Everybody has a career and it is a central part of life as humans. Careers can be rewarding financially and enhancing to our wellbeing. Why is it that many people have careers they are not passionate about and approach half-heartedly? At the root cause is people having jobs they went into without much thought and consideration. Today this article will focus on how you can go into a career with a clarity of mind based on goal-motivation theory. In this article I will not focus on discovering your career, more on that on my article on career discovery. In the subsequent paragraphs you will read on career goals and goal formulation.
What is a career?
A career is the series of job(s) held in a lifetime. A career has several attributes such as length, impact and multiple careers. Length in terms of life long, temporary, medium term and advanced or declining years.
For instance, a retired teacher was a career teacher, or a former nurse once a career nurse or any other profession for that matter.
In the 21st century the average adult held several jobs varying from a few months to 2 years, 5 or even over 10 years. Jobs have become increasingly scarce therefore job security is increasingly becoming a concern for many folks in developing nations.
The qualification of a person also defines his career, for instance a successful business man, lawyer, doctor, teacher or politician with integrity.
What is a career goal?
What is your ideal career? Which sector do you love to work? What courses are you passionate about? What makes you angry about the things you see around yourself?
Your answers to these questions leave clues as to what your career goal could be. A career goal in short, medium- or long-term may be ideal work you want to engage in. Some people have just one career and others have pivoted into other careers along the way, all the same a career goal and reclarification of goals is needed along your career journey.
A career goal could be for a year, 3 years, 5 or 10 years and even for a lifetime. A career goal could be at the start or even set whiles you are in your current career journey. Goal setting should be applied in every area of your life.
Career discovery first
The sages said for lack of knowledge my people perish, and similarly for lack of knowledge of a discovery of your career path people perish in mediocrity and under performance. For more on career discovery read my article 6 career codes to unlock your career path and others.
Formulating and writing your career goal
You career goal is a process of unearthing your talents, attributes, comfort zones, potentials, skills, capacities, ideals, desires and aspirations and abilities imbedded in you. The career goal formulation should be as specific, measurable and timebound as possible, let your aspirations be your limit. A clue always tailor all your aspiration and career goals toward the greater good of mankind.
Your career goal should be written down and committed to your mental screen and heart, see it, feel the fulfillment, visualize it and visualize how to take steps to reach it. And you have get busy getting it. Your career goal should read as follows:
I,(your name) of Address xxxxxx, located at xxxxx, do hereby commit that I will work toward the attainment of xxxxxxxxxx career goal in the xxxxxxx industry or sector of society by xxxxxx date. I will progressively work toward this goal to the greater good of all humanity. I pledge to use my skills talents and resources to bless humankind, my family and myself.
Key takeaways
What I envisage for you is that you will write career goal, commit it to memory, think about it, fantasize it and get busy working on it. You should absolutely go through the soul searching process of career discovery with your family, friends and acquaintances after which your career goal can have substance. It is a painstaking process but more rewarding.
Clarify your career aspirations and goals.
Write your career goals.
Get a mentor or model who had succeeded in your area.
Start working on your career goals.
Break your goal into chunks and work on them.
Review your progress
Celebrate success and learn from challenges and problems.
Be positive
You will exceed your own expectation, and very often so.
