How to Set Realistic Career Goals While in College

50% of US college students change their major during their studies at least once. Many people make their career goals from a young age. Unfortunately, it's only in a college classroom that they begin to reconsider their career path.

When at least half of the country changes their college major, there's no shame if you come to the same conclusion. While it's very unfortunate when you have to spend more time and money, it's better than being stuck in a job you don't care for. However, you can make things easier on yourself if you learn how to set realistic career goals.

Career development begins with good goals. These goals are measurable, feasible, and account for the possibility that things may not work out as you intended.

Keep reading as we discuss how you can effectively make career plans going forward.

Learn How to Set Effective Career Goals

Before we even begin, what constitutes an effective goal? Goals, goals, goals. People talk about them nonstop and have a million conflicting ways to set and measure them.

However, there is one perennial piece of advice that stands above them all: SMART goals. These are goals that are:

• Specific: goals with an exact plan and outcome, not something vague
• Measurable: goals that you can actually keep track of and measure when they are successful
• Achievable: goals that you actually have a chance of fulfilling
• Relevant: goals that fit with your overall path in life
• Time-bound: goals that you can achieve in a certain period of time

As you can see, SMART goals are all about how realistic goals are. Too many people shoot for the moon and then fall short. This cripples your sense of confidence, even if you could not have achieved the goal in the first place.

We are not here to tell you that you shouldn't try to achieve great things. However, if there is any advice you should take away from this, let it be this: know your limits, and you will always be successful.

With all of that in mind, let's look at things that can help you to set these realistic goals.

Get Some Experience in Your Ideal Career

What tends to happen with a lot of students is that they discover that they don't enjoy their particular career. This discovery only occurs once they do something career-related. For example, an engineering major realizes during a math class that they hate doing math.

But for others, it can take a long time to make that realization about their career path. To avoid this, we recommend that you expose yourself as much as possible to a future career.

If you know what your career is really like, then you will set more realistic goals. And you may realize that you were not meant for a certain career in the first place.

Volunteer

Volunteering is an excellent use of your time. It looks great on scholarship applications and resumes and allows you to give back to your community. Best of all, there may be volunteering opportunities related to your chosen major.

Here, you can get direct experience with your field of study. This might involve doing things that you would eventually do as a professional in this field. If you discover that you love it, then perfect!

But there is an ever-so-small chance that you may realize it's not for you. And that's good! It's better if you find this out before you sink thousands of hours and dollars into that degree.

Plus, you at least did something useful with your time. Even if you decide to choose another career, you got to help people and bolster your resume.

Get an Internship

Perhaps you tried the volunteering route, but you still thoroughly enjoy that particular field. It never hurts to be 100% sure. One of the best ways to really put yourself to the test is with an internship.

An internship gets you very close to the reality of your career field. It's almost as if you're doing the job you desire, albeit at a lower position and sometimes for no pay.

Find an internship that puts you on the front lines, as it were. Otherwise, you might have to wait until you graduate. The only comparable option would be a similar entry-level job.

Get Career Counseling

There are many people who have done exactly what you are doing. They know exactly how you're feeling, and may have even been through similar career experiences. So don't forget that you always have a wealth of student resources at your disposal.

Talk to your professors and academic advisors. Take part in career fairs, and get in contact with professionals in your field. Use these opportunities to ask all your burning questions, and find out what you can expect in that line of work.

Get a Realistic Idea of What Your Career Path Requires

Part of setting healthy goals is understanding what you're in for. Many career paths require a considerable amount of education and other requirements.

In addition to this, many career paths require a certain type of person to do them. You may have an affinity for that particular career, only to discover that everyday requirements are beyond your abilities.

Know How Long Your Education Will Take

Take, for example, becoming a doctor. You need a bachelor's degree, a pass on the MCAT test, then another four years of medical school. You need to get medical licensing, choose a specialty, and then begin your residency program.

All in all, it could take you up to 14 years just to become a doctor. You might be halfway through your 30s before you begin to practice. Some may find that that is too much time and commitment.

Granted, a career as a doctor is known all over the world to be a demanding one. No one is a stranger to the fact that doctors can study for over a decade. But a decade is a long time only to discover that it's not for you.

