Guest Post Set Goals to Start your Career Right

Guest Post Set Goals to Start your Career Right If youre like many of todays college students, your parents (or TV shows) told you repeatedly to follow your lifes passion. Then, you came of age in the shadow of startup success stories like Mark Zuckerberg, who quit college and achieved the ultimate work/life balance (and billions in wealth) before the age of thirty. And now there are figures like Cheryl Sandburg, telling us to lean in to those career opportunities as they arise. Together, this creates a weird and conflicting cocktail of career advice for todays recent college grads, as following your passion may not lead to a sustainable job that will keep food on your table, while leaning in too far can get you five years into a career that makes you absolutely miserable. Add into that the tricky transition from student to professional mode, and it can be difficult to set career goals that will keep you motivated and passionate while also recognizing the realities of the adult world. But all is not lost. The key is to draw inspiration from each of these different philosophies and establish a structure that allows you to explore while being creative. We recommend starting with this career guide, and then following the tips below. 1. Embrace Exploration, Learning and Flux If youre like most people, you have a sense that youre good at something, but youre just not sure how your skills and talents apply within specific work roles, let alone what you will actually like to do. As you enter the work world, youll probably even find yourself surprised by the skills you didnt even realize you had. But just because youre effective at something doesnt guarantee youll enjoy doing it every day. While its important to commit to any job youve got, embrace this process of self-discovery. Sit down with HR and your manager to set regular reviews and goals, and for an introduction into the types of roles that are available at your company. Keep a weekly or monthly diary reflecting on what youre working on and evaluating how much you like using the skills involved. Take your reflections as data. Is making a cold calls during the day making you miserable, while connecting with the creative team during the weekly staff meeting is completely satisfying? That probably means youre better in an internal rather than external role. Take this information to help you find new roles, whether inside your company, at a new one, or in an entirely different industry. 2. Make Long and Short Term Work/Life Balance Goals Whether youre headed to corporate America, a start up or a non-profit, youre probably aware that you have to put in a lot of time up front to really rise in your career. But working for a longer term pay off shouldnt mean having absolutely no life in the short term, or else youre sure to burnout.   Plus, what if that startup fails anyway, and you have to start over? Again, whether its with HR, a career coach or just a Word document, sit down to articulate your larger career and life goals, and then determine how much you want to sacrifice to achieve them. Are you willing to put in 80-hour weeks as long as you get to go to yoga on your lunch break? Or do you want to follow the do a great job while Im at work school of thought, and then leave at a reasonable hour to have a life? If youre not careful, work will take everything over, so its worth setting out reasonable expectations based on your company culture and your own goals. 3. Find Ways to Make Structured Time Work for You One of the biggest differences between your college and professional life is how structured your time will become. You may have been busy and stressed out in college, but a professional life means that work comes first during set times; youll have to fit your personal life in around work and keep yourself on track without any exams to motivate you. A structured work schedule may take some time to adjust to. Train your body to get up earlier so you can get in a workout or a relaxed breakfast. Set in place regular routines that keep your grounded and sane. If you truly feel you work better at certain times of the day, talk with your boss about how to structure your office vs. work at home time. Knowing how your brain and body work best will keep you rested, motivated and ready to make the most of your career. Guest author: Britt Klontz is an online researcher with a passion for career planning. She particularly fancies to-do lists and is constantly trying out new apps to assist with her obsession of creating catalogs of information.