Career Speed vs. Career Velocity

When I lived in New York City, I would commute from 125th Street on the west side of Manhattan to the United Nations, which is on 44th street by the East River. Distance-wise, it was 7 miles (11.2 kilometers) away. The rate at which I traveled (speed) was usually the same amount every day. My walking speed and the subway speed rarely significantly changed. The one thing that did change each day was the time it took to go 7 miles from my apartment to the United Nations building (velocity). It ranged from 35 - 50 minutes. 

Simply put, speed is how fast you are going. Velocity is how fast you are traveling to your destination. Speed and velocity are related, but without a direction, you may be going fast (speed), but not going anywhere fast (velocity).

"Without a direction, you may be going fast, but not going anywhere fast."

Heading to work each day, if my speed was the same, how come my velocity changed? Well, there were obstacles in the way. The subway was late, the subway car was too full, so I had to wait for the next one, I left during the peak of rush hour, there was a street event that took longer to walk through, or there were more people on the street than usual. 

Using this metaphor in comparison with your career, where do you have career speed vs. career velocity? Here are 10 questions to gauge if you have career speed, velocity, or both:

1. What is my career direction?
2. At what speed am I traveling each day? 
3. At what velocity am I traveling each day?
4. What habits contribute to speed and velocity?
5. What obstacles do I encounter that increase or decrease my speed and velocity?  
6. How is my communication with my team or managers impacting my career speed and velocity?
7. What impact are my projects having on my speed and velocity?
8. Do my managers know what I'm working towards? Do they support it? 
9. Where do I spend my time each day? How are those activities contributing to my career speed and velocity?
10. Where will I be in 2 years, 5 years, and 10 years if I remain on my current path?

If you are early in your career, be mindful of your career speed vs. career velocity, and be deliberate in choices you're making that will either hinder or speed up where you want to go. Sometimes you may not know if you have a high rate of speed, velocity, or both. Keep moving, adapt your direction, and adjust your speed, and you'll find the career path that will get you where you want to go with high speed and velocity.