Goals & Career Objectives

Goals and career objectives provide a framework for professionals and college students to define their ideal path in life. Without goals, there is no direction, no purpose and no destination. Goals allow people to feel a sense of accomplishment after a milestone has been reached, and career objectives help focus a job seeker's energies to a particular area.

Significance

Goals and career objectives are an outline of a person's ideal path in life. Most people have goals, whether or not they are job- or work-related. Goals and career objectives allow people to focus their energies on an end result. Having goals can enable a person to identify specific tasks or steps that need to be accomplished along the way in order to reach the desired destination. For example, a student with a career objective of becoming a doctor knows that she must take health-related college courses in order to get into medical school.

Types

Goals, in general, do not have to be tied to a particular career ambition. Career objectives, on the other hand, are directly related to work or career. A goal can be any achievement you'd like to accomplish, no matter how simple. Even something as ordinary as getting to the grocery store before five o'clock can be considered a goal. Career objectives are ideals of what you would like to achieve in your career, and can be a company you'd like to work for, a position title you'd like to hold or a promotion you'd like to receive at your current employer.

Function

Goals and career objectives are the starting point for creating a plan. Once a person has defined a career objective or a goal, she can then determine what intermediate steps are necessary to achieve that goal. For example, a dental hygenist who decides she wants to change careers and become a financial planner could further define her goals after stating her objective. This person's next steps could consist of taking a financial planning certification course, interviewing with financial planning organizations, job shadowing and networking to build a base of clients.

Benefits

Goals and career objectives can motivate you to take action to reach your destination. Without defined goals, you wouldn't have a reason to take a college course, work late on a big project at your company or volunteer at the local women's shelter. Everything you do has a purpose and an underlying reason. Goals serve to provide the extra push you need to take the next step in life.

Misconceptions

Some people say they don't like to set goals because they never achieve them. No matter how large or seemingly unrealistic your goals seem to you, setting goals with good intentions can only help you. Even if you never reach your defined destination, you'll end up farther along in your journey than if you had sat idly by and watched life pass around you. You may not end up being the next CEO of your organization, but you might end up being a regional manager or the CEO of a competing company due to the efforts you set forth.

Resources

• Goals and Career Objectives - A Personal Checklist
• Career Objective Guide
• How to Write Your Career Objective