Practical Tips for Reaching Your Career Goals

Bruce is the founder of ProjectManagementHacks.com, a resource for growing IT project managers.

  Career Development  

To travel somewhere far away, you need a vehicle and fuel. Both elements are also needed in the case of achieving a career goal. The first part of goal success is crafting a well-designed career goal that is meaningful and achievable in your case. Think of your written career goal as the vehicle.

However, writing a career goal down is not enough. It would help if you also supported techniques to remain focused, overcome obstacles and sustain motivation. These supporting factors are best seen as the fuel that keeps you going to career success. Let’s unpack both of these concepts further…

Phase 1: Write down a career goal that is meaningful to you
Some people may have vague aspirations to “earn more money” or “obtain a certification.” These statements are not practical goals. There is no deadline, quantitative detail, motivation or other elements. Use the following focus questions to reflect your understanding:

1. Regarding your current career, what aspects do you like? What three aspects don’t you like? Sometimes, goal setting gets detached from the real world. Starting with specific examples of what you like and dislike in your current work can help to ground your goals. This question will typically generate vivid examples (e.g., “I don’t like that my efforts to propose improvements are almost always discouraged.&…

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