Thanksgiving weekend this year was a quiet time for me. After several weeks when I was deeply immersed in my work, it felt odd to be away from work and to have so much free time on my hands. Appreciation text messages were sent to friends and family and I reflected on my numerous blessings in 2018. This led me to consider the progress of my career this year.

I spent time reflecting on what went right, recognizing milestones achieved, identifying things I could have done better and setting my goals for 2019. It was amazing what I discovered during this career audit. Things had progressed significantly – in the right direction. Most of the boxes on my January 2018 career to-do list had been crossed off. There were a couple of things I could have been done better. I spent a few hours identifying steps to ensure my 2019 career trajectory was better than in 2018. Next step: review my career plan with my career mentors.

At the beginning of this year in this space, I talked about the importance of identifying our career goals/visions. Career auditing is the process of evaluating your career to ensure it evolves in the direction that you envision or desire. Performing a career audit on a regular basis – annually or biennially – is a useful step to ensure sustained career advancement and ultimately career satisfaction. Career auditing can facilitate the identification of new opportunities to expand your career portfolio or restructure your current job description. Using the recommendations outlined in my new year article, your career audit can encompass the following themes:

Career Goals and Vision. Has your career vision changed? Are you moving towards your long-term career goal or have you become stuck in a rut? Do you want more or less responsibility at work? Can your job description be redefined to ensure that you're moving towards your desired job description?

Financial Planning. Are your personal finances in order? Are you making progress in your retirement savings goals? Are you due for a contract review? Are there additional activities which you perform for the health care organization which might merit a change in your compensation package?

Wellness and Work-Life Balance. Are you taking care of you? "You" encompasses both you as an individual and your family or loved ones. Have you had any health challenges that need to be addressed? Do you need to take steps to ensure that your work has not encroached on your life outside of work? Have you created a life outside of work – or made a plan to do so?

Lifelong Learning. Are you keeping up with current guidelines, skill sets and trends in your specialty?

After performing your career audit, identify the steps to achieve your desired change. If no change is required and you're satisfied with your career trajectory, keeping doing what you're doing. If a change is required to get your career on the right track, identify potential action plans. Do a brief SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis for every proposed course of action.

It may also be a good idea to discuss your career audit with your career mentor(s). The importance of mentorship cannot be overemphasized. Mentors can provide invaluable advice and a different perspective. If you don't have a career mentor, take time to identify and connect with a career mentor. Mentors can be within your local institution or external to your workplace. The ACC has launched a mentorship hub where ACC members can sign-up to be career mentors or receive career mentorship from leaders in cardiovascular medicine.

Regardless of the findings from your career audit, celebrate your successes – no matter how small (or large). Don't fall into the trap of measuring yourself against other people. There will always be a colleague with a larger research grant, more publications, latest scientific breakthrough, new award recognition, perfect children or the perfect spouse. Be the best that you can be. Don't be someone else.

Perhaps you've experienced a career misstep or failure this year. Mistakes happen. We learn from our mistakes and should try to move forward – beyond our failures and mistakes. Never lose confidence in yourself.

A new year awaits and a new beginning. Marie Curie, the first woman to receive a Nobel Prize said "Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something and that this thing must be attained." We've been blessed to be a part of the cardiovascular medicine team. As we take stock of our career milestones, embrace the new year ahead with a strategic plan for continued career success. Happy Holidays everyone!

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Nkechi Ijioma, MD, FACC, is an interventional cardiologist at Altru Health System in Grand Forks, ND, and clinical assistant professor at the University of North Dakota.

Clinical Topics: Cardiovascular Care Team

Keywords: ACC Publications, Cardiology Magazine, Mentors, Workplace, Spouses, Job Description, Goals, Retirement, Friends, Nobel Prize, Holidays, Text Messaging, Job Satisfaction, Work-Life Balance, Personal Satisfaction, Achievement, Research, Happiness

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