Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

I have never been comfortable answering the standard interview question, “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?” because I never planned my career in that way. Many people feel the same way. It’s not that we don’t have goals, but our goals are not oriented toward picking a spot for ourselves on the organization chart. Perhaps 30 years ago people in stable organizations could plan careers that way,  “I see myself as Director of ____ in 3 years,” or “I plan to be Vice President of ____ in 5 years.”

But those days are long gone. And it’s time to retire this old chestnut of an interview question.

I’ve always engaged in the types of problems that interest me, and spent my time getting better and better at solving the problems that I’m passionate about. If you show me a staffing problem, I’m endlessly interested and engaged, but if you show me an…