Career growth isn’t just about dreaming big—it’s about taking action. This January, Oracle’s employees gathered for our Global Career Development Expo: a journey designed to help everyone, at every career stage, reach their goals. Here’s how the event inspired us—and how you can apply these lessons to your own career journey.

Executive insights

We began with a fireside panel of Oracle leaders, who shared invaluable advice for anyone wanting to make career progress. Here’s what we learned:

  • Continuous learning and growing are essential. As our industry transforms rapidly, taking time for self-reflection, learning how to learn, expanding your skills, and staying curious are more important than ever.
  • Growth isn’t always a straight path. Those who set intentions, embrace new challenges, and remain adaptable are best positioned to thrive.
  • Oracle is committed to supporting you through resources, strategies, and guidance so you can take action to invest in your skills, your ambitions, and your unique career journey..

After this, attendees dove into daily sessions designed to turn insights into action.

Clarify your vision

Day one was focused on helping our people uncover how their talents can shine in a transforming world. Through expert-led sessions, they discovered how to discover their strengths, clarify their vision, and explore growth opportunities to help define a motivating career direction. Check out some of the main lessons below to supercharge your career potential.

Actions for you:

  • Reflect on your energizers: Block out 15 minutes this week to recall projects that made you feel fulfilled—both professionally and personally. What strengths did you use?
  • Request honest feedback: Ask a mentor, colleague, or friend what they view as your top three strengths. Compare their list to your own for deeper insights.
  • Consider your current life stage—early career, raising a family, mid-career transitions or planning for retirement. Think about how your circumstances today (or changes ahead) may shape your wants, needs, and priorities. Align your career ambitions with these realities to set goals that are both inspiring and sustainable, now and in the future.
  • Document what you want to change and how much: Identify one area in your career that feels stagnant or misaligned with your vision. Recognizing the gap is the first actionable step toward change.
  • Think through your strengths, values, and interests to find your “why”. Write a one-sentence statement summarizing how you do your best work and use it to guide you onto a more meaningful career path (e.g., “I feel most energized when I’m solving complex problems that help others succeed.”).

Plan with purpose

Day two focused on turning insights into concrete plans. We encouraged everyone to set attainable goals and design a roadmap for real progress. Now, it’s your turn!

Actions for you:

  • Set a SMART goal: Choose one learning goal and make it specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time bound. For example: “Complete a foundational cloud skills course in the next six weeks that will help you become your team’s cloud guru.”
  • Break it into micro-steps: List two or three immediate actions that will bring you closer to that goal, such as registering for the course, updating your schedule to reserve learning time, or scheduling a networking coffee with an expert colleague.
  • Create a check-in habit: Set a recurring calendar reminder every week to assess your progress. Adjust your steps as needed but keep moving forward.
  • Share your goal with an accountability partner: Let someone you trust know what you’re working on. Their encouragement and feedback can help you stick to your plan.

Own your journey

The final day was about taking action and using resources to build the habit of lifelong learning and growing. Oracle showcased its suite of career development and learning resources, including those with AI, to help make this easier. We also covered how free online training and content from providers like LinkedIn Learning, O’Reilly, Coursera, and IEEE can help build new skills and achieve certifications.

Actions for you:

  • Align your goals with free online learning: Dedicate an hour this month to browse Oracle’s free training portal or another learning resource. Choose one course that aligns with your goals.
  • Practice a new skill: Implement what you learn with a mini project or volunteer those skills in your current role or personal projects.
  • Expand your network: Join a webinar or virtual community related to your target skills or career path of interest. Talk to someone you meet about shared interests, career journeys, and the skills they use in their area.
  • Document your wins: Keep a running list of new skills, capabilities, certifications, and or experiences. This habit builds confidence and makes updating your resume or LinkedIn much easier.

Remember, career success is built through your actions—big and small, every day. By reflecting on your strengths, setting purposeful goals, and taking practical steps to learn and grow, you can make progress on your career path and aspirations.

The best time to take the next step is now. Your future is shaped by the actions you choose today—one step at a time. Check out our latest career opportunities, plus, join the Oracle Talent Network for advice, insights, and more.