[Thanks to Dillon for sharing the career action plan report, which was a culminating project for a college career planning class.]
When I first started this course my knowledge was pretty limited regarding my career and future goals and included what I hear mostly from family, friends and what I gathered from the news/T.V. My decision-making process was pretty refined, but not really perfect. What this course really helped me do was show me a way, a much more efficient way, to research and organize my goals and aspirations. Like I said earlier, prior to this, my decision-making process was pretty refined to what I was doing–I could clearly identify what I wanted from what I knew. However, as I learned more and became more advanced in my research methods, I began to question my decision process. Eventually this led to an overhaul of what my thought process was regarding decision making. It still retains the main core elements of my original process, but now, not only is it refined, it clear and consistent. All of this has led me to not only refine what I want to do from a career/major prospective, but it has also given me a plan.
Originally I wanted to do what my father does, process development. While I still wish to be in that field, I now know how to find careers at businesses, what to expect salary and work environment wise, and how this will affect me in the long run. My goals for what I want to do in the future haven’t changed much–I still want a nice house, with a stable income and a great family. What has changed is how I go about obtaining these goals. Goals for the near future have changed quite a bit since I started this class. Not only have I been able to more clearly and thoughtfully identify my goals, but I’ve had a bit of a realization on how my goals can be obtained and how they can be enacted. Near future goals include mainly getting my degree and getting a stable job, which in this economy is easier said than done.
I first came up with my future goals a while ago. I’ve always wanted a stable income, happy family, a decent place to live, and a nice life. Those goals have been a constant throughout most of my life. Realistically speaking, I’d like to have, at least the stable job and house, obtained by age thirty. I realize that it may come sooner than that, but I’d rather be surprised than disappointed. The other long term goals will come with time, and I don’t think it would be appropriate to put a time frame on those. They are something only time can tell.
Short term goals have changed dramatically in the last couple years, with the most radical changes in the last quarter or so. These short term goals, since by their nature, are constantly evolving, and as such, most have been thought of rather recently. Getting my degree has always been a constant short term goal, but it’s now more than ever, obtainable. The other short term goals, getting a job and starting my life, have been much more refined over the last quarter. Before this it was merely a thought in my head that was constantly being thought of. Now it’s becoming more of a reality. I’ve set out plans to obtain these goals. I have the process actually down on paper, and all that is needed is the time to get it all into place, which makes things all the more exciting.
I could say that I used some elaborate new thought process, but I think I would only be deceiving myself. I’ve always been a person who has been able to think things through and have been a dreamer of sorts. As I have stated above, my process has become more refined and has many more tools now to craft my ideas out. Ultimately though, it all boiled down to what I thought was the most realistic goals for me to set in the near future, and what I thought would be obtainable in the distant future. Setting unrealistic goals usually leads to disappointment, and thus lacks a reason for even setting them. So I decided to aim for what was obtainable, and maybe a little bit more. The thought process was aided by the new tools I’ve learned from this course on thinking critically about what is obtainable, and the new tools to research these goals, all culminating to the most realistic goals possible.
These goals are what I want to be in the future. They are not something that has been forced on me, or something that has been planted in my head. These are my goals. As such, they fit me and how I am perfectly. I think to be anything else would not only be deceiving myself, but even harming myself. Why would I want a career that, while makes life easier, makes me miserable? Why would I want a degree that I simply want for the sake of getting a degree? Why would I want a family that I cannot support? Setting goals should be setting things that you want to do, not what your parents want, or what your friends want, or even what’s easiest. It should be things you aspire for, things you desire. For what purpose would living life be if it’s not your life? The purpose of life is to be happy and content. Making decisions in your life that leads to anything else would seem rather foolish if you ask me.
The constant and looming pitfall to any goal is the fact that life is unpredictable. I could sit here and say, well if I don’t do well in school all my goals could be thrown out the window. Or, if I slack off, things won’t turn out my way. Ultimately what makes life, fun and happy, is the fact that it’s unpredictable. I don’t know if I could live a life that was planned out for me. Things don’t always go according to how you think they will, or even want them to go. As such, like I said earlier, that is why my goals seem to be constantly evolving. The most valuable thing is to make sure you have the tools to set the goals up, so that the unpredictable is something that can be dealt with, something that can flow into your goals. The pitfalls that are predictable should be planned for; otherwise, it seems life is just a ride that you’re along for.
The most important thing I believe to being successful in your plans is having someone to support you and offer their advice. This makes family and friends very invaluable. While I don’t think they should be setting our goals, I think their advice and forethought is something that can really make or break it for you. Even if you don’t agree with what is said, at least you have another opinion to consider. They may even offer insight to some of life’s great pitfalls. As for finance and other variables, I think that only time can tell. Currently, I’m fine financially. I have planned ahead, and have enough cash to make it through a university. Other variables such as time and patience are things that are constantly evolving. Personally, I think that your use of time is really in your control. Don’t put off what can be done today till tomorrow. If you manage things properly, a 24 hour day is really a perfect day. Eventually you may not have enough time because of things beyond your control, but that is something that you must just adapt to and make the best of.
Some things that will really help me obtain my goals are concentration and conviction. Sticking to what I know works can really make your plans come true. Constant revisiting of how you are going to obtain your goals is a must in this ever changing world. Some activities that can really make a difference is just revising goals and staying on top of things. Time-wise, I hope to get my BS in Business Administration in the next 2 years and obtain a job right after that. Really I think setting out activities to make sure you’re on plan may sometimes be not for the best. If you are happy with where things are going then maybe your plans should evolve with that. If you’re not happy with the way things are going, then setting plan revisiting sessions are a nice way to keep your life in order.
I think looking at what my dad is doing every day, raising a family by himself, really keeps me motivated. I know it’s possible, and I know it can work. I just have to get it done. This keeps me extremely motivated and keeps me striving for my goals. I really think he is the thing that keeps me motivated. He’s done so much with so little. It really shows me that the American dream is still alive. As I said above, the course has really given me a whole bunch of new tools to refine my thinking process and has helped me with my researching abilities. I really do give it credit for showing me the potential for my researching capabilities. To say in a rather cliché way, it has expanded my horizons. All in all, the class was extremely beneficial in helping me grow as a student and as an individual.
There is always something to be learned, that’s just a fact of life. Currently, I could just continue to increase my skills in researching, but the how is currently beyond me. As time goes on, and my experiences grow, I’ll find things I need to learn and ways of doing them. It’s a step in life, and I can’t really get around it. This class just made the current step, all that much better.
Related posts:
