Your goals are how you measure success. They are the objectives you set for yourself, either in the short-term or long-term of your career. When you evaluate your goals, make sure they are attainable and are noteworthy. For instance, if you want to be an accountant, your short term goal could be go obtain your CPA or to get your masters in accounting. Short-term goals could last anywhere from a few days to a few years, depending on your situation and requirements. With long-terms goals, you are looking out into the future, as to whom you would like to be in 10 – 20 years, what your desired job might be or where you will relocate to. These are all decisions you will make over a period of time, based on your current situation and your desired outcome. By creating your goals, you are giving yourself something to measure success and achievement.
Goal alignment is critical to the achievement of long-term goals. Short-term and long-term goals must be aligned, which will create an underlying strategy that you will live by. For instance, if you are destined to be a Lawyer, you notice that you will need some additional education and a possible internship to get into that field. Those are both your short-term goals and your long-term goal might be to have your own practice. The key is that both align, and that your short-term goals support the overall effort, so that you end up where you want to be.
