By Elise Mackanych
As the Spring 2025 semester gets underway at Academy of Art University, there’s no better time to reflect on where we have been and where we will go. Setting clear, attainable goals is a key aspect of personal and academic growth.
On Monday, January 20, Career Services hosted a goal-setting workshop for 2025, moderated by Associate Vice President of Student Affairs Lauren Spain. By explaining the importance of goals, demonstrating the S.M.A.R.T. goal framework, and hearing directly from Academy students themselves, the workshop provided guidance for those looking to start strong and aim for success in 2025.
Setting S.M.A.R.T. goals
When you begin thinking about your goals, it’s important to organize them according to a strategic framework, such as S.M.A.R.T. Spain explained during the workshop, by setting your goals up within this structure, students can follow a well-defined, achievable, and aligned path for their long-term vision.
S.M.A.R.T. was defined during the workshop as:
Specific: Effective goals are specific and narrow.
Measurable: Goals and progress should be something that you can measure.
Attainable: You should be able to realistically accomplish your goals within a certain time frame.
Relevant: Your goals should align with your values and long-term objectives in life.
Timely: Goals should have a reasonable end date to support prioritization and motivation.
To demonstrate for those in attendance, Spain used the following goal as an example: “I am really struggling at using Adobe Photoshop, and it’s a key program to know for my next career path.”
Here is the S.M.A.R.T. framework for this goal:
Specific: Learning Photoshop helps me get a job. I want to get better at it over the summer break.
Measurable: By summer 2025, I should be able to use selection tools, blending modes, and adjustment layers.
Attainable: I will attend all the Photoshop workshops available on campus and try to join clubs or extracurricular events that will help me gain more technical skills.
Relevant: Photoshop will account for about 50 percent of my job, and I really want to be a designer.
Timely: In five months, I should be proficient in Photoshop since I’ll be applying for internships.
After adjusting the S.M.A.R.T. framework to your specific goals, you can take it a step further by finding opportunities to make the framework a reality. For example, if becoming involved with clubs is a part of your goal, you can begin to research clubs that you can participate in.
“You start building on your pathway so that if you’re following all of your mini goals, you can reach that big goal,” Spain explained.
Overcoming obstacles
After setting your goal plan, it can feel disappointing to encounter setbacks in the process. This is a normal part of the journey, and what matters is how you adjust when facing barriers.
Spain suggested a few tips to navigate obstacles throughout the process:
Reevaluate and prioritize: check if the roadblock is something you can control. Prioritize your goals by importance and feasibility.
Modify the goal: If your goal feels impossible, tweak the timeline, break it into smaller steps, or adjust the outcome.
Seek alternative approaches: Explore different strategies—whether that’s learning new skills or finding a mentor to help you out.
Set new goals: Sometimes, roadblocks show you the need for a change. Reassess and set new goals that better fit your current situation.
Learn from setbacks: Use obstacles to reflect and improve. Figure out what went wrong and apply those lessons to future goals.
Stay persistent and resilient: Remember, setbacks don’t define your success. Keep going.
Reflecting on your goals
After allowing students to brainstorm, create, and share their personal goals for the year, the workshop served as a reminder that you can achieve what you set your mind to.
Setting goals is a powerful tool, especially when done with a strategic framework. By reflecting on our desires in life, we can create clear, attainable objectives that allow us to be successful.
Though setbacks are inevitable, the key is to stay persistent, reevaluate when needed, and learn from your challenges along the way. With a determined mindset and the right strategy, the path to achieving your 2025 goals is feasible and rewarding.
Watch the Set Your 2025 Goals Workshop.
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