Topic № 8
Managing Your Career for Short and Long Term

As an employee, doing work that is suited to your aptitudes and interests is a fundamental contributor to job satisfaction and effectiveness. Many employers have realized that when employees are in positions where the "fit" is right, high retention and good performance are the natural outcomes. Unfortunately, many employees have responsibilities that they are not suited to, or where external circumstances have guided their career choices rather than carefully considered decision-making. In this fast-changing knowledge economy it is equally important for both employers and employees that workers learn how to manage and develop their careers in a way which maximizes personal success and fulfillment while delivering performance to employers, clients or stakeholders.

The Difference Between Short and Long Term Goals

Goals are broadly classified into two categories: short-term goals and long-term goals. You will be able to accomplish a short-term goal in approximately six months to three years, while it will usually take three to five years to reach a long-term one. Sometimes you can achieve a short-term goal in fewer than three months and a long-term one may take more than five years to complete.

To achieve each long-term goal, you must first accomplish a series of both short-term goals and additional long-term goals. For example, let's say you aspire to become a doctor. That may be your ultimate long-term goal, but before you can tackle it, you must achieve a few others, for example, complete college (four years), medical school (another four years), and a medical residency (three to eight years).

Along the road to reaching those long-term goals, there are several short-term goals to clear first. They include excelling in entrance exams and applying to college, medical school, and eventually residencies. Since grades matter when it comes to achieving those goals, it is necessary to break your short-term goals down even further, like earning a high-grade point average.