By Rachel Samson

Setting Goals: The Path to Success

Our caps and tassels get thrown in the air, hovering for just a moment before falling effortlessly to the ground. We look down at them, our joyful faces starting to decline into fear. We are done with college... but what does that mean? Time to be serious, become a professional, time to begin our adult lives. For that twenty-something person, the time has arrived to find a career and use all that knowledge that we paid through the roof for. But what are the challenges for a young professional? What stands in their way of achieving their goals? In the eyes of successful young professionals Colleen Breen and Lisa Cantello, often only we can stand in the way of our own success.

Colleen Breen

So where do we start? It actually begins inside us. Creating goals for ourself is the first step in achieving them. And while our initial goal may not be what we actually end up striving for, the act of making a goal could be just enough to push us in the right direction.

For Colleen Breen, a 26-year-old Corporate Events Director for the American Heart Association, it wasn't what her goal was, but what she learned about herself during the pursuit of her goal. "My original goal was to be a professional musician, and then a therapist... my first job in college was working as a counselor to adolescents. Although my career has taken a different direction than originally planned, I have definitely been able to put those 'people skills' to use." Although, Colleen did not end up pursuing her initial goal, by having the goal itself, she developed the skills necessary to accomplish a new objective.

How do we know what we should do for a career? Many people will tell us that we should think about what we love and find a job that encompasses that. After all, if we could wake up every day and look forward to going to work, wouldn’t that be ideal? For Lisa Cantello, a 30-year-old Sales Representative for United General Title Insurance Company, knowing what she wanted to incorporate in her position and what she wanted from a company, led her to a great career. Lisa knew that she loved working with people, but it was more than just the people, it was what they represented, "I have always enjoyed working with people and a sales position naturally fit the bill. I also wanted to work for a company that promoted exceptional service standards as well as an environment for personal and professional growth." With these specific standards in mind, Lisa could work towards a goal of doing what she loved as well as loving what her company represented.

Now that we have identified our goals, what are some of the challenges we might face on the road to achieving them? Many young professionals deal with the stigmas of age surrounding their particular position or company demographic. For myself, coming into a Supervisor position at the age of 24, where my department ranged in age from 18 to 50+ and had been working for 2-25 years, to them it was not about my intelligence and capabilities, but rather proving my worthiness. We cannot assume a title is enough to be given respect, usually it needs to be earned. Acknowledging it rather than fighting it will only make us stronger professionals.

Similarly, Lisa ran into some difficulties with age discrimination as she headed towards her career goals. While knowing that her employers were behind her and that she was a highly capable individual, it made it difficult to remain focused and not take it personally. Lisa knew what it was going to take for her to push through the obstacles of discrimination and succeed. For Lisa, "knowing your worth and do[ing] the job you were hired to do," was an important factor in staying motivated. "If you are confident, others will see that. We all start our careers somewhere and anyone you encounter who has more experience or who may be older than you was young in their profession at one time too." It really is all about staying grounded and keeping things in perspective.

Lisa Cantello

While we are aware that setting initial goals is very important, we also need to remind ourselves that this is a continuous process. After we have reached one goal, we should replace it with another. Both Lisa and Colleen, although they have already accomplished much, continue to set goals towards the next level of professional and personal success. For Lisa, becoming an even more well-rounded individual has led her to not only "continue building and maintaining relationships to assist United General in inspiring clients to use [their] services and then tell their friends about us," but also to "maintain and grow [in] my community involvement. I was honored to be asked to Chair the 2006 Heart Walk this year for the American Heart Association and I plan to stay and get involved in as many community groups and charities as I can." Giving back to the community seems to be a common desire among young professionals that have begun their climb up the corporate ladder. It provides a sense of accomplishment much farther reaching than a career alone.

Similarly, Colleen is continuing to build on her "people skills" but in a much broader sense. Santa Barbara is a very close-knit community and Colleen’s goal is to increase her positive impact and share her love for her job by showing her community what she can do for them. Colleen stated that she "loves working with people and delivering great customer service" and that her new goal is, "to make an impact, connect with the Santa Barbara community, and raise very important funds for the American Heart Association." Both Colleen and Lisa have taken their professional successes and given back to the community that provided them with the opportunities necessary to achieve their goals.

While recent graduates might be intimidated by the prospects of their career goals, remembering that we all will or have gone through it should give them the courage to persevere and go after what they want. Don’t be afraid to show employers what the youth of Santa Barbara are capable of: remain confident in your abilities, know your goals and how to go after them, be professional, but most importantly, love what you do and don’t forget to take a moment to recognize your accomplishments.