to answer this awful quesiton!?

On another note, does anyone have any ideas on jobs with security? It is a scary economy we are living in these days and people are losing their jobs left and right due to budget cuts and savings.

P.S. I am lost, I am sure you've gathered that from reading this and other posts!

[meatwad]

The mirror? :evil:

[workaholic?]

first, what's your background or degree in? that would help to recommend secure jobs.

as for five years down the road...i hope i'm finishing up a stint in Kazakhstan that i hope to start in 2 or 3 years and coming back to the US and start a family. once my current assignment and the assignment in Kazakhstan (still hoping for this one) are finished, my husband and i should have enough money saved up for me to quit work for a while to have babies. after that, hopefully i'll start doing part time consulting work (with the special skills i've learned in this assignment and the next).

[dreams82]

I majored in English, minored in Communication studies. I currently do admin work at a non profit agency. I have been here for over 2.5 years. I am in a dead end job, with no where to move, not learning anything new, and not being challenged at all. I can feel my brain turning to slush every day. It is disheartening because when I was in college, I felt like my future was so bright. Now that light has gone out, the fire burning under me is no more.

[yankeeyosh]

I just want to be in some kind of role where I feel challenged at least some of the time and where there is at least a little hope that professional growth can occur...and make enough money to be able to afford a small condo, which may be a pipe dream if I stay in this area...

[Rage]

I hope to have my masters almost, if not completely, done. I'd like to be working in a position where I have some authority and am turned to as a subject matter expert in my field. I'd like to be around the 100K mark financially. Eventually I'd like to take another position abroad, but not sure where.
I have one son now, but would like to adopt my second child. Hard to believe I'll have been married 10 yrs by then.

[Rusalka]

Too right, this is a horrible question :eek: ... but I'll answer it as best i can.

In 5 years I would like to have: my own apartment (doable IMO, if I save a bit); a better job than I have now (at the moment I'm usually bored all day long, but I suspect I'd have to take a pay cut to do something interesting); a SO (but I usually feel pessimistic about my chances).

One thing I think will happen is that many of my friends will have children in 5 years and be less inclined to spend time with me and other childless friends. But I could make some new friends, I guess.

Workaholic? - Kazakhstan?? Awesome! I would love to go there.

[Deni81]

Hmm in 5 years I will be 31 years old.....

I will have been done with my masters already and hope to be working in my chosen field of school counseling. Not sure if I want to work in the K-12 level or college yet. I hope to still be in my current relationship and engaged by 31.
I just hope to be happy, really.

[jrwilheim]

I hate this question, too, because I can't see how it's even useful to a potential employer, unless the goal is to have you regurgitate whatever the "standard" career path in career X would be, to see what you actually know about the profession.

Nobody really knows where they'll be in five years. If someone had told me 5 years ago, as a new college graduate, that I'd be heading off to Moscow to teach English as a Second Language, I would have laughed. But that's what I'm about to do.

[meatwad]

Well, you know, I think I'm just going to focus on Sunday. It is what it is. There's really no point looking beyond that right now.

[jr1012]

When you're asked this question during an interviews, aren't they just trying to see if you'll stick with them and help further their goals?

[LowCarbLife]

5 years will be here fast! I know the last 5 flew by like crazy!

I envision to....

1. Have enough saved for a nice down payment on a beautiful house (with a pool, not in a subdivision, and with all of the decorations/electronics that I want!)

2. Become married with my current SO. And he will be settled and in a successful position making nice moolah, as myself will hopefully be :) He is secretly having a QLC now, but will not admit it!!

3. Completed a Masters degree in Marketing/Advertising (paid for in full - yeah right, but I am having the glass half full)

4. Have paid off my current Student Loans and car. Also to have enough for a solid down payment on a NEW car

5. Have traveled to abroad

6. Have possibly moved to another state, not sure where yet, but hopefully somewhere cool...like D.C or Colorado.

7. Learned to speak espanol (at least enough to conversate and understand others) also to have learned sign language and helping the deaf/hard of hearing (it has just always been an intense passion of mine)

8. Planning on having my first baby! I can't wait!

9. Obtained a higher position in my current job (love my company, not necessarily my position) OR another marketing/advertising/PR position with a large firm

10. Have zero debt and putting money in the bank for retirement

11. Be a better volunteer for beneficial organizations (church volunteering, relay for life, etc - you get the idea)

Looks like I better get the ball going now huh? That is a lot to do and I don't even know where to begin, but I am pretty positive that each my above golas are attainable and reasonable.

