Take Charge of Your Career.

These days, more and more people are dissatisfied with their job and yearn for a more challenging position within their organization that will give them intellectual, personal and financial growth. If you are tired of floundering with the same job title while others seem to swim ahead, then it is time to take charge of your career to achieve the professional status you desire. Only if you take action can you get noticed and put your career in overdrive. Below are the top five career furthering ideas.

1. Stand out and be noticed.

In today's business world, it's not enough to just prove yourself technically in your field. You must also be the best at what you do, whether it's sales, computer graphics, marketing or financial planning. Your results must be exceptional for the company to truly value what you are doing and to notice your bottom line contribution. In order to accomplish this, you need to first develop your career plan and discuss your career aspirations with your manager. Also, keep your manager and upper management up-to-date on your contributions and accomplishments. Don't be afraid to toot your own horn, but don't overdo it.

2. Write down your goals.

Having career goals is a sure step to success. However, unless you write those goals down, all you really have are wishful dreams that may or may not come true. Writing down your goals makes you accountable for them and encourages you to strive harder to achieve them. When determining your career goals, consider where you want to be in 5, 10 and 15 years. Remember to always keep your goals specific. Instead of simply stating that you want to close more sales contracts or earn more money, determine specific objectives such as increasing sales by 15 percent or earning $20,000 more. Also, the more you can visualize yourself achieving the goals, the better your chances of actually doing so.

3. Decide if you need to make a career change.

Many of the top executives interviewed in the book Playing with the Big Boys wish they had accelerated their careers by making a career change earlier than they did. To determine if you need to make a change in order to get ahead, ask yourself the following: "How long have I been here?" and "What would have to happen for me ...