Setting Career Goals – Part 2

In last week’s part one on this topic I looked briefly at what constitutes a career that gives satisfaction to most people, and the importance of and some general ways to begin setting goals to achieve that type of career path. Today, I would like to look at some of the specific areas to consider when setting career objectives and long term career goals, to give you an idea of some direction to begin thinking on when laying out your goals.

In order to keep yourself “fresh” as well as offering your business the best knowledge and resources you can offer, you should be always looking out for ways to enhance and improve upon your skills and knowledge. Growing within your career skills is important to stay sharp for yourself, but also keeps you that much more of an asset to your employer or clients. So look for ways to upgrade your skills, whether it is by additional education or simply self-education by working through a “how-to” type book, depending on your career type. In the end, you want to find new avenues of growth that will both stimulate you in your skills, as well as make you more employable.

 Set a long term goal for where you want to be in a few years, and discover the steps needed to reach that goal, and then get on the path to reaching it. Once you have acquired the skills needed to do your job in an above average manner, set your sites on becoming a team leader or manager for your position.

Not having all of your eggs in one basket may be something worth considering depending on your career path. An employer hires because of the skills and service you provide, so having more than one skill set is well worth your time to acquire. So, once you are proficient in your field, it may be a good idea to look at ways to acquire proficiency in a related, parallel career path. Not only does it make you a more employable asset, but it can serve as a backup plan if you need to make a career switch down the line.

After years of experience and growth, and you become highly skilled and knowledgeable in your field, it may be worth looking into branching out and becoming a job consultant in your field (depending of course on your field). This is a way to go from actually doing the job, to becoming more of a trainer/instructor/advisor about the job. If you have a love for your career, and a desire for sharing that love with others, then becoming a consultant or instructor in the field may be worth considering.

For many people, the ultimate goal would be to work into a position where you are a high ranking official in a company, and then to get to a point where you are able to actually branch off and start your own company. Is entrepreneurship one of your goals? Have you considered it? Do you feel you have something to offer that is different enough from the rest of the pack that you could move into that direction for your career?

Well, I hope some of this has at least stimulated you to thinking about where to go from here, how to set goals and objectives, and how to get onto a path to reach those goals. All jobs are different, so while some of the above may not be as applicable directly to your situation, much of it should be enable you able to glean some basic principles to apply to your specific situation. In most all careers, the main thing is setting and keeping to your goals.