goals and aspirations essay

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Career Goals Essay For Scholarships (With Examples)

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Scholarship programs often want you to write a career goals essay to see that you have a clear plan for how you’ll apply your education to a specific career path. This helps show a scholarship committee why you’re seeking funds for the next step on the path toward your success. Answering “what are your career goals” effectively can help increase your odds of impressing landing a scholarship opportunity. If you’re a prospective student applying for scholarships, this article will provide tips on how to write a career goals essay, along with essays on career goals examples to help you get an idea of what scholarship committees are looking for. Key Takeaways: When you’re writing a career goals essay, make sure to write about the goals that are relevant to the scholarship. Be honest and use your own voice to stand out in your scholarship essay. Go into detail about how the scholarship will help you achieve your goals. In This Article Skip to section What is a career goals essay? Why scholarship essays ask about career goals Example career goals essay prompts Career goals essay examples Tips for writing a scholarship essay about career goals What to write in a career goals essay if your goals have changed Career goals essay for a scholarship FAQ References Sign Up For More Advice and Jobs Show More What is a career goals essay?

A career goals essay is a personal written explanation that discusses your background, why you’re interested in participating in the program, and what career you’d like this degree to lead into. A scholarship essay functions to explain why you want to achieve your professional goals and how you intend to get there.

In almost every application process, a portion asks the candidate to answer an essay question. When applying to an educational program, like an MBA, the essay prompt usually relates to your career goals .

Why scholarship essays ask about career goals

Scholarship essays ask about career goals to assess your enthusiasm for the program, learn more about how the scholarship will help you, and ensure that you’ve considered how the program will help you achieve your goals for the future:

Assess your enthusiasm. Passion is important for scholarship administrators, and if you’re able to articulate your enthusiasm for a specific career path , it will show that you’re determined to meet the requirements to reach that goal. The most specific and well-thought-out your essay is, the easier it will be for a reader to understand your devotion and commitment to the program and the field it will allow you to enter.

Learn how the scholarship will help you. Having a firm grasp of your career goals is great, but it’s equally important that you express exactly how the specific program relates to those goals. This shows that you’ve researched the merits of the program and understand exactly how it fits into your professional goals.

Show you’ve considered your future. This goes along with the first two points — show that you know how to set goals and consider the path toward achieving those goals, and you’ll have an easier time convincing the reader that you’ll know how to set goals while participating in the program. They’ll see that you know how to prioritize education because you have a clear vision for navigating your career path.

Example career goals essay prompts

While some scholarships might come right out and simply ask, “What are your career goals?” most will rework the question into something different that still accomplishes the same goal.

Below are some examples of career goals essay prompts that a scholarship program could pose to its applicants:

Discuss your career goals. Many scholarships prefer the most direct approach when giving an essay prompt to their applicants. This type of question gives the candidate a lot of wiggle room to discuss their passions, motivations, and career goals.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years ? This question is often used as a prompt for a career goals essay because it gives the applicant a timeline to describe their aspirations. It forces them to be realistic about where their career will be and how they will accomplish this within the next ten years.

How will this scholarship contribute to your professional success? A scholarship committee wants to be sure that the money they’re giving will contribute to a student’s overall professional success. This question asks about the applicant’s game plan in the long-term and evaluates how this program is going to assist in their future.

What is your dream job ? Since a dream job is often categorized as a person’s career goals, this is a common question phrasing in scholarship essays. Asking about a candidate’s dream job answers whether this program aligns with the student’s long-term career goals.

What matters most to you and why? Sometimes, a scholarship essay prompt won’t ask about your career or future at all. Instead, they’ll ask a question like this that assesses your motivations , values, and character.

