Life goals?

[tjennings]

Hi everyone,
I have been looking at my different sources of nomination recently and all of them seem to like to ask for "life goals". What would be some good things to include. Like "have a job that puts me in a leadership position"? I am essentially asking: What are the qualities and types of people that they are looking for? I will, of course, be honest in my answers but I was thinking about what aspect of myself I should put forward.
Thank you,
-T

 

[Old Navy BGO]

They are looking for your life goals, not the collective wisdom of those on the Forum. It is very easy to tell when someone is writing what they think the audience to hear rather than what they truly think. Think about the Mission of the Naval Academy, and write toward how YOU can contribute to that Mission statement.

 

[Capt MJ]

Life goals are not just about what you do for a living, they are also what kind of human being do you aspire to become? Think about the 70+ years you have on the planet going forward. Who do you want to be, what do you want to have accomplished, how do you want to be remembered?

Don’t look for answers outside yourself based on what you think decision-makers want to see. These kinds of questions are designed to see if you have actually spent time in thinking about short, mid-term and long-range goals for your life, and are not just applying to USXA because Aunt Anne went there.

This is YOUR story. Look inward and think about you and what you aspire to be or accomplish in your 20’s, middle decades and beyond. Even if you stayed in for a full career and reached top ranks, you’d be getting out between mid-forties and 60’s. You will not be teetering at grave’s edge then, and you’ll have another 20-30 years to start your own business, build a non-profit to mentor veterans, work in aerospace on the next big program, go back to school for a degree that takes you in an entirely different direction.

Practical tips: Demonstrate your knowledge of the SA and service you want to attend to describe what career specialty paths appeal and why. Be thoughtful and express flexibility that shows you understand life goals will probably be altered by chance and circumstance. Avoid answers that fall in the category of “I want to do X because I’ll make the most money as a civilian doing that.”

Do take inputs from others to help stimulate thinking, but ensure it is 100% you coming across as you write.

 

[tjennings]

Thank you very much. (I am aware that that my answers should be genuine and not just a copy-paste of the USNA mission statement.)

 

[MidCakePa]

+1 to @Old Navy BGO and @Capt MJ.

A great test of whether your statement is genuine is to let others who know you well read it. That could be a parent or teacher or counselor or friend. Share it with a few people who’ll be brutally honest with you. They’re the ones who’ll tell you if the statement doesn’t sound like the person they know. In other words, they’re your “BS meter.”