The New Year is barely a week old and at the start of each year, many people set themselves resolutions to improve certain aspects of their lives; these goals might involve exercising more frequently or spending less money on non-essentials. No matter what your New Year resolutions might be now is also a good time to consider setting yourself short and long-term objectives relating to your future career.
Short-term career goals
Setting yourself short-term targets can be a very useful way of developing strong organisational and time management skills. A short-term aim could be as simple as starting an assignment on the day it is given to you. While this might not seem directly related to your career aspirations, managing your workload efficiently will help you to get better grades as you will have plenty of time to improve your understanding of challenging concepts in that module, increasing your chances of getting a placement or graduate job which is the intention of most university students.
Long-term career goals
Whether you know the employment sector you want to work in after graduation or not, having a rough idea of your destination can help to motivate you. Developing transferable skills is a great way to work towards the objectives you have set yourself for the future. Gaining work experience will be invaluable and will give you an insight into the kind of career opportunities you might pursue (or want to avoid).
Making the most of your time at university will help you get one step closer to achieving your goals for the future. Participating in part-time employment will enhance your CV. Getting involved in extracurricular activities (temporary work, playing a sport or instrument, volunteering etc) will empower you to graduate with strong employability prospects because you will demonstrate to employers that you not only have a wide range of academic knowledge but that you are a well-rounded individual that has a wide range of interests that go beyond your degree.
Written by Destiny Bright
For more information regarding goal setting and motivation, view the following useful resources:
- The importance of clear goals and aspirations
- Staying motivated in your job
- Employable Me (student union initiative to build up employability skills in societies.)
- Getting Started leaflet
- The DISCOVER Yourself part of the PTY module