Know the Job Schedule

Some jobs have long or irregular job schedules. Using the doctor example again, you could easily be working 50- or 60-hour weeks. Depending on the workload and requirements of your employer, you could be spending even more time than that.

Some of these jobs may be incredibly tiring. As a doctor, you may be talking to patients, performing procedures, and spending long hours on paperwork. There may be little to no guarantee of normal breaks or time for meals.

Other jobs may have irregular schedules. Everyone knows that nurses can sometimes have 14-hour shifts for several days in a row. Their schedule changes from week to week, making it impossible to set plans with friends or family

In some cases, you may have a job that forces you to work on major holidays. Using the example of medical professionals again, many cannot spend Christmas or Thanksgiving at home. They work during major holidays, then celebrate on other days.

Understand Retirement Options

Demanding jobs often come with huge benefits, such as high pay and excellent career opportunities. Retirement is another factor to consider. It may take a long time to get into your career and a long time before you can retire.

Some jobs may lead to a much later retirement. Like the doctor example, you may have to fulfill a contract with the hospital to get retirement. This could lead to you staying in a field much longer than you initially anticipated.

Know what your retirement options are like before you commit to that field. Otherwise, you could be miserable, working many long years before you can relax. This can lead to the unfortunate reality of burnout.

Understand Compensation and Future Career Options

Doctors and nurses are always in high demand, but what if you're working in a field as a labor of love? Many people work very hard to do something they are passionate about. When they actually make it into that field, they discover that the compensation is not to their liking.

There are quite a few majors that are hard work but not high-paying. They may require you to have expert knowledge but never give any promise of expert pay.

Get a realistic idea of what you can expect in terms of compensation before you dive in.

Recognize the Sort of Person That You Are

Many people daydream about their particular careers without realizing what they are really getting into. They fail to realize that their personality type or proclivities do not make them an ideal candidate.

It bears considering what sort of person you are, and if that jibes with a potential career path.

Introvert vs. Extrovert Jobs

There is nothing wrong with being an introvert. In fact, there are many benefits to being the sort of person who prefers alone time. But let's be real here: introverts will struggle in certain careers.

Many jobs will require you to be around people from sun up until sundown. You may have to make regular small talk, provide emotional support, or be a leader. If you are an introvert, this will be a huge drain on your social batteries.

What happens to a lot of students is that they love their career, but not so much the social aspect. For example, a person with a fascination for medicine who hates dealing with patients. You need to have an honest perception of who you really are and how that would work out with your job.

Remember, this would be just your job alone. After work, you may have to head home to family and friends. If your social batteries are drained from work, there will be nothing left in the tank for the people that matter most to you.

Mental Health

Some people really struggle with their mental health. You may need time off from a career that requires a lot from you. But depending on the career you work in, this may not always be possible.

If you have struggled with your mental health, you should reconsider very demanding careers. You wouldn't want to put your nose to the grindstone for years, only to discover that you have become overwhelmed. It can be very difficult then to break away from your career and treat your mental health.

To be clear, this is not to imply you are weak in any way. Understanding who you are and what your limits are will help you to set better goals.

Personal Lifestyle

It's important to have a work-life balance. Off the clock, you may have a wife and kids. You may have other hobbies and responsibilities that you must dedicate your time to, such as church participation.

Just as we've mentioned before, you should understand what you're getting yourself into. A demanding career will prevent you from carrying out many of your hobbies. You may have increasingly limited free time as the years go by and your career gets more involved.

Decide now whether you want a career that is the pinnacle of your life, or a complement to it. Some people want to go to work, then go home and forget about it. But some career paths will make your work part of your life 24/7.

Join Honor Society

Career goals are an important measuring stick you will use to gauge your progress throughout your college major and career development. Set realistic goals by having a realistic understanding of your future career path. If you know what you're getting yourself into, then you won't be disillusioned by anything you weren't expecting.

Honor Society is your source for everything related to scholarships through the Honor Society Foundation and career preparation. Become a member and enjoy a wide range of member-exclusive benefits.