Assignment: Creating a Career Goal

Use the instructions and format below to create your own individual career goal. Then, post your final career goal into the discussion topic.

My Goal Sheet

Use steps 1, 2 and 3 to draft your own goal sheet. This will help you complete step 4. Developing a career goal is a great way to take charge of planning your career and a useful tool to manage your career effectively. Many individuals may not know how to develop a career goal; follow the steps below to help you determine where to start. There are a few steps that can be helpful in determining your career goal, which include: conducting a self-assessment, exploring industries/careers, and determining factors that are non-negotiable (ex: location, salary, and need for health care). The final step of goal setting is writing the first draft of your goal.

Step One: Self-Assessment. Reflect and answer the following questions:

• What do you do well? Im a quit learner

• What energizes you? Welling to make money for my family

• If you knew you couldn't fail, what would you do? Invent something very useful

• What high school subjects did you do well in math?

• What issues do family and friends come to you for help relationship?

• What do you receive praise for at work or home? I don't work, but from home No (well sometimes if some bring up how I'm doing in school)

• What are some of your greatest accomplishments? Keeping a roof over my kid's head, because I was homeless and finishing my AA in early childhood education

• What is something you do where you lose track of time when you are doing it?Finding ways to pay my bills

Step Two: Career Exploration (I want to become a full time middle school teacher)

Explore job industries by conducting research on the type of careers that use your interests and skillset. Websites such as the O*Net Online, the Occupational Outlook Handbook and Bureau of Labor Statistics are great resources for career exploration, job analysis, and education requirements.

Ask a professional in your career field of interest for an informational interview. Informational interviews are a great way to gather information from a direct contact about his or her role. There are various ways to pursue an informational interview. For example, company websites, social networking, newspaper ads, and professional associations are avenues a job seeker can take.

Also, while deciding on a goal, consider your current lifestyle and where you would like to be in the future. Some helpful questions to consider are:

• Does the career you want pay a salary that meets your needs? For now, yes

• Will it offer you opportunities to advance? Yes

• Are you comfortable sitting at a desk all day or do you prefer to travel? Both, but right now sitting at a desk only because my kids are young

• Is the career you're considering likely to be around when you're ready for a job?Yes

Step Three: Determining your non-negotiable items

Although we may not speak them aloud, we each have things we are not willing to compromise on. During this step, write out your must haves for your future career.

To help get you started, think about the minimum salary you need to have, where you want to live, and desired work hours. (if you can think of something else for below you can put as long as it deals with middle school teacher)

Step Four: Pulling it all together: Write the first draft of your goal 250 words

Now that you have conducted a self-assessment, explored industries and occupations, and written down your non-negotiable items, what are your future career goals? In the space below, write your career goal, and be as specific as possible.

Example Career Goal:

I would like to become a project manager within a large organization (5000+ employees) utilizing my organizational skills, education in organization development, my ability to strategically plan and my detailed oriented nature. Since I have a family, I must have a salary of $50,000 or more, work within 25 miles of Houston, Texas, and work a 9 am -5 pm traditional work schedule.