Start to Plan: Identify Goals
Goals can be of two types: general and specific. General goals are like aspirations – big things that you hope to accomplish. Specific goals are smaller, more precise, and measurable, so that you can determine whether you have accomplished them.
Both general and specific goals are important. General goals provide a vision, while specific goals are the concrete steps toward that vision.
General Goals
One of the most important aspects of planning in the context of getting your degree is to know why you’re planning, toward what general goals:
- advance in a profession
- personal fulfillment
- move to the next level academically (e.g., associate → bachelor’s degree, bachelor’s → master’s degree)
- learn more about digital media – history – literature – management – art – you name it
- finish something you started 20 years ago
- set an example for your children
- prepare for a different career in retirement
- or more…
Identifying general goals is an important planning activity for your education, since those goals will help you understand the context in which you’re pursuing your degree.
Exercise: Identify General Goals
Answer these questions to develop an understanding of the overall context in which you are pursuing your degree:
- Why do I want to pursue a degree?
- What am I interested in learning about?
- What type of knowledge is expected if I intend to use my degree professionally?
- Do I want/need to strengthen any academic skills? (e.g., writing, math, research) in order to be successful with my educational goals?
- By when do I want to complete my degree?
Specific Goals
Once you understand your general goals, you can break them down into more specific, actionable goals.
Specific, actionable goals function as steps along the way to achieving your general goal.
Your actionable, specific goals, together with your general goals, can become your overall educational plan.
Tools for Writing Specific Goals
This short video describes how to identify goals and apply strategies for accomplishing them.
ThoughtCo. also offers a useful page on Writing Effective Specific Goals.
All Goals should be SMART
SMART Goals Questions
| S | Specific | What exactly do I want to accomplish? Why? Who do I need to get involved, if anyone, in accomplishing this goal? What resources will I need? What roadblocks, if any, do I need to plan for? |
|---|---|---|
| M | Measurable | How will I know when I’ve accomplished this goal? What specific criteria will I use to determine completion? |
| A | Achievable | Is the goal realistic given the situation in which I’m pursuing it? Can I identify specific steps toward accomplishing this goal? |
| R | Relevant | Is this goal related to something important to me? Is it worthwhile to spend time working toward this goal? |
| T | Time-Bound | What’s the timeframe in which I need to accomplish this goal? What time should I devote to each step toward the goal? |
Exercise: Identify One Specific SMART Goal & Do Initial Planning
Choose one of your general goals and see if you can identify one specific goal that’s part of that general goal.
For example, if a general goal is to get a degree in order to advance professionally, one specific goal might be to talk with practitioners and/or do other research to find out the skills and knowledge needed for your next professional step.
Once you have a specific goal, break down that specific goal into actionable steps, which start to develop into a plan.
Using the example of skills and knowledge needed for your next professional step, you might identify the following actionable steps, if your specific goal is to advance into human services management:
- investigate course offerings in human resource management
- read their prerequisites, one of which might be an introductory management course
- determine when introductory management courses are offered, and plan to take one as one of your first courses
- determine when other courses in human resources are offered, and plan on specific terms in which to take them
