PLANNING FOR YOUR FUTURE!

WHAT IS CAREER PLANNING? Self Assessment Career Research & Choosing a Career Short and Long-term goals

SELF ASSESSMENT  Interests  Values  Personality  Skills Likes & Dislikes What do you find enjoyable? What do you fill your life with? What is most important to you? What can you absolutely not live without? What makes you, you? Leader or follower? Risk taker or play it safe? What am I good at?

o Is this career a good fit with my interests, values, personality, and skills? o Am I willing and able to gain the needed education or skills to obtain this position? RESEARCHING & CHOOSING CAREERS  Does it match up?  Will I be able to support myself?  Do I meet the qualifications?  Other Things to consider: o Is the salary what I need or want? o Need a REALITY CHECK? o Can I apply for the job now, or do I need additional education, skills, or training? Projected Job GrowthLocationRelated Occupations

RESEARCHING CAREERS  Does it match up? o Is this career a good fit with my interests, values, personality, and skills? o Am I willing and able to gain the needed education or skills to obtain this position?  Will I be able to support myself? o Is the salary what I need or want? o Need a REALITY CHECK?  Do I meet the qualifications?  Can I apply for the job now, or do I need additional education, skills, or training?  Other Considerations  Projected job growth, location, related occupations

SETTING GOALS “Goal setting is a powerful process for thinking about your ideal future, and for motivating yourself to turn your vision of this future into reality.” -

PURPOSE OF GOALS They outline objectives and ways in which to meet them. They help you reach your destination and track your progress along the way. They help put you in the right direction and provide a plan that can be revisited.

FUNCTION OF GOALS Stay focused Maintain motivation Direct behavior and define priorities Breaks down the process

WHERE TO BEGIN? 1. Take a look at the big picture. (Long- term goals) 2. Break it down. (Short-term goals) 3. Hit the ground running.

LONG-TERM GOALS What do you want to achieve in your life, and what will it take to get there?

LONG-TERM GOALS o Career – What kind of career would you like to have, and at what level? o Financial – how much and by when? o Education – what skills or knowledge do you want or need? o Attitude – is there anything that’s keeping you from reaching your potential?

SHORT TERM GOALS Once you know what your long-term goal is, you can then break it down into smaller components that are more manageable and easier to achieve.

SHORT TERM GOALS o5 year o3-5 year o1-3 year o6-12 month o3-6 month oDaily to-do’s

S pecific M easurable A chievable R ealistic T imely SMARTSMART SETTING SMART GOALS

GETTING SPECIFIC  What do you want to do?  How do you plan to do it?  When do you want to accomplish this goal?  What tools/resources/support do you need?

GETTING SPECIFIC I want to eat healthier I want to eat 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day I want to get in shape I want to work out 3 days per week I want to get good gradesI want to study for 1 hour every weeknight I want to be more organisedI want to clean my desk one day per week and file any needed paperwork

MAKE IT MEASURABLE  How much?  How long?  How many?  By what date/time?

IS IT ACHIEVABLE?  Do you have the ability, attitude, skills, and financial capacity to achieve your desired goal?

ARE YOU BEING REALISTIC?  Are you willing?  Are you able?  Do you believe it can be done?

CAN IT BE DONE IN A TIMELY MANNER?  Are you giving yourself too much or too little time to accomplish your goal?

PUTTING IT TOGETHER My goal is to study for 2 hours, every day after class. I will sit in a quiet space, with my cell phone off, and will set a timer for 2 hours immediately when I get home from school. I will need a quiet space where I can study daily (my room), and the support of my friends and family so I will not be interrupted during my scheduled study time. I am doing this to improve my grades, and will start today until my next test and will reevaluate. SpecificMeasurableAchievableRealisticTimely

OTHER GOAL SETTING TIPS Make it positive – use positive statements such as “I can,” or “I will” instead of negative statements such as “I can’t,” or “I won’t.” Focus on self – remember that we cannot change what others do. Let others know of your goals – this will help you to be accountable for the things you want to accomplish and can provide added support if you tell people who are willing to help.

OTHER GOAL SETTING TIPS Set priorities – Know what is most important so you can focus on this goal before others. If your goal is too overwhelming, break it down into smaller goals until it seems achievable. Focus on effort, not outcome – sometimes there are things that happen that are out of our control, which can affect the outcome of us reaching our desired goals, and can make us feel like we have failed.

STAYING ON TRACK Review & Update! Be sure to make changes as things change in your life. Be flexible!

ACHIEVING YOUR GOALS  Once you have achieved your goals, make sure to reward yourself for all your hard work.  Never give up! The people who are most successful in life kept going when others did not.

ACTIVITY: SMART GOALS A. StudentToday’s Date I want to own my own successful interior design firm where I am the lead designer.

ACTIVITY: SMART GOALS I will sign up for classes, and research 4-year colleges with interior design programs. I will job shadow a local interior designer, and find out about possible internship/volunteer/job opportunities. I will transfer to a 4-year college with an interior design program, and will begin interning/ volunteering/working for an interior design firm.

I will obtain a bachelor’s degree in interior design with a minor in business and will begin applying for interior design positions. I will obtain a position with an interior design firm where I will gain experience and showcase my talents until I am ready to open my own firm.

ACTIVITY: SMART GOALS I will sign up classes, and research 4-year colleges with interior design programs. I will job shadow a local interior designer, and find out about possible internship/volunteer/job opportunities. I will make an appointment with a counselor today to discuss what classes I need to take to be able to transfer to a 4-year college with an interior design program. I will visit the Career and Transfer Center at least 3 times this semester to research 4-year colleges with interior design programs, and will make a decision about where I want to attend by the end of the semester. I will spend 30 minutes after school every day for at least 1 week researching local design firms on the web, and will make a list of 5 companies I would like to contact about job shadowing/internship/volunteer/job opportunities. I will or call the people on my list inquiring about job shadowing/internship/volunteer opportunities by the end of the semester.

6 months

REFERENCES Donohue, G. (n.d.). Creating S.M.A.R.T. goals. Retrieved from Malone, E. (2004). Planning your future. Retrieved from future future Mind Tools (n.d.). Personal goal setting: Planning to live your life Your way. Retrieved from Ray, L. (2010). Importance of setting goals. Retrieved from importance-setting-goals/ importance-setting-goals/