Five Tips for Setting and Achieving Career Goals

The definition of success is different for everyone. This is why setting goals for your education and future career is so important. Without a plan of where you want to go and how you’re going to get there, it’s difficult to accomplish anything. A healthy dose of willpower doesn’t hurt either.

The task of setting goals and holding oneself accountable should be nothing new to college students who attend, as it requires them to be self-starters, find their own source of motivation, and work at their own pace to get coursework done.

If you are in the process of setting career goals for yourself, here are five tips you can use to make sure you can follow through and accomplish them.

1. Be specific.

When identifying your goals, it’s important to be specific about what you want to achieve. Vague statements like, “I want to be more successful,” make it impossible for you to determine whether or not you have met your goal. More specific goals, like “I want to find a new job,” are easier to visualize and obtain. When possible, set measurable goals – set a time frame and/or specify amounts for your intention.

2. Be positive.

When framing your goal, it’s better to think positive. For example, when setting a standard for your academic performance, instead of saying, “I don’t want to fail any classes” or “I won’t get in to that program with my grades” say “I aim to get at least a 3.0 GPA” or “I can take a make-up course and meet the requirements”. Putting yourself in a positive mindset will help you stay motivated and enthusiastic about your ambitions.

3. Be realistic.

Don’t set yourself up for failure. Identify and choose goals that are challenging, but within your reach. Prioritize a few main goals rather than spreading yourself too thin. Willpower is like a muscle, and if you try to achieve too many things at once, you just might get “fatigued” and sabotage your chances of achieving any of them. Break each goal into steps, or mini-goals, to make the tasks seem less daunting so they are easier to complete.

4. Make connections between actions and goals.

Once you have decided what you would like to accomplish, it’s important to identify how you will get there. Tying actions to each goal not only helps you build a road map to success, but also verifies that the goal is obtainable.

5. Assess and revise accordingly.

It’s important to have a certain degree of flexibility with the goals that you set. Your aspirations, as well as your circumstances, are likely to change at any point after long-term goals are set. Assess and revise your goals as these changes arise in order to make sure you are working toward something you actually want.

If your path to career success includes pursuing a college degree, Bryant & Stratton College might be for you. Our programs aim to help students achieve their academic goals and prepare for career success after graduation.

Interested in learning more about the online degree programs offered by Bryant & Stratton College? Call 1.888.447.3528 to speak with an admissions representative.