Career goals essay examples

Use these examples of career goals essays for scholarships to help write your own. Pay special attention to how they’re organized, rather than the content, to inspire your own career goals essay:

Career goals essay example 1 – Discuss your career goals

When I was six years old, I was riding bikes with my older sister around our neighborhood. She had just taught me how to ride, and I was excited to have to freedom to explore with her. When she was rounding a particularly difficult bend to see around, a car happened to be coming along at the same time. It struck her. That bike ride changed our lives forever. Over the next year, I went with my sister every Tuesday and Thursday to her physical therapist ’s appointments to help her regain walking strength. Watching her physical therapist patiently assist my sister back to becoming herself awoken something in me. A passion for helping others in the same way eventually turned into a career goal of becoming a physical therapist myself. I decided to get my bachelor’s degree in exercise science. After graduating in 2019, I knew that the next step for me was to attend a graduate program in physical therapy. I was accepted to Lassell University Master of Science in Rehabilitation Services. This presented me with my latest goal along my career path, and I’m eagerly waiting to start. This scholarship would help me afford the wonderful opportunity to be a part of the Lassell University class of 2023, allowing me to continue working towards my ultimate career goal of becoming a physical therapist and helping others to become themselves again.

Career goals essay example 2 – Where do you see yourself in ten years?

In ten years, I will have been successfully running my own construction business for about five years. I’m currently a second-year student at the University of Texas, pursuing a master’s degree in business administration. I decided to get my MBA because I knew it would be a positive asset toward my long-term career goal of owning a construction business. In my high school years, I worked as a construction apprentice for a local business. I loved many aspects of the business, such as building something from nothing. I knew that I wanted to incorporate this work into my long-term career, but I didn’t want to work as an apprentice . This led me to pursue business. In ten years and with the help of this scholarship, I will have graduated with my MBA almost a decade prior . After graduation, I plan to take a business administration internship with a carpentry business to help myself get a footing in the field. After about two years of this, I will have started my own construction business.

Career goals essay example 3 – What matters most to you and why?

The people I surround myself with matter most to me. Whether it be my relatives, friends, or professional acquaintances, I always care the most about the happiness of the people around me. Making the people around me happy matters the most to me because I truly because we find our happiness through others. I believe that this drive to make a positive impression on the people around me is what drove me towards a career as a nurse . I always thought of hospitals as places where people need someone to support them and make their day a little happier. I wanted to be one of those who spend their careers positively impacting people in need. This scholarship will enable me to finally afford nursing school and go after my dream job full force.

Career goals essay example 4 – What are your short- and long-term career goals, and how will earning this degree contribute to achieving those goals? Please provide a minimum of 200 words.

My short-term career goals involve working directly with underprivileged young people to increase the literacy rate in my community. As a student of an underfunded and understaffed school, I’ve seen firsthand how much of an impact early literacy education makes on long-term achievement. It broke my heart to see my peers embarrassed at their struggle with reading at an advanced age, and this shame added another dimension to their lack of opportunity. Being a literacy educator for young people would allow me to serve this community directly to show them not only the necessity of strong written communication skills, but the joy of reading for pleasure. This program focuses specifically on early literacy, and would provide me a direct route to a career in serving the community I hope to serve. As for long-term career goals, I hope to one day create a program where socioeconomically parents can bring their children for literacy education, not only to increase their ability to navigate the world of language, but also to instill confidence and joy in the written word. What drew me to this program was that it also has administrative, legal, and business dimensions that would set me on the path toward achieving this goal.

Tips for writing a scholarship essay about career goals

Here are some tips to keep in mind for writing a career goals scholarship essay:

Write about goals relevant to the scholarship. Although you may have many different kinds of goals for your personal and professional future, a scholarship essay only discusses objectives that are relevant to the program you’re applying for.

Be honest. Applying for a scholarship is stressful because the applicant’s education is usually reliant on receiving these funds in one way or another. Even though it’s tempting to exaggerate your skills or pretend you’re more passionate about something than you are to make yourself a more competitive applicant, it’s a bad move.

Use your own, unique voice. The essay portion of a scholarship application is your chance to stand out by using your voice. Nobody else, regardless of their academic or professional achievements, is you. Make this clear in your career goals scholarship essay by keeping your unique written voice engrained in the words you produce.

Be specific. A big reason that scholarship committees ask applicants to write a career goals essay is to determine how prepared they are in planning their long-term professional goals. They aren’t interested in providing a scholarship to students who aren’t going to follow through with their career plans.

Explain long and short-term goals . Even if the essay prompt asks you to describe where you see yourself in ten years, you still need to tell them the steps leading towards this picture of success.

