We’ve all heard it before: “You’re lucky to haveanyjob.”

It doesn’t have to be this way.

This week, we reflect on what to do when your job isn’t going anywhere.

Build on those items and write down what you wish you could do every day.

Some people call it “wasting time on Reddit,” but the right employer may call it research.

Now, start thinking long-term.

Ask yourself, “Will I want to keep doing these things in a year?

What about two, or five?”

Don’t be discouraged if you’re not sure.

Ask yourself these questions:

What am I best at doing, both personally and professionally?

What am I terrible at?

Do I want to stay in this job?

If I want to change industries, which field am I interested in?

What is it about that industry that excites me?

Has it always interested me?

What am I doing already that will serve me well in that field?

What key in of company would I like to work for?

What about that company is most important to me?

Looking at the list of things I love doing, what kind of job uses those skills?

Who does those things every day?

Review Your Answers:The point of these questions is to help you evaluate your goals.

They help you determine what types of jobs involve the tasks you said you enjoy doing.

Pretend you land the perfect job.

Now think about where you’d like to go from there.

Would you like to keep doing it on a more advanced level?

Perhaps you’d like to manage people who do what you do now?

Once you’ve finished writing all of this down, you should have a pretty good self-evaluation.

Now you’re ready for the next step: actually building your plan.

Scour Job Search Sites: Most people are used to searching job sites for job titles.

Try searching for a function or task that you enjoy instead.

Most job search engines will match your keywords with job responsibilities as well as required skills in job listings.

you might find more testsat About.com.

Ask your friends and family, even your colleagues about their previous jobs.

When I explained this to her, she was surprised.

Do some research on where those jobs usually lead.

In most technical roles, it’s one or the other.

When I started looking at other companies, I learned that having one makes you more marketable.

Congratulations: you have a personalized career plan, based on your interests and your skills.

Now all that’s left is the hard part: deciding which direction you’d like to take.

Your career plan shouldn’t be a dead document.

You may be getting valuable experience now that can lead you to the career you love, given time.