Career Goals
Setting career goals early can help you hone in on career advancement. If you haven't set goals for yourself, there is no time like the present!
Setting Goals
Setting goals is actually an easy activity to do. It is also an important activity; no matter what career path you are taking. Most people set their career goals early, usually when they are in college. Obviously, when you are in college you have to declare a major that you will eventually graduate with, so for many, that is their first career goal. Even if you never went to college, planning your goals is the first step in achieving them. Where do you see yourself in 5, 10 or 15 years?
After Graduation
So, you've finally graduated from college, but now what? If you didn't land a job before graduation it is important to take stock of where you are headed. This is where setting some new goals is important. If you graduated with a degree you really don't care for, don't despair. Plenty of people graduated with a degree in sociology only to turn around and end up in banking and finance. What is important is that you take stock of what your strengths and weaknesses are.
Some questions you can ask yourself are:
- Are you a self-starter or do you need someone to help you along during the day?
- Do you like working inside or would you prefer working outdoors if given a choice?
- Do you like working with a lot of people or would you like working alone?
- Do you like being in charge, or would you prefer to follow others?
- Do you feel stifled if you have no creative outlet?
- Do you like talking on the phone?
- Do you like working with numbers?
- Do you love the written word?
Many of these questions are asked on career quizzes or as part of the job interview process. Each question let's people who are in a position to hire you know how you would fit in a particular job category or position. For example if you don't really like being in charge, it would be a waste of time for a company to put you in a management-training program. If you feel stifled when you have no creative outlet, working in a number crunching job would be a bad idea.
Put it in Writing
If you are one of the few people who have a degree, an internship under their belt and know exactly where they want to be in 5 years, congratulations! You are one of the few. If you don't fit into this particular group, write down your plans now. Writing down your goals helps you to make your future plans. It is also said that visualizing what you want can help you achieve those goals. Your plans don't have to be fancy, just use a piece of paper or a journal and start jotting down what you really want and hope to achieve, both in the here-and-now as well as long term.
Start by writing what you hope to achieve in the next month (this is helpful if you are job hunting), and then move on to a 6-month, 1 year, 5, 10 and 15-year plans. You can also edit whenever necessary, but the idea is to help you see if your career plan makes sense now as well as several years down the line.
Career Ideas
Still not sure where to start with planning your career goals? Perhaps you tried one career path but found out you hated it. Or, you are new to the "real world" and haven't a clue where to start. Begin by thinking of the things that make you the happiest. This will help you hone in on what you may be best at in terms of a career. Do you love animals? Consider working for a veterinarian, zoo or starting your own pet care business. If you love to write, consider a job writing for the web, working for a public relations firm or start a freelance business. Interested in money and investments? Consider working at a bank, hospital or even a non-profit agency.
Consider Other School Options
It is not unusual for someone to go for an advanced degree or even enroll in a technical college for additional training when their original career goals fall flat. This may be especially true if you received a degree in an area you have no real interest in. For example, a degree in criminology won't get you very far if you really want to teach elementary school. The same is true if you received a degree in operations management but you'd rather be creating furniture items or welding.
Volunteering
Finally, many people discount volunteering when they are unsure of their future career goals. Volunteering is a great way to work for a business and find out if it is a good fit for you. If you dislike the work environment or anything else, you can always leave- no strings attached. This is one way for people just out of college, or people who need a mid-career change, to discover what truly makes them happy.
