Steps in Planning Your Career

Setting a Goal Assignment For this assignment, you will set your goal. You can choose to set a semester goal for the class or a longer term goal; you can choose to set a professional goal or a personal goal. Whichever goal you choose to set, follow these guidelines to do so.

Your goal must be SMART. SMART stands for your goal to be

Specific – Spell out What? Why? When? How?

Measurable – Must have trackable results. Detail How much? How many? When? (Making a goal to “one day to be rich and retire” is not measurable…

Achievable – Effort needed? Likelihood of success based on your abilities, skills, and knowledge (just writing your goal down and reading it every day is not enough). Think of knowledge, abilities, and skills that you have and will need to acquire.

Realistic – your goal must be practical, relevant to you and your success/happiness, with resources available to achieve it. Be mindful about flexibility to change your course of actions versus not being able to do so should something go in a different direction.

Timely – Your goal must have a start date and a deadline. You can write down how you will address procrastination if needed.

Also, take time to think about (and write this down):

1. Motivation – in what ways are you motivated to accomplish this goal? What would happen if you did not attain this goal? How is your goal linked to the bigger picture? Will it give you more energy to achieve even more in a long run?

2. Steps you are going to take - what is your first step? Is your goal too big and overwhelming? 3. Visibility – Where will you place your written goal to make it visible? 4. Review and Assessment – How often will you review your progress? If you are not where you

should be, what would be your next step? Will you have to modify your goal? 5. Results and Celebration – What achieving the goal will mean to you and your success and

personal life? How will you reward yourself? Will you do so after accomplishing each step or once after you achieve your goal? How, when, and whom with will you celebrate?

6. Support Network – Will you need someone to motivate you? To help you get any steps accomplished? Will you need to find and meet new people? If so, how will you go about it?

7. Obstacles – What might happen on the way? What kind of obstacles you might need to overcome?

8. Adjustments – Can you goal be adjusted should anything go not as planned?

Now….create an Action Plan

Action Steps Time Line Add as many steps as you need