Setting Career Goals

One of the toughest issues in making a good career choice is identifying what it is you want. Even when it seems you know what you want, you could still have doubts if the career choice is the right one.

Reaching clarity in those issues may be the most important thing you can do in your career planning and goal setting. Here are a few career goal setting guidelines that can help.

Most people, even very successful ones, have some periods in their career path when they seem unsure about their choices and goals. It's totally human to feel this way.

Often, such periods come and go. For example, they come when you face some overwhelming obstacles but vanish as soon as you get through the obstacles.

That situation by itself is not a problem of choosing a career, only a test of your perseverance in seeing it through. But what if those doubts persist, or if they always live somewhere in the background of your thoughts?

If this is the case, then it is time to look more carefully at your career choice and overall career objectives.

Often we choose or are placed in a career because it just seems like the right step to make or it's something you've fallen into, without a plan.

Choosing the right career goal to sink into requires a great deal of soul searching. You need to ask yourself these questions beforehand:

1. Am I making the kind of money that I want to make?
2. Do I want to make more money?
3. Does money even matter to me?
4. Do I like what I’m doing right now?
5. What am I passionate about?
6. What could I be doing that would make me happier than I am right now?
7. Would I be happier simply switching positions or getting a promotion; or would I be happier changing careers all together?
8. Why am I still working here?
9. What is stopping me from leaving this job or getting that promotion?
10. What is stopping me from leaving this job?

These are all vital questions that you have to ask yourself before deciding what your career goals are going to be. If you are honest with yourself, you will know exactly what direction you should be going in.

Without being honest with yourself you can’t expect to better your life, you can only expect to have to ask yourself these questions all over again until you find happiness.