Being in the career path you desire goes a long way in determining your total well-being.

I have a glimpse of where I am going, what I have to do and how to get there, but then this is just in the general sense of life and purpose. I have not particularly paid attention to career goals until lately when I had to start making some crucial changes in my career path then I realized everything one do in life must be purposeful and that's why goals are needed, even in one's career. So what did I do?

First I met with a career consultant, who are like doctors, you can’t afford to lie to them. I came bare before him, shared with him what I was doing and where I intend going. After almost two hours session with him, I came to agreement with the statement that says “in the midst of counsellors, there is life”. He gave me some assignments and I also did some more digging on my own that set me on the right path, and brought me to these conclusions:

* Set a goal: genuinely ask yourself what your plan career wise is, what your strengths and weakness are because they come in handy in determining what path you actually take instead of what path you would love to take. You have the natural ability to excel in some aspects professionally than some others. These are things to be considered and requires setting a goal around.

And goals as they are must be SMART;

Specific – articulate and not ambiguous.

Measureable – quantifiable in the sense of the word. You can actually at a particular time look back and say this is how far I have come. This, this and this has been done, and I am let to do this and this.

Attainable – goal(s) must be things that can actually be done. Not some fantasy. Can the goal be achieved given the time frame, opportunity and resources?"

Relevant – Relevant answers the questions, "should it be done?", "why?" and "what will be the impact?"

Time Bound – must be confined within a period of time. Between 5-7 years, I want to have accomplish so and so.

* Decide what tools are needed to attain these goals. Is it another degree? Professional exams? Combination of the two? The goals would determine the tools you would need.

It is also very essential that you have a strong network with other people in that career path, especially those ahead of you, they are your surest bet to not missing out on crucial changes in that career line.

* Goals are meant to be achieved. They are set for that sole purpose, after attainment what next? You set new goals. Same with career goals. In those number of years that you set for yourself to achieve some particular goals, if you do, you should have some new goals to attain. There should always be something to be done.

The society always lay responsibility on us. How life should play out, what should be done after the other. In my country, the normal route for me as a female to follow after my first degree is to observe my one year mandatory service to my motherland, then get a job where I work for one/two years before getting married, start reproducing, have 2/3 cars, get stuck in the same job for 7 years, maybe change to a not so good one afterwards, have a side hustle (business), retire, get old and die. But first, I know that’s not a route I want to take. Life is more than eating, sleeping and paying bills, but at the same time getting a good job is crucial, I am on my own now and I need to fend for myself. Need I say the job wasn’t forth coming? I was getting so overwhelmed and this is exactly the time of my life when everyone became an expert in life affairs and started counselling me on what to do and what not to do. The confusion I was in was breathtaking. At a time, I had to withdraw myself from everyone and think for myself; what really do I want? And for a while, I just want to do what I feel is best for myself. I don’t want to listen to anyone.

I am saying all these because if you have been in my shoes (or presently is), you might think there are too many pieces of advice and you don’t know which to follow through, and might want to withdraw from them all. As that is a good idea, it is not the best way. Get yourself on track first (by doing the above), with that, whatever counsel you get, you will view it from the lenses of your goals and see if they will pull you towards achieving these goals. But it is essential you don’t shut people out, or refuse to put yourself in a position to be counselled. You will always need people, and even if the individual advising you hasn’t made a headway in his/her career himself/herself, most of the advice they give are lessons learnt from their own failures, and how sweet is it to avoid such pitfalls and ride on the shoulders of these people. So still learn from people, listen to diverse information and counsel, both in your line of career and even way outside the industry you find yourself in.

In case you think all I have said above is bullshit, you have to pardon me, you know I am still trying to find my way myself, but at least I think I am doing a better job now than before so I deem it fit to help my contemporaries that might find themselves in the same situation I was some years back.

Are you in your desired career path? How well are you doing? Would you call yourself successful career wise and how did you accomplish those feats? Are you a career giant? What would you call the secret of career success?

Let’s hear your thoughts in the comments below.