When should I take this step?
Eighteen (18) to twelve months before school starts.

How do I set my educational and career goals?

Your educational and career goals will be affected by things such as the quality of life you want, the kind of values you believe in, and what level of personal wealth you would be satisfied with. After considering these variables, ask yourself the following questions:

1. Your goal: what do you want to be after you graduate?
Try to be as specific as possible because this will make the next step easier. Here are some examples of specific goals..

• Become a civil servant in your country
• Live and work in the U.S. after graduation
• Work as a designer in the high-technology industry
• Be an executive in a multinational corporation
• Work in one of the United Nations organizations

2. Your background/qualifications: What do you have at this point?
Carefully look at your own background and qualifications to see how ready you are to achieve your goals. Perhaps you already have a Bachelor's degree in Engineering, are fluent in English, and have a good understanding of the computer architecture.

3. Achieving the goals: To get from here to there, what do you need to do?
From your qualifications, what else do you need to do in order to achieve the goals you set earlier. This step is probably the most difficult. You should talk to different people and learn from their experiences. Normally, advice from experienced people such as professors and experts in you future field of study will be helpful.

If you want to work in a large multinational corporation after you graduate, you probably need an MBA from a top business school and some experience working in an international environment. In this case, you may look for top schools that focus on international business. If you want to be in the entertainment industry, studying in or near Los Angeles will give you exposure to the entertainment industry in the U.S.

Why do I need to define specific goals?
Without specific educational and career goals, your choice of college, major, location, and environment may not help you achieve your goals in the end.