[mlle]

Recently some interview expert guy came to my school and gave a talk about how to do well at interviews. Someone asked him the same thing you're asking, how do you answer the where-do-you-see-yourself-in-5-years question if you really don't know. He said to tell them that you honestly don't know where you'll be 5 years from now but that you'll put the best effort you can into this job if your hired, basically. He also said whatever you do don't say you wanna be an associate professor with tenure 5 yrs from now (this talk was geared toward PhD students looking for academic jobs but the general idea still holds for the rest of us, I would think).

I'm just hoping that in 5 yrs I'll at least know what I want to do with my life (not something I'd readily tell the prospective employer . . .).

[kellybeen18]

[QUOTE=dreams82]I currently do admin work at a non profit agency. I have been here for over 2.5 years. I am in a dead end job, with no where to move, not learning anything new, and not being challenged at all.[QUOTE]

I swear this is my life! I like my job and most of the people I work with, but I'm just so bored and I have no idea what I want to do with the rest of my life! I'm sorry I don't have any advice, but it might help to know there is some one else in your position.

[mcckt1983]

I have learned not to think so far ahead in the future. 5 years is a long time down the road and anything can happen in that period of time. In 1 year so many things can change in our lives. I feel that trying to focus on goals that far down the road leads us to live in a fantasy. Enjoy the present, so that life doesnt pass you by.:D

[vinsanity]

next time someone asks me that in an interview, I'm afraid I'll be too tempted to answer "sitting at the other side of this desk" :evil: :D

[sondra_finchley]

I dont think Ive been asked this question in a while, but as I sit here thinking about it I really have no clue where I will be/want to be in five years! i think a lot of that has to do with finally settling in after so much upheaval in my life for the last two years. Ive finally landed in a job thats a very good fit for my personality and skill set with a powerful, connected boss. There is room to grow in this position for sure, and we need to be here at least the next three years while the SO finishes his degree.

Ive kicked around doing an MBA or going back to school to get my swedish up to par or trying to sit the CFA. Ive some short term goals for the summer like learning to row and getting back to a bike team, but beyond that Im pretty much soaking things in right now. Maybe next year Ill have a clearer view of the future. What I do know is that i will likely NOT have children- im not a kids person by any means. Marriage.... eh- well see. We arent in any rush in that direction and its not necessary at all (ive never been the marrying kind either).

[PenforPrez]

I have no freakin clue, and it scares the hell out of me. :(

[dulcie]

If all goes well then I will be finished school in 3 years, so then hopefully by the 5 year mark I will be starting to get settled financially (and hopefully beginning to save up for a house, retirement, etc.). I would guess that my husband and I will have somewhat comfortable jobs, but will still be paying off student loans. Therefore we will likely still be renting, but will hopefully have better vehicle (both are over 10 years old now and sort of falling apart). Other than that, I really don't know. Maybe we'll be able to buy a house in 5 years, but I am not so sure. We really want to move to an Eastern province and hopefully we'll be there in 5 years, but it depends on job opportunities. It's unlikely that we will have kids at that point. For awhile now we've both been of the mindset that we don't want kids, so I would imagine that it won't change anytime soon, but again, you never know.

[Rob_Loblaw]

I just sold my business in Dec. Because apparently running a business isn't management experience for some reason to HR in Alberta (Or they think I'll leave and become the competition. Plus I have no inspiration as to what to start next), I plan on getting a management job in a field that I love like travel, music, etc... Then, after 2-3 or so years of work I will quit and travel extensively again, doing contract work that I will line up by then as I go.

That'll probably take care of my 5 years. Really, the job market here is wide open and all they want is 3-5 years of management experience (But apparently will not take any less) to do like 90% of the decent jobs. I'll then have more options when I come back.

I'm a huge proponent of going with the flow, so I won't be surprised if my plans change. If anything stays the same in my plans though it will be travel. I've up and left within 2 days of an idea before (Overseas, not to the next city) so it's not like I hav eto plan it months in advance.

[caostotale]

If I could see five years into the future, I would be assiduously writing down all of the future's sports stats. I would then spend the interim five years running up debts, travelling, and ballin' and then I would place bets on all of the sports stats when the time came. Life would rule...and I would never hear that stupid job interview question again.

[jenny_k]

If I could see five years into the future, I would be assiduously writing down all of the future's sports stats. I would then spend the interim five years running up debts, travelling, and ballin' and then I would place bets on all of the sports stats when the time came. Life would rule...and I would never hear that stupid job interview question again.



hahahaha, back to the future part II????

great movie! :)