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Once you have a career in mind, how do you achieve this goal? The
best way to achieve your goal is by having a plan. All long-term
goals should be broken down into smaller steps. This helps prevent
you from becoming overwhelmed by the “big picture.” Breaking your
goals down into manageable chunks is the easiest way to create a
vision for setting and achieving your goals.
Why is Goal Setting important?
- Having a clear plan of what you want to achieve and how you
are going to get there helps keep you motivated.
- You can easily measure your progress as you complete each step
toward achieving your goal.
- Once goals are reached, you will gain confidence in knowing
that you can set and achieve your goals.
Remember, goals are personal as well as professional. Writing
down your goals makes them more concrete and real.
When developing a career plan, goal setting
includes:
1) Your career choice.
Be as specific as
possible! Write down not only the type of career you are pursuing
but the type of organization you’d like to work for and in what area
of the country. Also, jot down your back up plan--career option #2
and option #3.
2) The type of education/training needed for your
career.
There are many different types of degrees and
training programs required for various occupations. Find out what
you need to do to prepare to enter your career of choice.
3) Where you plan to receive the education/training for
your career.
If you are pursuing a career that is very
competitive, you may want to identify more than one college or
training site to increase your options for acceptance into the
program. Using the Discover software can help you identify colleges
that have your major.
4) How you will fund your education.
The
reality is most of us don’t have the money to pay for 100% our
education sitting in a savings account. If this is true for you,
visit your financial aid office to obtain information on
scholarships, grants, and loans.
5) Include a time line.
Breaking down your
coursework by quarter (or semester) can help you plan out the
education/training that lies ahead of you.
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