Future Goals
I'm a junior in college, so you know what that means.... I need to start planning my future. The thing is, I've been doing that since high school. I'm definitely a person that likes to have a set plan, and stick to that plan. I set my goals and everything I do is a step toward those goals... occasionally I may take a few steps back, but I'm always looking at that goal and striving for it. I've always been a believer of setting your goals high because I have that "you can do anything" attitude.
College is a type of wake-up call. Yes, I still believe in setting my goals high... but practicality has really set in. There are some things that just aren't in the cards for me. I mean, lets face it, I won't fly to space, I won't be the richest woman in the world, I won't be the first woman President (hopefully that's not because Hillary beats me to it), I won't travel to every country, I will never be a professional athlete or a famous movie star or musician, and I won't save the world. This I've always known... and these have never been goals of mine. I'm not saying they can't be goals of someone else's... but you have to make goals that appeal to you.
In Italy, we had a leadership seminar where we were "coached." We basically vented to a professional "coach" and they told us what they heard: what makes us happy, where we see ourselves in the future, how we need to get there, what about ourselves we don't like and what we need to work on. I'm not going to lie, I did not like this exercise one bit... because who wants to share all their hopes, dreams, disappointments, and regrets to almost a complete stranger. Yet, in the end, it allowed me to map out a plan for the rest of my life. I made a mission statement and set realistic goals for my future and created steps to achieve those goals. I realized this about myself: in order to be happy I need.... to be challenged, adventure, close ties with family and friends, a family of my own, success, a community/church to be involved in, and security. After understanding that about myself, I did some research into the finance field and looked for careers that I could be happy in. I came up with investment banking.
Investment banking is an intense career. It requires long hours, hard work, strong analytical skills, and flexibility because of the constantly-changing businesses. Since Italy, I've been working toward a goal of a career in this... starting with an internship to get my foot in the door and get a little experience. My thought was that I can get all my excitement and success after a few years in investment banking and then I'll be set to change into any other less-demanding finance career. The problem is getting an internship in this intense, exceptionally hard business. All the companies that are investment banks only hire extraordinary young talent from the top universities. What I've realized is that most people in this business have not heard of Clemson and therefore do not have much respect for the education or experience you get at these local, small-town southern schools and workplaces. Hence, practicality sets in... and lowers those goals that I once set. At some point, you just have to realize that you may not be able to get where you want to get and it may have nothing to do with how hard you work, or how smart you think you are.
I guess what I'm getting at is I've learned a few lessons in college about the real world and the reality of "you can be anything." In truth, you can put 100% into everything and only get so far... but maybe that's all you're cut out for. Maybe you weren't meant to do great things, or even average things. Your plans may not be the plans God has made for you. It's not necessarily about lowering goals and standards... it's about changing them. It's about realizing that just because your original dream may not work out, it doesn't mean you are settling for a lesser future. It just means, there might be something out there that is better suited for you and that will make you happier than you thought. All I know is God knows a lot more about what I need and what will make me happy in life, and whenever I run into a wall or a setback, I have to realize that there is just another path for me, the path that is more right for me.
College is a type of wake-up call. Yes, I still believe in setting my goals high... but practicality has really set in. There are some things that just aren't in the cards for me. I mean, lets face it, I won't fly to space, I won't be the richest woman in the world, I won't be the first woman President (hopefully that's not because Hillary beats me to it), I won't travel to every country, I will never be a professional athlete or a famous movie star or musician, and I won't save the world. This I've always known... and these have never been goals of mine. I'm not saying they can't be goals of someone else's... but you have to make goals that appeal to you.
In Italy, we had a leadership seminar where we were "coached." We basically vented to a professional "coach" and they told us what they heard: what makes us happy, where we see ourselves in the future, how we need to get there, what about ourselves we don't like and what we need to work on. I'm not going to lie, I did not like this exercise one bit... because who wants to share all their hopes, dreams, disappointments, and regrets to almost a complete stranger. Yet, in the end, it allowed me to map out a plan for the rest of my life. I made a mission statement and set realistic goals for my future and created steps to achieve those goals. I realized this about myself: in order to be happy I need.... to be challenged, adventure, close ties with family and friends, a family of my own, success, a community/church to be involved in, and security. After understanding that about myself, I did some research into the finance field and looked for careers that I could be happy in. I came up with investment banking.
Investment banking is an intense career. It requires long hours, hard work, strong analytical skills, and flexibility because of the constantly-changing businesses. Since Italy, I've been working toward a goal of a career in this... starting with an internship to get my foot in the door and get a little experience. My thought was that I can get all my excitement and success after a few years in investment banking and then I'll be set to change into any other less-demanding finance career. The problem is getting an internship in this intense, exceptionally hard business. All the companies that are investment banks only hire extraordinary young talent from the top universities. What I've realized is that most people in this business have not heard of Clemson and therefore do not have much respect for the education or experience you get at these local, small-town southern schools and workplaces. Hence, practicality sets in... and lowers those goals that I once set. At some point, you just have to realize that you may not be able to get where you want to get and it may have nothing to do with how hard you work, or how smart you think you are.
I guess what I'm getting at is I've learned a few lessons in college about the real world and the reality of "you can be anything." In truth, you can put 100% into everything and only get so far... but maybe that's all you're cut out for. Maybe you weren't meant to do great things, or even average things. Your plans may not be the plans God has made for you. It's not necessarily about lowering goals and standards... it's about changing them. It's about realizing that just because your original dream may not work out, it doesn't mean you are settling for a lesser future. It just means, there might be something out there that is better suited for you and that will make you happier than you thought. All I know is God knows a lot more about what I need and what will make me happy in life, and whenever I run into a wall or a setback, I have to realize that there is just another path for me, the path that is more right for me.
posted by Leah B at
8:49 PM
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