In my previous blog post, I go into the idea of how being a college student is like running your own business. I examined the parallels of being a business owner with being a college student, and found many similarities. Now I’d like to go into another topic that I only brushed on in my previous blog post: Where do you see yourself in five years?
Will you be working at your dream job? Will you be studying in grad school? A little bit of both? You don’t have to be a Freshman to ask yourself this question. You can start your five year plan at any time you desire (hopefully after you read this!) If you are a Freshman, it’s likely that five years down the line, you’ll have earned your four-year degree and will be looking into grad school or searching for a job. That’s because when you are first starting school, your future plans are pretty concrete. You may be a bit confused about your future career, and you may change your mind a bunch of times, but most of the major details are already put in place for you. You just have to follow the road to get there. For Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors, it gets a little more complicated.
When a Senior student is thinking five years ahead, there are many more variables. Will he spend his next five years at the same job, or will he look for a job with better pay as he gets more experience? Will he apply for grad school? Is there a PhD in his future? More options means more time is needed for planning.
I implore all college students to create a five-year plan no matter where they are in their college career. It’s been proven many times that people who set solid goals achieve more than people who don’t, and by solid goals, I mean S.M.A.R.T. Goals. Just in case you aren’t in the know, a SMART goals is a goal that is Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-Sensitive.
Having a plan that goes as long as five years is a good thing, but if that’s too daunting for you, you can make smaller plans as well. Here are some examples:
- I want to network with at least five experts in my future industry before the end of my first semester of Senior year.
- I want to save at least $5000 to travel to Europe for a month after I graduate in four years.
- I want to apply for $10,000 worth of scholarships for grad school during my second semester of Junior year.
While these goals are just examples, maybe they can inspire you to set some alternate goals of your own. Having a clear plan of attack will push you to become a better version of yourself, and that’s what college is about.
Go for it!