Alright, I know you have some things you would like to accomplish this year, right? I want to help you with setting career goals. I made a speech on this a couple of months ago and it might help you out. Feel free to share!

The “Who, What, When, Where, Why, How” of Setting Career Goals. I’ll fill in my answers as examples. This should help you with planning and executing your goals. I created a downloadable goal setting worksheet, which you will find at the end of this article, for your personal use.

Who:  Ashley Caprice

• Simply list your name.

What: Radio Show Producer

• What are your career goals? List all of them. I have many goals but I’ll just use this one as an example.

When:  Back in college I would stay up late listening to the radio and I connected with it so much that I joined the college radio station to get my start.

• When did you realize you wanted to accomplish this goal? Was there a certain incident that made this a goal of yours?

Where:  I majored in Communication Studies and minored in Broadcast Journalism at California State University, Long Beach. I joined the campus radio station, KBeach.org. I went on to work for 93.1 Jack FM, V100, Hot 92.3 and now at 102.7 KIIS-FM.

• Where did you/would you like to study your craft? Where would you like to work? Where can you get the experience that you need?

Why:  I enjoy all genres of music, talking, interacting with people, getting involved in the community, creative environment, giving advice and helping others, interviewing, acting, audio and video editing, and research.

• I started the above sentence with “I Enjoy” because your career should be something that you enjoy doing. It should make you happy. If it’s because of money that you are accomplishing a goal then that’s your prerogative, but I believe money can only make you happy for so long. Find your passion and the money will come! So WHY do you want to accomplish this goal? List your hobbies and everything that makes this goal a perfect fit for you.

How: I started with entry-level positions and worked my way up. I shadowed other Producers. I worked overtime, came in to work early, and filled in for others.

• How do you plan on accomplishing this goal? Do you need to take up college courses? Do you need to take up an internship? If it’s a hobby right now, how could you turn it into a career?  How could you come into contact with someone in your industry of choice? Do you plan on attending networking events? Have a plan! In my post Faith Without Works is DEAD, I said, “…in ANY industry that you want to excel in, you MUST put in the work. You only get what you give.” So make sure you give your time and energy and figure out HOW you’re going to reach your goals! Take action!

More tips for reaching your goals:

SPEAK UP! Open your mouth and tell people what you want to do. You never know who could help or who may know someone that could help you in achieving your goals.

Stay persistent. There are times where you will want to give up…Don’t! Just try harder.

Let your haters be your motivators. People will tell you to stop trying to go after your dreams, but keep going anyway! Some people will never understand YOUR vision and that’s okay; do you, anyway!

Keep a journal. There are times where I forget just how far I’ve come. But I have a Positive Journal that I write in where I could reflect and read my accomplishments. Sometimes we focus so much on the prize that we forget to enjoy the journey.

Stay positive. You’ll have doubt. You’ll have worry. But don’t fret. Focus on keeping a positive mindset. Remind yourself that you’re “almost there” or “I can’t give up.” Don’t worry about proving your abilities to others, prove it to yourself!

Here is the downloadable copy of your Setting Career Goals Worksheet

Feel free to share your answers below! What are your goals? When, Where, Why and How are you going to achieve them? Let me know if you need help filling out your form.

Let’s keep in touch:

Twitter: @AshleyCaprice

Instagram: IAmAshleyCaprice

Facebook: IAmAshleyCaprice