by Karen Chamchuk

Created on: June 23, 2008   Last Updated: March 19, 2010

People who are highly successful in their chosen field of work do not become successful by accident. They have deliberately chosen to set goals in the path of their career and to plan out effective methods for achieving those goals. Where do you want to be five years from now? Could you see yourself doing the same thing but for a different company? Do you wish to stay with the same company but apply for a higher level position? Do you want to make a radical career change and try something completely different? No matter which route you choose, you need to have an effective method for setting goals in your career path.

Define Your Ideal Job

Before you start setting goals, you need to evaluate what you want to get out of your job. Write out a list and try to be as specific as possible.  Spend some time thinking about which job duties you enjoy doing the most and research which jobs would allow you to spend most of your day doing these things.  Next, visualize where you want to be in one year. If you have your eye on your bosses' job, for example, do some research on personal development classes could you take or relevant books could you read to help prepare you for this kind of a career move.  

Identify Obstacles

Once you decide what your ideal position is, evaluate what your biggest obstacles to overcome would be. Is it lack of public speaking experience? Do you need to update your computer skills?  Find out if these jobs would require further specialized training or if you would qualify for them right now.  Perhaps there are additional tasks you could take on in your current position that would help prepare you for a new role. 

Don't Go It Alone

Seek out a career mentor, preferably someone with experience in the same general field as you. A mentor is simply someone who helps to guide you on your journey. They can offer valuable advice and expertise based on what they have learned along their own journey. Why go it alone, when you can learn from someone older and wiser? Mentors can be great for helping you to answer difficult questions such as when is it worth it to invest in more skills training or university education or to give you tips on how to win promotions in your current workplace. Granted there are some lessons you will have to learn the hard way but it's certainly not necessary to start completely from scratch. So swallow your pride and ask someone's advice.

Get Specific

Make up a list of

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