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How can I set goals for my career?

Career goals/Life goals: How do you set the right one?

  • Einstein said "If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or objects." How does a professional in the 35-45 age bracket go about this in a professional context?

  • Answer:

    One of my favorite books is Robert Pirsig's "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance."  There is a great passage from that book where Pirsig and his son are climbing a mountain and he notes "To live only for some future goal is shallow. It’s the sides of the mountain which sustain life, not the top. Here’s where things grow.” I have always taken this, along with Einstein's quotes and others who have said similar things, to mean that you need a goal to define a path, but the path is what you actually enjoy.  Don't get so hung up on the goal that you don't enjoy the path, but also be wary of just wandering on a random path where you never experience the joy of climbing higher and making progress. So, what I think this means, is that it doesn't matter so much which goals you choose.  Don't worry about them being "right" or "wrong" goals.  They are simply a way of narrowing down a specific path among an infinite number of choices.

Rob May at Quora Visit the source

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Am in that age bracket and I aim for three kinds of professional goals Intellectual development - I aim to keep learning something regularly. Broaden my professional concepts and build depth in two three areas Share my knowledge - As much as I learn, I also share. Via blogs, Twitter and Quora. Get to know influential people in my industry - Network at conferences, follow up on LinkedIn. Volunteer to help them. If you can't help them, direct them to someone else. Together the three goals have worked out well for me. Here is what I try not to set as goals: Financial goals - These are a moving target. And you'll never be happy with what you achieve Comparison  - Never try to compare yourself with a classmate and their level of success (as percieved by you)

Gautam Ghosh

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