Career Vision and Goals

Prior Career Goals

One way of reflecting on your career is to look back at the long history of work and try to find a common thread or theme running through the work you did that you enjoyed. 

So let's start at the beginning. Think back to when you were a little kid, and some grownup asked you, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" What was your answer back then? What did you envision that job would be like? Why was that appealing? 

If that answer is something kind of nonsensical, like "Mermaid" or "T-rex" (which were the answers of my twins when they were 5-year-olds), then expand the timeframe: What did you want to be when you were in, say, middle school? High school? 

Assignment

Write a 1-2 page retrospective about your earliest goals for your career. 

First, tell us about a profession that you used to aspire to, in a professional sense, even before you really understood what it meant to work or have a job.

Then, think through what that can tell you about yourself currently, and what makes a career meaningful. Were you onto something with your first career goals? Is there some streak of consistency (creativity, working with others, autonomy, fame and fortune) between your earliest career ideas and your current career goals? Or has your understanding of work, work/life balance, financial considerations, and other factors changed how you view work from when you were a kid and vastly altered your goals and what's meaningful?

  • Using one sentence or a concise paragraph, write your career vision
  • Add a short description of how you currently see yourself accomplishing it-- reaching your vision

Career Vision Statement and Goals Discussion

For this week’s discussion, I’d like you to share your career vision statement and your top career goals. Be humble and open to discussion! Earning a degree doesn't mean you are already there-- you still need the experience. Education is a journey, it is not a destination. In a way, education might only be the beginning. 

In this discussion, please respond to all of the following:

  • Share your career vision statement with your top career goals
  • How do you plan to get there?