Your job goals can be short-term or long-term. Also, you can have more than 1 job goal.
Easy Reading Dictionary
Use the Easy Reading Dictionary to learn the words in this article.
A short-term goal takes a short time. For example, a few months or a year. A long-term goal can take a long time. For example, a few years. First you pick a goal. Then you work toward that goal. Maybe your short-term goal is one of your job choices. Or maybe you need to do something before you can do that job. For example, take a safety training course or improve your math.
Job goal examples
Look at how these workers set short-term goals and long-term goals to get the jobs they want. This will give you ideas for setting your own job goals.
Maxine - health care aide
Maxine has two short-term goals. First she wants to improve her reading. Then she wants to be a health care aide. She will need to take a health care aide course too. She wants to work as a health care aide for a few years. She needs money for her family. Later she might become a licensed practical nurse (LPN). That is her long-term goal.
Leo - apprentice carpenter
Leo’s short-term goal is to be an apprentice carpenter. He can’t be a carpenter right away. He needs to learn more about carpentry. Now Leo is a labourer on a construction site. Leo’s company has apprentice carpenters. Leo’s boss will help Leo learn on the job. Then Leo can become an apprentice carpenter. Leo has a long-term goal too. He wants to be a journeyperson carpenter. This will take Leo 4 years.
Kim - cook
Kim’s short-term goal is to be a cook in a restaurant. She has worked a lot as a server. She’s tired of serving customers. She wants to learn about preparing food. She wants to learn on the job. Maybe Kim will like cooking. Then she might decide to take a cooking course. Or she might start an apprenticeship. She is not sure about her long-term goal. Maybe she will change her mind.
Get more information
You may have some questions about what to do next. You may need to find more information.
- Maybe a friend or someone in your family can help you.
- Maybe your career advisor or tutor can help you. Or your tutor can help you find a career advisor.
- You can contact Alberta Supports. They will help you find someone to talk to.
- You can find information on the alis website. For example, you can learn about courses. You can find out about government funding for courses.
You might need to do the job choice exercises again. For example, your interests and job needs may change. Then you may decide to change your job goal. That’s OK. You can find information about other jobs. You can make new choices.