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Goooooaaal!
Why talk about goals: what they are and how to set them? Because by setting
goals you will make progress. You will accomplish what you set out to do. You
have a plan. Without a plan, some things may happen that you want, but usually
not all. With a goal to reach and a plan in place, a greater proportion of what
you want will happen!
Start out small -- then with each success build bigger -- it's just a matter
of perspective!
A concrete example and exercise for you -- it's that 4-year plan for high
school. Even if you change it, you have a plan to follow!
(Click on the headings for information)
GOAL SETTING
QUESTIONS
SETTING THOSE
GOALS
GET THAT PLAN
GOAL SETTING
QUESTIONS
You
can’t achieve any of the things you want to do without having a plan. And to
make a plan, you need to set some concrete goals for yourself. Before you can
set goals, you need to do some exploring within yourself. A few examples of
questions you might want to ask yourself are below. Answer them on paper and
give yourself plenty of time to think and analyze yourself.
1.
What are your study habits? (Where do you study? When do you
study? Do you study in groups?)
2.
What are your time management skills? (Do you find yourself
constantly cramming for tests? Do you do your homework at the last
minute,
or worse, not at all? Do you keep a daily planner? Are your
parents
and teachers constantly scolding you for not being prepared
for
school?)
3.
What are your academic strengths? Weaknesses? (Are you better
in
English than in math? Would you rather read about the U.S. Civil
War
than amebas?)
4.
What do you wish you could improve about yourself (that you are
more
outgoing, perform better in school, etc.)?
5.
Have you given any thought to what you would like to major in college?
(If you haven’t don’t worry about it! Most college students don’t know
themselves!)
6.
What are your biggest fears/concerns about college and the whole process?
See Chapter 2 for more goal setting questions instructions.
Click here for more information
SETTING THOSE
GOALS
Once
you have answered these questions, think about setting some goals for yourself:
·
Come up with a picture of yourself based on your answers. Draw a
funny
picture of yourself if that helps make your answers real to
you.
·
If you have absolutely no idea what you want to do once you’re in
college, don’t worry. Technically, you don’t have to decide until the end of
your sophomore year in college. But, if you’re worried that you haven’t done
well in school up to this point, now is the time to crack open those books and
get organized. Examine how you schedule your time and how you are organized as a
person. (Are you have difficulty balancing all of the homework you have for your
classes? Are you overburdened with papers, tests, and assignments that are due?)
See Chapter 2 for more goal setting ideas.
Click here for more information
·
If you’re ready to set some goals (e.g., I want to do better in
algebra, I want to raise my grade in history, I want to be able to turn my
homework on time, I want to find a way to make my papers more legible for my
teachers to read), write them down and think about what it will take to
accomplish them in terms of knowledge, time, outside help and resources.
·
With each goal, write a short description of your objective.
·
Now for each goal, make a list of what you think it will take to get
that goal accomplished. Think in terms of your time, your effort, your knowledge
and your resources.
·
Organize your goals in order of their level of importance to you.
·
Examine the factors that will help you or hinder you in achieving your
goals. Are you too shy to join a sport or a club? Do you lack the finances to
say, buy a computer? Or even a book? Is your handwriting a mess? Is reading
really hard? Really can’t sit still or concentrate? Then figure out how to
overcome or accommodate the things that stand in your way – even if it means
asking for a lot of help.
·
Assign a risk value to each goal. Risk can be defined as the how
likely an event will happen. If you know for sure that you can reach a certain
goal, there is no risk associated with that goal for you. If you have just a
better than even chance (or less) of achieving your goal, then the goal will be
considered moderately risky. If you don’t have a clue, then it has to be
termed incredibly risky. Write that next to the goal.
·
Using the information you’ve already developed including importance
and risk, assign a target time for each goal to be accomplished. Write that also
next to the goal.
GET THAT PLAN
Now
you’re ready to make a plan. Create a timeline for when you want to achieve
your goals. You should do this for each goal and then put them together to make
a master plan. Don’t just do this in your head – draw a picture. Share it
with someone you trust and get that person’s feedback. Now, add your goals and
timelines to your planner or calendar.
As
with any good plan, you have to return, revisit, and revise. Things
outside of your control will change what you can accomplish at a certain time of
your life. A new interest or ability may come into your life. You will change
with age and maturity. How you view the world will change as you read more
complex materials and meet new people. Change is good – just make sure
you’re keeping tack of it – at least once a semester.
Career
exploration begins with the same questions that you ask yourself for goal
setting. The short list is: What do you like to study? What do you like to do?
What are your hobbies? There are interest “inventory tests” available
through your guidance counselor’s office at school. But remember, these
results aren’t set in stone. Your results may be different the next year
around.
Web Sites
The Campbell Interest and Skill Survey (CISS), which is available at:
www.usnews.com/usnews
is
an assessment tool that people use to learn about the career that’s best
suited to their specific skills and interests. The CISS consists of 320
questions and takes less than an hour to complete. (There is a nominal fee
charged.) Within approximately 3 weeks after you complete the test, you will
receive a report that matches your interests with your career options. This
could be a great tool to help and guide you into a career area – and perhaps,
ultimately, a college choice.
Another
way to start thinking about possible career choices is to try to match your
abilities, your interests, and the values you have about the workplace. Some
examples of workplace values might be a job that allows a high degree of
creativity, or variety, or a good salary, job security, working outdoors,
working in service of others, working with other people.
Over
your work life you will have more than 2,000 Monday mornings. It’s worth the
time and effort to analyze yourself throughout your high school and college
years so that your workplace Monday mornings will be pleasant experiences. Over
time, you, the workplace, and your chosen career will change. If you haven’t
been taking your “pulse” all along, these changes will catch you off-guard.
If you have been taking your personal inventory “pulse,” you’ll be
prepared either to adapt to the change or to take proactive steps to change your
choice.
When
you have an idea of what you might want to do with your future, check into a
shadowing experience. Shadowing lets you spend a few hours (or a day or more)
with a person working in the occupation that interests you. Check with your
guidance counselor. If this really is your thing, you may be able to expand the
shadowing experience into a formal mentoring program.
Having
an idea of what interests you will assist you in deciding on a college program
to pursue, which will in turn lead you to a college choice. Each builds on the
other.
Parents Corner
Get your teen to
think about his/her career now. Why? Because he/she can make use of his/her high
school years to explore academic areas that will support his/her career
interest. How can you get your teen to start exploring career choices? Think
about what your teen likes to do outside of the classroom. Does he/she enjoy
writing? Does he/she spend hours in front of the computer? Whatever the
interests are, help your teen explore them further by getting him/her more
involved in these areas, getting him/her to read more about his/her interests,
and by talking with your own friends and colleagues who can offer more direction
both to you and your teen. Remember, it’s best to focus in on an interest that
already intrigues your teen.
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