Include the short-term goals that add up to your larger career objectives in your essay response. Explain how accomplishing the smaller goals gives you an advantage when tackling long-term ones.

Explain how the program and scholarship will help you. Before writing your career goals essay, consider how this program and scholarship will help you in your career. The answer to this question is essential.

Follow the essay formatting guidelines. This may sound obvious, but it’s surprisingly easy to forget this step when your essay is finally flowing and when you’re scrambling to get it submitted on time.

Check, double-check , and triple-check the essay guidelines for content, word count, and formatting requirements. If you miss any of these steps, your essay may be immediately disqualified no matter how good it or the rest of your application is.

What to write in a career goals essay if your goals have changed

Many times career goals essays are written by students who have already completed at least some college or are applying to a post-graduate program and need more money to continue.

There’s a good chance that your career goals have changed since you started or graduated college. For example, say you wanted to be an engineer , so you got your undergraduate degree in engineering but realized you didn’t like it after working in the industry for a few years.

You decided that nursing would be more up your alley, and now you’re applying for a scholarship for a nursing program. While this isn’t unusual, it can make it more difficult to write a career goals essay since your past work doesn’t necessarily match your future goals.

In this case, you’ll simply need to explain why you changed your career path and why this next one is the best choice for you. Share your decision-making process to show that you haven’t taken the switch lightly, and talk about what you’ve already done to try to pursue this path.

Career goals essay for a scholarship FAQ

How do you write a career goal for a scholarship essay?

You write a career goal for a scholarship essay by sharing your passion, explaining both your long- and short-term goals, and relating your goals to the scholarship.

Explain why you want to pursue the career you’re pursuing, where you hope to be in the future and how you plan to get there, and how the scholarship will help you do this.

How do you describe your career goals in an essay?

You describe your career goals in an essay by explaining what you want to do in your career, why you decided on this career path, and what you’ve done so far to make that a reality.

You can usually work these factors into any prompt you receive, so think through them before you start writing so that you can use them as an outline of sorts.

What are career goals examples?

Examples of career goals include:

Working as a grant writer for a nonprofit organization.

Becoming a department manager and eventually an executive in your field.

Owning your own plumbing company.

Caring for underserved communities as a nurse practitioner .

What are some goals for success?

Some goals for success include growing in your role, building your network, and finding joy in the job. Most careers don’t just happen overnight and require you to set the right milestones that work best for you. Not everyone will have the same goals for success.

How do you start a career goals essay for a scholarship?

You can start a career goals essay for a scholarship by directly answering the prompt. Most scholarship prompts include a word count of between 200 and 500 words, so it’s essential that you immediately respond to the prompt. Attention-grabbing sentences and narratives can be helpful for setting the scene, but an efficient and direct answer will show a clarity of mind that helps enhance the quality of your answer.

BLS – Career planning for high schoolers

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Sky Ariella is a professional freelance writer, originally from New York. She has been featured on websites and online magazines covering topics in career, travel, and lifestyle. She received her BA in psychology from Hunter College.

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Your chance of acceptance, your chancing factors, extracurriculars, how to describe your academic and career goals in college essays.

I'm writing a few essays for scholarships and college applications, and several prompts ask me to describe my academic and career goals. I'm struggling a bit with how to clearly express my ambitions and how my chosen field of study aligns with my career aspirations. What should I focus on to make my goals sound genuine and well-thought-out? I would appreciate any pointers or examples that could guide me through this process. Thanks!

Highlighting your academic and career goals in essays is a deep dive into your future aspirations. When articulating your goals, remember that you're illustrating a map of what you hope your life to look like in the future. Let's break it down into some key points:

1. Specificity: Start by stating your goals as precisely as possible. For instance, don't just say you want to study biology; explain you want to pursue marine biology to contribute to coral reef conservation efforts. The more specifics you give, the more credible your ambitions will be.

2. Connection: Describe how your chosen field of study will help you reach these goals. Translate the skills and knowledge you expect to gain from your education into the practical steps toward your career. For instance, studying marine biology would equip you with the technical knowledge to develop effective conservation methods.

