As your career evolves your goals and aspirations also change. When we are in our younger years we are chasing many things - income, status and as your career matures things like security and flexibility command more of a focus. Here we take a look at the various generations of work life.

20's - The chasing years

Remember this time - looking forward to your salary going in to your account, having a big shopping day with friends followed by dinner, drinks and late night partying!

In your twenties you are finding your feet and chasing your career. You have bags of energy but little experience. You tend to have very few financial obligations and start to put good use the skills you acquired at school, college or university. You establish new friendships and generally start navigating the rules of the working world. It is during this time that you start to figure out where your career may be as you look around the company at staff in more senior positions. You may also at this stage start to work out where you do not want your career to be as you move around and try and establish what fits. You want to earn more, have access to training and development and have an expectation that your career will be developed.

"Jenny graduated from Uni with a Degree in Business & Accounting. She had the perfect start to her career, selecting a leading Accounting firm as her employer, being trained over 7 years in various rotations and promotions of roles. She worked long hours and travelled a lot. She purchased her first home in her mid twenties and enjoyed well earned holidays overseas. At this stage in Jenny's career she was working and playing hard."

30's - The creating years

It is not really until your late twenties/early thirties that you have sussed out where you want to be. A lot of people have decided on their career path in their thirties and really start to create their future. They become special at something, experts even, show casing their skills. Not only do you want to earn good money but you also look for stability and flexibility. For many this is the time where they may take a break in their career to have a family. For others they may have decided that they want to balance in their work and life.

"To balance her hectic work schedule Sian took up Yoga. She realised how much she enjoyed it, the peace and quiet in her mind and taking the time out from her busy schedule. She started a course to understand the principles of Yoga and wanted to learn how to teach in her spare time. She now plans to open her own studio. Her early career efforts are not wasted; she is well prepared for the business side of things and has new energy and passion of bringing balance and relaxation into the workplace".

40's - The insightful years

You may have had a career that has spanned some 20 years by now and it is time to share some of your wisdom. People at this stage in their career are well placed to pass on their knowledge and guidance to the ‘up and coming' generation. Being able to create insight and make an impression on other people's careers through formal or informal mentoring. During this stage you still need to be competitive. There are people biting at your ankles for your job. So keep up to date with new technologies and skills that will help you keep a step ahead. Do not do this and you could well end up being overtaken.

"Peter knew that the Marketing landscape had changed. There was so much to keep up to date with technology and social media. He was hiring and managing people in his team but not knowing how to do their job. He decided that to remain competitive he needed to enhance his skills, choosing to go on a course for Digital Marketing. Not only did he learn a lot but he now has an understanding of the new generation of marketeers and what is needed for his business. The role of mentoring was valuable with his team teaching him new skills in return for his experience."

50's and beyond - The consolidation years

By this point you will definitely want to be consolidating your experience both in terms of life experience and that of work. You may not be climbing the career ladder anymore but you certainly still want to be adding value. Your experience counts for a lot here and whist you may not take risks you did in your early career you are still keen to encourage others to be performing at their best.

"Sarah worked 9-5 four days a week. She knew the company inside and out and was the go to for a lot of advice. Sarah was also asked to be a mentor for one of her daughter's friends businesses. She enjoyed spending more time with her family and started to consolidate her plan of retiring."

Sally-Anne Blanshard is the Career Manager for myambition.com a career development website that helps professionals accelerate their job search and career strategies. www.myambition.com