Ken Chase 
Set career goals that will help you love your job!
Have you ever taken the time to sit down and outline your career goals? If so, how has that worked out for you? Are you advancing toward those goals at a steady pace, or do you find yourself unable to reach your aspirations as quickly as you had hoped? If you're struggling with your current career goals, there's a good chance that you're focusing on the wrong things.
In this article, we'll explain the importance of career goals and why you should set objectives that are both realistic and relevant to your career path. We'll also provide some examples of career goals that can help you succeed inside and outside of the office.
What are career goals, and why are they important?
Career goals are objectives that you set as you create an overall plan for career success. For example, you could set a long-term goal of becoming a Marketing Manager or a Director of Marketing. Or maybe your goal is to start and run your own company. Without that type of clear goal in mind, you'd likely move through your career without any control over your long-term success.
But what do you do once you've set that long-term goal? After all, that broad career goal isn't going to happen unless you've set a series of other goals that help you stay on the right career track.
Career goal examples
Below are five examples of career goals that can boost your career advancement efforts.
1. Learn to love your work
Life is too short to live in misery. If you get up every day and dread the thought of going to work, you're always going to struggle to meet your major career goals. That's why it's important to make sure that you enjoy your job so that you can maintain the drive and desire needed to continue toward your career objectives.
If you like your job but don't love it, try to figure out what's missing. It's probably not time for a complete career change – but you should try to assess what you like and don't like about your current job. Work to identify the root cause of any dissatisfaction so that you can regain your passion and focus.
The good news is that there are plenty of people out there who genuinely love their jobs. If you're not sure if you've found your calling, take a career assessment test and see where you really fit. There's no reason you can't find your dream job.
Related reading: 11 Signs You Need a New Job
2. Figure out your salary happiness level
While your main focus should never be money, the reality is that compensation almost always plays a role in job satisfaction. Still, it's important to identify just how much money you need to feel like you're meeting your salary requirements.
For example, let's say that you've always had the $100,000 mark in your head. In reality, only about 20 percent of American households break the six-figure mark – households, not individuals. So, if $100K per year is more of a dream figure, how do you determine a realistic salary career goal that will ensure your happiness? There is actually a simple way to identify that “happiness salary” amount.
Begin by adding up your estimated monthly bills. Include everything from phone plans and house payments to insurance premiums, retirement, and taxes. Next, add in an extra amount that you would like to have each month for fun stuff like vacations, dining out, and an occasional night on the town. Multiply that total amount by twelve, and you should have a rough idea of your basic salary needs.
Of course, you can factor in other things as well. Want to set aside some money each month for savings or some other priority? Simply include that in your calculations, too. The point is that this can be a simple way to identify the type of salary that you need to be happy at every stage of your career.
3. Commit to lifelong learning
There is a saying that you should never stop learning new things because when you stop learning, you stop growing. That's certainly true as it relates to career growth.
One of the best ways to keep learning is to make a solid commitment to being a lifelong learner and take the time to invest in your career development.
If you have weaknesses in your job or on your resume, a continuing education course can help bring your skills up to speed. There are also great professional development books out there to help you boost your career if you don't have time or money to take more classes.
The important thing is to recognize how lifelong learning can stimulate the mind and encourage both intellectual and emotional growth. Simply put, your commitment to continuous learning can be a powerful goal that contributes to greater career and life happiness.
4. Find the right work-life balance
Speaking of career and life – you need to learn how to manage both of those worlds if you want to maximize your career development and find true happiness. But how do you create a work/life balance and get ahead at work without burying yourself in your job day in and day out?
If you don't have friends or family clamoring for more of your time and simply want to throw yourself into your work, go for it. There's nothing wrong with that if it makes you happy. However, when too much time buried in work starts to take a toll on your loved ones or even your own peace of mind, it's time to make a change. You don't want to burn yourself out. If your current company won't let you cut back, it may be time to find another one that is less demanding and values a work-life balance.
5. Don't forget to plan for retirement
For many employees, it's often difficult to think about retirement. Many struggle to keep up with their current obligations and have little to set aside for the future. Others may view retirement as a distant dream that has little relevance to their present problems.
Still, the fact is that retirement is an issue almost every worker will have to face. Unfortunately, you're never going to be happy in your current job if there's any part of you that's worrying about the future. You need a plan that can give you peace of mind on that front.
The simplest and best way to really get a firm grasp on retirement is to see a financial professional who can help you plot out a road map to build your retirement funds. You'll need to think about what age you want to be when you retire, how much money you'll need to live a good life, and how much you can afford to start putting toward that goal right now. Don't simply rely on Social Security; get a real plan in place that can help you maintain your lifestyle into retirement.
Set career goals that can fuel your drive to success
It's not enough to simply set long-term career goals and hope for the best. You also need to know how to set a goal for a career that's useful and can help you fuel your drive for success. Those goals should include objectives that set you up for a lifetime of career happiness and work-life balance. Once you get those goals in place and start working toward them, you'll be in a better position to make the most out of your career and life.
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