Many people set themselves ambitious career goals for the year ahead. Sometimes this means finding a new job or getting a promotion. It might mean having better work habits or learning a new skill. For some, it might even mean going back to school.
Whatever you want to achieve this year, you can succeed if you follow these tips for both setting and achieving your 2018 career goals.
With 2017 in the books, it may be tempting to focus solely on the future. If it wasn’t a particularly good year for you, you may want to forget all about 2017!
Take a moment to take stock of the year. Reflect on everything that’s happened this year, good or bad. What did you achieve? Were there things you wish you’d done differently?
Taking a look at where you’ve been and what you’ve already accomplished can give you a better sense of the directions you want to take in 2018.
Once you’ve reflected on where you’ve already been, it’s time to think about where you want to go. Maybe there are certain things you want to accomplish in 2018. Maybe it’s time to look for a new job, or maybe you want to land a promotion.
Think about where you want to be 12 months from now. Do you want to be working in the same field? For some people, the answer is no. Others say yes, but they also want to take on new challenges or to accept more responsibility.
Once you’ve decided where you want to go, it becomes much easier to plot out the course to get there.
If you want to achieve your 2018 career goals, the key is to start small. Most people fail in their New Year’s resolutions because they’re too ambitious. They say things like, “I’ll hit the gym every day,” even if they’ve never worked out in their lives.
While these sorts of broad, sweeping goals sound great, they’re incredibly difficult to achieve. Instead, start smaller. The reformed couch potato probably won’t hit the gym every single day, and they may feel like they’ve failed if they don’t. Instead, they should start with a more reasonable, achievable goal. Maybe they’ll go to the gym once or twice a week to start.
The same approach applies to your 2018 career goals. Maybe you want to completely switch fields or maybe your end goal is to become vice president of marketing. These are very ambitious goals! You’re not likely to achieve them in 12 months.
Scale things back a little. What courses would you need to take to switch fields? You can complete some of the additional training and begin building the skills you need for this switch.
These smaller, more achievable goals become your action plan for achieving loftier career goals. To switch fields, you may need to do some more schooling or training, and you may need work experience. You might decide to volunteer some time, take a few courses, or even switch jobs to work toward the career change.
These smaller steps are much more achievable, allowing you to work your way to the ultimate goal.
Of course, your career goals don’t need to be high flown ambitions about going from intern to manager. They might be as simple as learning that new skill or even practicing more organization and better time management.
Whatever your goals may be, they are achievable. Use these tips and your 2018 goals are well within reach.