3. Reasoning: Explain your rationale. Every goal has a story behind it, a "why". This can stem from personal experiences, deep-seated interests, or a sense of purpose. By explaining why this goal matters to you, you make your essay more personal and engaging.

4. Long-Term Perspective: Show that you're thinking beyond just your first job out of college. Describe how you plan to progress in your career, the impact you hope to make in your field, and possibly even the legacy you want to leave.

5. Alignment: Finally, clearly communicate how the scholarship or program will help you achieve these goals. It could be through unique coursework, opportunities for research, or industry connections that the college offers.

For example, if you're interested in environmental sciences, you could say your long-term goal is to work for an NGO focused on climate change and implement sustainable practices. Your reason might be witnessing first-hand the devastating effects of climate change in your hometown. The alignment can be the college's renowned program on environmental studies and, thus, your undeniable interest in gaining from it to contribute effectively to your chosen cause.

Remember authenticity is essential. Your genuine passion and dedicated planning should shine through your essay. Reflecting on your goals in a way that displays your willingness to work towards them can make a sincere and positive impression on the admissions committee.

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How to Write an Awesome Essay About Your Career Goals

Before you begin, ask yourself a few key questions like:
What are my short-term and long-term career goals?
Where do I see myself in ten years?
What events in my life have led me to have these goals?
What major will help me reach my goals?
What skills do I need to reach my goals?
What impact do I want to have on society?

Career Goals Essay Template

Need more inspiration.

After you brainstorm the responses to these questions, look for common themes, or pick out the most interesting stories. You can build your main essay “thesis” or idea around this.

Once you’ve got the main idea, create an outline to put your ideas into essay format. This will give you a general idea of structure.

You can use the career essays template below to give you some ideas. But remember that some rules are meant to be broken, so don’t be afraid to be innovative and think outside the box!

Also, when you’re done, head over to Going Merry to apply for the Career Goals scholarship essay bundle (one essay, one application, multiple scholarships!). You might as well make that essay count. Sign up for Going Merry to apply for scholarships more efficiently.

Here’s a paragraph-by-paragraph breakdown:

Paragraph 1 : Establish the main theme of what you’re going to talk about. It should also grab the reader’s attention. For example, instead of starting your essay with something generic (e.g. Ever since I was a little girl, I wanted to be a zoologist), get creative with it! Try something like My greatest memory as a young girl was going to the zoo for the first time or While most kids play house or school, I always wanted to play zookeeper.

Paragraph 2 : Elaborate on what inspired your career goals. Perhaps it was a relative, a TV show, or simply an experience that you had. Remember that old writing adage, “Show, don’t tell.” In other words, try to demonstrate your interest with story or description.

Paragraph 3 : Discuss your short-term career goals and your intended major. How will your intended major help you reach these goals? What skills do you need to learn to reach them? At the end of the paragraph, try discussing how your short-term goals can help you achieve your long-term goals.

Paragraph 4 : Focus on your long-term goals and the impact that you hope to have on society. If you’re not sure what your long-term goals are, don’t sweat it; they’ll probably change anyways. You can instead focus on the difference you’d like to make overall. And don’t worry too much about the size of the impact…remember that just doing what you’re truly passionate about has a massive impact on those around you.

The last paragraph is your conclusion. You can use this paragraph to summarize what you discussed in the previous few paragraphs. If you want to be even more creative, try ending your essay with a question for your readers or a new insight. Good luck!

And now that you’re ready with that essay, put it to good use! You can recycle that same essay, when applying for the Career Goals Scholarship Bundle. We’ve joined together multiple scholarships (all requesting essays on career goals), into just ONE simple application! See more info here , or just sign up to get going.

Check out examples from other students just like you. Here are links to some great career goal essay examples:

Example 1
Example 2
Example 3

Or maybe you’re looking for help with an academic goals essay — we’ve got you covered there too.

Also, check out this helpful list of the 10 most common scholarship essay topics !

Top 10 Most Common Scholarship Essay Prompts Graphic

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Essay on Aspiration In Life

Students are often asked to write an essay on Aspiration In Life in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Aspiration In Life

What is aspiration.

