Getting Started
College is an ideal time for setting or resetting short- and long-term goals. A short-term goal might be to read a few pages from your history text twice a week for the first exam. A long-term goal might be to take college courses required for your program that would help you achieve your career goals.
Thinking about a career might seem unrelated to some of the general courses you are required to take in your first year. It may be hard to see the connection between a history or math course and what you want to do with the rest of your life. If you’re open to learning, you may discover potential areas of interest that you have not considered before—areas of interest that may lead you to discover a new career path.
Follow these guidelines to set some short-term goals, and consider how they fall within the framework of setting goals that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and achievable within a given Time (SMART):
- Be specific about what you want to achieve and when.
- State your goal in measurable terms.
- Be sure that the goal is achievable. If you don’t have the necessary skills, strengths, and resources to achieve your goal, change it. Be sure you really want to reach the goal. Don’t set out to work toward something only because you want to please others.
- Know how the goal is relevant to your life and why the goal matters. Be sure your goal helps your larger plan and can give you a sense of moving forward.
- Consider whether the goal is achievable within the time frame you desire. Consider the difficulties you might have. Plan for ways you might deal with problems. Decide which goal comes next. How will you begin? Create steps and a time line for reaching your next goal.
For instance, let’s assume that after you graduate you might want to get a job. What are some short-term goals that would help you reach this long-term objective? One goal might be to take courses that prepare you for the career of your choice. That goal isn’t very specific, however, nor does it state a particular time period. A much more specific goal would be to decide which courses you should take in which term. An even more specific goal would be to review the college catalog, identify all the courses you want to take, and list them on a personal timeline. You could also look for courses that give you the opportunity to gain some experience and help you better understand what kind of work you might be doing after you graduate. You can see an academic counselor or adviser who can help you create a program plan, specifying which courses you need to take and in what order.
It is always good to have some actual experience before making a final decision about your future work. Your goal for this week could be doing an online search or visiting your campus career counselor to find out about the knowledge and skills that your future job requires.
Before working toward any long-term goal, it’s important for you to be realistic and honest with yourself. Is this your goal—one you yourself want—or is this a goal that a parent or friend said was right for you? Given your abilities and interests, is the goal realistic? Remember that dreaming up long-term goals is the easy part. To reach your goals, you need to be specific and systematic about the steps you will take today, this week, and throughout your college experience. Because attending college costs a great deal of money, you need to set goals and make decisions about your major and career early to avoid any unnecessary coursework and extra cost.