Where do you see yourself in five years? How about ten? For most, the answer is that you don’t really know. But it’s important to have a goal in mind. Setting goals is the beginning of making big things happen. It shows that you actually want to be more. However, the desire to advance is only half the battle. Your work ethic and determination are equally, if not more important than the end result.
As mentioned in my last post, college measures your academic performance based on a grade scale. When you get your papers or projects back, your professor gives you a list of suggestions so you can improve. The time between assignments is your time to display your work ethic and set goals. Maybe your goal is to get that elusive “A” you think you deserve. Or maybe it’s simply to improve your grammar. Either way, it’s important to have an idea of where you would like to be and how quickly you’d like to get there. Unbeknownst to many students, this process is exactly what professors aim to simplify. The goal of the professor is to get their student’s work to “A level”. The assignment calendar for each class provides a timeframe, and the previous assignment clarifies the areas that need improvement. After processing the changes, all that’s needed is the student’s work ethic to kick in for the framework to be successful.
As a young professional, you should apply your own framework for goal setting. Usually, professionals will set the bar for where they would like to be in a year or two. But how quickly your career advances is directly proportional to your work ethic. When you ask for feedback and apply it correctly, you’ll see your career evolve right before your eyes. However, you won’t be given constructive criticism unless you ask for it, and it’s up to you to apply these changes when they’re given to you. Take your previous failures and turn them into successes. And take your past feedback and turn it into a foundation for the future. Stop making excuses, and start setting goals.