Aspiration means having a strong desire to achieve something in life. It’s like a goal or target that guides your actions and decisions. It’s what you dream of becoming or doing. It’s your life’s plan. It gives you a sense of purpose and direction.

Importance of Aspiration

Aspiration is very important. It motivates you to work hard. It helps you focus on what you want to achieve. Without aspiration, life can feel aimless and boring. With aspiration, you know where you’re going and what you’re working towards.

Types of Aspirations

There are many types of aspirations. Some people aspire to be doctors, others want to be artists, and some dream of being astronauts. Your aspiration can be anything that you are passionate about. It doesn’t have to be a job or career. It could be a personal goal like learning a new skill or helping others.

Working Towards Aspirations

To achieve your aspiration, you need to work hard and stay focused. You need to make a plan and stick to it. You may face challenges along the way, but don’t give up. Keep working towards your goal, and one day you will achieve it.

In conclusion, having an aspiration in life is very important. It gives your life purpose and direction. It motivates you to work hard and achieve your dreams. So, always have an aspiration and work towards it.

250 Words Essay on Aspiration In Life

Understanding aspiration.

Aspiration means a strong wish to achieve something. It is like a goal that we set for ourselves in life. Aspirations guide us on our path and give us a sense of purpose.

The Role of Aspirations

Aspirations play a big role in our life. They shape our thoughts and actions. For example, if your aspiration is to become a doctor, you will study hard to get into a medical college. Aspirations make us work hard and stay focused.

Aspirations can be big or small. Some people aspire to become successful in their careers, while others may wish to travel the world. Some people aspire to help others and make a difference in society. Everyone has different aspirations in life.

Importance of Aspirations

Aspirations are important as they give us a direction in life. They make us strive for success and overcome challenges. Aspirations also help us to grow as individuals. They push us to learn new things and step out of our comfort zones.

In conclusion, having aspirations in life is very important. They give us a purpose and motivate us to work hard. Aspirations help us to achieve our dreams and make our lives meaningful. So, it’s important to have aspirations and work towards achieving them.

500 Words Essay on Aspiration In Life

Aspiration is a strong desire to achieve something in life. It is the driving force that pushes us to work hard and reach our goals. It is like a dream that we want to turn into reality. Aspirations can be different for different people. Some may aspire to be doctors, engineers, teachers, while others may dream of becoming artists, musicians, or writers.

The Role of Aspiration in Life

Aspiration plays a vital role in our lives. It gives us a sense of direction and purpose. When we have a clear aspiration, we know what we want to achieve and this clarity helps us to plan our actions accordingly. It helps us to stay focused and motivated. It gives us the strength to overcome obstacles and keep going even when things get tough.

There are different types of aspirations. They can be related to our personal life or professional life. Personal aspirations may include being a good person, helping others, or leading a healthy life. Professional aspirations may involve achieving success in our chosen field, gaining recognition, or making a positive impact in our job.

Importance of Having an Aspiration

Having an aspiration is important because it gives our life a sense of purpose. It motivates us to work hard and make efforts to achieve our goals. It makes us more determined and persistent. It helps us to stay focused on our path and not get distracted by minor setbacks. It gives us a reason to wake up every morning with enthusiasm and positivity.

How to Nurture Aspirations

Nurturing our aspirations is crucial for our growth and success. We can nurture our aspirations by setting clear and realistic goals. We should also make a plan and follow it diligently. We should stay motivated and never lose hope even in the face of difficulties. We should seek guidance from our mentors and learn from our mistakes. We should always believe in ourselves and our abilities.

In conclusion, aspiration is a powerful force that drives us towards our goals. It is the fuel that keeps our dreams alive. It gives our life a sense of purpose and direction. It is important to have an aspiration in life and work hard to achieve it. It is equally important to nurture our aspirations and stay committed to our goals. So, let’s dream big, aspire high, and work hard to turn our dreams into reality. Remember, the sky is the limit when it comes to our aspirations.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

If you’re looking for more, here are essays on other interesting topics:

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Apart from these, you can look at all the essays by clicking here .

Happy studying!