My Career Goals Essay

My goal is to advance my professional skills and become a reliable career person in the future so that I contribute positively to both personal growth and growth of the organizations I work for. I also purpose to acquire relevant sills in my career so that I am effective in my work. I aspire to develop people-focused skills such as the ability to communicate effectively and also become a good decision maker and a critical thinker when faced with challenging situations. Currently, I possess the skills of good communication, teamwork, and ability to handle technical issues that arise in a workplace. I am experienced in dealing with people of diverse social-cultural backgrounds having studied in an institution that embraces diversity and have also worked in organizations that promote workforce diversity. I am also experienced in working in a team-based culture where tasks are shared among teams of workers with leaders to oversee the work. I can meet deadlines and deliver as desired by the client that makes me a reliable person in every workplace that I have been in the past. Since I want to become a reliable career person to contribute positively to the growth of organizations, I believe that the skills that I possess make me unique and stand out among other people with similar academic qualifications.

            I have taken several steps to make my goals a reality. I have acquired and continue to advance my professional skills in my area of specialization so that I become the career person I aspire to be in the future. I have also enrolled in various classes to help advance my skills in engaging with other people and also how to achieve excellence in what I do. I realized that academic qualification is a basic requirement in a workplace, but there are other skills that people ignore which are crucial to their profession. Thus, I am working on becoming an effective communicator so that I can be resourceful to the people I work with.

            Additionally, I am also working on my interpersonal relations so that I identify individuals whom I can rely on as mentors to my professional life. I have already started connecting with successful people in my career line who I believe will hold my hand throughout my professional career. I am focused on ensuring that I attain my goals in life by working hard as I advance my professional skills and also develop personal skills necessary in my career. Though I have not yet attained what I purpose to acquire, I am confident that with dedication and determination, I will become a successful career person in my area of specialization.

            Uzzi and Dunlap (2005) provide important insights on how to build a network and base their argument on the story of Paul Revere. He became successful and famous due to the type of social network that he established as an information broker. His strong network enabled him to achieve much more than he could by himself. Thus, I purpose to create a strong network that will help me to achieve my career and life objectives effectively. As Uzzi and Dunlap (2005) explain, the kind of people that we bring in our networks influences the kind of life we adopt and our achievements. At present, my network comprises of college friends, family members, and some few professionals whom I have worked with in the past. I do not have a very strong network of professionals in my career whom I can rely on to help me develop the skills necessary to my area of specialization. My college friends have been very supportive to me especially in handling assignments, and others have helped me to connect with professionals in my field of specialization who are their relatives. However, I have not managed to connect well with the professionals since I did not initiate the network by myself. My family members have also been very supportive to me especially helping me to unleash the potential within me and also advance my people-centered skills. I have been nurtured by the family members who have been very supportive and bold enough to correct me when on the wrong. I believe that what I am is partially based on what I have learned from the family members, from friends and also from my classroom studies.

             I purpose to broaden my circle of contacts so that I can connect with more people who are crucial to my professional goals. I plan to use social media and professional networking sites such as LinkedIn so that I broaden my circle of contacts. I will send requests to connect with people in my line of specialization and also request to meet them in person so that we can share our telephone and email contacts. I will also focus on attending training sessions and conferences where professionals in my area of specialization attend so that I connect with them. I will book appointments with professionals whom I believe that will add value to my professional career. I plan to establish a good network of friends who are in the same profession with me so that I can learn from them and also make use of their professional network to get a reliable job and also acquire skills that are relevant to my career. I may not establish a strong network of people immediately but will do it progressively until I am fully satisfied that I have people whom I can rely on.

            I realize that maintaining my online presence is crucial to ensuring that I remain updated and fully aware of new developments in my area of specialization. I am focused on making my LinkedIn and Facebook accounts more professional by connecting with people who can enable me to grow and become a reliable person in my work. I plan to be checking my social networking accounts and email regularly for any updates. I have a LinkedIn profile which I plan to update and include the academic qualifications and professional skills that I have acquired over time. I will use the current connections in my account to establish networks with other people who will be beneficial to my career. I will expand my network and maintain it by being online most of the time so that I am not left out when friends in my network share important issues. I live in an area where there is wireless internet connectivity and thus find it easy to manage my online presence. I can access the internet at any time to check on what my friends have posted or shared with me. Usually, there are job advertisements, invitations to attend training sessions and conferences which can be beneficial to me as I seek to achieve my goals.

            I also purpose to ask the few people I have in my network to introduce me to their friends whom I perceive as important to my profession. Such introductions can be done during events where professionals meet and also using social networking sites in which I can request for introductions through people close to me. I will send emails to my friends and request them for introductions and to others; I will make telephone calls to them so that I express my need with them. I also purpose to establish a network of friends and expand my circle of contacts by organizing to meet people in their offices in the instances where I cannot get their contacts through friends in my social network.

            I will also join groups of people that share common interests with me so that I can learn from them and also acquire relevant information about my profession. I have several ‘Whatsup’ groups that I know can be helpful to help me achieve my goals. I will request my friends to add me to the groups so that I can broaden my social and professional network. I believe that connecting with people is a great asset to my plan of achieving the outlined goals both in personal life and professionally. I will focus on maintaining a strong social network of people whom I can look up to and those who have made it in their careers. Though I may not always be online, I will try my best to maintain an online presence so that I am regularly updated on issues regarding my profession.

            I will sustain my network and online presence by being available to respond to all the emails I receive from people in my network and also ensure availability when called on to by friends and professionals in my network. I purpose to be checking my social media networking accounts regularly and also learn how to engage with my contacts without offending them or being nagging to them. Many people avoid connecting with others due to the numerous requests for favors and assistance even on unnecessary issues. Thus, I will try my best to maintain formal language and communication especially with professionals who do not have much time for their social lives. I will only share with them issues that are beneficial to both of us and also be mindful of the time I request to have their attention so that I do not bother them during odd hours. Additionally, I will also be sending requests to ask of a convenient time to engage the people in my social network to offend them. I will continue to develop my communication skills both written and oral as I learn how to relate professionally with other people. I will sustain my online presence by investing in purchasing a good computer and Smartphone which I will use to go online and check what other people have posted and also share with them what I find useful to them.

            I am fully convinced that developing a strong network of people will be key to advancing my professional skills and attaining goals in life. As discussed by Uzzi and Dunlop (2005), the choice of network to join determines our ability to grow and become what we desire in life.

Work Cited

Uzzi, Brian, and Shannon Dunlap. "How to build your network." Harvard business review 83.12 (2005): 53.