CS 113: Academic Strategies for the Business Professional

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“The darkest day in a man’s career is that wherein he fancies there is some easier way of getting a dollar than by squarely earning it.”

~Horace Greeley, editor of the New York Tribune 1840-1870

1. Understand the importance of goal-setting and planning

2. Set goals for completing the interview assignment

You will be investigating the importance of goal setting and planning.

Consider a career you might like to enter and interview someone in that career (who has a degree).

“The best career advice to give to people is to find out what you like doing best and get someone to pay you for doing it!”

~Katherine Whitehorn, British journalist

What are values? Why are values important?

In order to set realistic goals for yourself, you must first have a clear understanding of what is important to you

Do you value money, independence, family, etc…we can each have many VALUES.

Why should we set goals?

Goals can help with… Stress Better concentration Self-confidence Performance Happiness Satisfaction

What kinds of goals do we set for the various aspects of our lives?

• Personal• Educational• Professional• Financial• Community service goals

They are:

1.Based on YOUR values and beliefs2.Personal (YOU must set them and want to set

them)3.What YOU want to achieve

• Short term goals –days, weeks, months…• Some examples?

• Long term goals – years?• Some examples?

• Value of short term vs. long term goals?

Specific Measurable Action-oriented Realistic Timed

What do you really want to accomplish? Your goal needs to be specific enough to be able to determine what actions are required to achieve the desired result.

How will you know you have reached your goal – what marker or milestone will identify success? Remember that Performance goals will provide better control than Outcome goals, so it’s best to measure the steps along the route to your destination.

What exactly will you do (what verbs can you use?) to reach your goal? You will need to take a pro-active stance. Some sources say “A” stands for “Aggressive,” or working with purpose and diligence towards your goal.

A goal must be achievable. Have you researched enough to know it’s possible?

Do you know someone else who has accomplished this goal? Goals set too high may be discouraging, but setting the bar too low will not provide motivation.

Each goal must have some sort of deadline. Some flexibility may be necessary, but deadlines help keep us motivated and focused towards completing our goals.

Why is networking important?

Networking can open many doors

Important to have strong network of people who know you and know your capabilities

Effective networking can lead to many opportunities

Lara is a stay-at-home, married mother of two small children. The past few years have been financially difficult for the family, so Lara has decided to go back to school to get a good paying job and help support her family. She would like a career that allows her to stay at home with her children as much as possible. Her goals right now are to get in and out of college quickly and start earning money as soon as possible.

Lara is into arts and crafts and has always been interested in starting her own business to sell them. Although she has no prior experience or knowledge about owning a business, she frequents craft shops and fairs and has some knowledge of what other people sell. She has decided to go back to school to become an entrepreneur.

Question 1: Did Lara identify both her long-term and her short-term goals, and did she plan appropriate steps to achieve them?

Question 2: How would you help Lara craft a set of goals in

terms of becoming an entrepreneur that fit with the S.M.A.R.T (specific, measurable, action-oriented, realistic, and timed) approach?

Question 3: How would talking to a shop owner or other entrepreneur help Lara formulate her own goals?

The interview is discussed in Unit 7, but is not due until Unit 8.

Download the template from the Assignment tab in Unit 7.

Select the person you want to interview; they should be a degreed professional in the field you want to enter (working or retired)

Make contact to set up your date and time.

In person interviews are most valuable. Do everything possible to make it a person to person!

Be sure to choose a candidate who holds a position you are interested in achieving.

Attend this interview as if it is a job interview for you! You may be surprised.

This paper IS NOT due at the end of Unit 7. It will be submitted into the Dropbox for Unit 8. However, I would like you to start working on it now so you have plenty of time.

I included a list of tips for this assignment with the Unit 7 email I sent today.

1. Readings2. Discussion Board3. NO assignment is due!! But please start

working on the interview project