Long Term Career Goals

Career goals are goals that you set for your career path. They can be anything from your career choice to where you want to be in your career in a certain number of years. A career defines how you want to spend a large part of your life, so career goal setting is something that everyone should be doing regardless of what career they choose. Goals are necessary for all productive and progressive activities. However, there are two types of goals, which are adhered to by the people who wish to move ahead in life. The two types of career goals are long term career goals and short term career goals.

A long-term career goal is a goal that incorporates all the information that you have gathered through Self-discovery and Investigation but may take several years of training and/or education to accomplish. An example of long-term career goals can include starting your own private counseling practice, or becoming the head of a large advertising agency. A short-term career goal can be defined as a stepping stone needed to prepare you for your long-term goal. An example of short-term career goals can include getting certified as a private counselor, or getting a Bachelor of Arts degree in Graphic Design. Long-term career planning usually involves a planning window of five years or longer and involves a broad set of guidelines and preparation. Businesses, careers, and the workplace are rapidly changing, and the skills that you have or plan for today may not be in demand years from now. Long-range career planning should be more about identifying and developing core skills that employers will always value while developing your personal and career goals in broad strokes.

The important thing to remember when setting your goals is to be flexible. If you encounter barriers that seem like they might impede on your progress, don’t give up on your goals. Instead, modify them to meet your current situation. However, if a particular goal becomes something that is no longer important to you, then you should be open to letting it go. That will allow you to put your energy into pursuing goals that are important to you.