Short-term career goals take about six months to three years to accomplish. They might be stepping stones to get you to those long-term goals, or they might be small tasks you just want to make happen. Here are some examples:

Seriously, sometimes simply having income is your number one goal, and that’s okay. Maybe you just quit your job or got laid off, or you just need to make ends meet. Do what you need to do to provide for yourself and your family and have steady money coming in.

But the truth is, you were created to do work that’s meaningful to you, so once your situation is more stable, you’ll be able to think more about where you really want your career to go.

You might be making a midlife career change or figuring out your career direction for the first time ever. Whatever your situation, clarity is always a great goal. Once you’re clear on your top talents, top passions and your professional mission, you can find your career sweet spot and start looking for options in that field.

Sometimes you need to get certain qualifications for a job. Your goal might be to go back to school to get your MBA, complete a coding bootcamp, take a copywriting course, do an internship at a law firm, or anything else that increases your hiring potential and gets you more career experience.

But listen, whatever extra education and training you go for—do not take out school loans or any other kind of debt to pay for it. Pay as you go—and then you won’t be left with extra bills to pay off when you throw that grad cap in the air (or print that online certificate).

Making genuine connections is a fairly easy short-term goal that can really pay off in the long run—and these connections can also bring about job opportunities. You can find plenty of ways to network, even if it’s just by getting to know people at church or volunteering for a company that interests you.

If you’re ready to start moving toward that dream job, you can take some short-term steps to get there. This could mean grabbing a side hustle, part-time job or entry-level job that gets your foot in the door. You can work your way up from there!

Speaking of working your way up, a promotion (along with a pay raise) is an awesome goal. Depending on where you work, this could become a longer-term goal—but promotions usually happen every two to three years, which would put that goal in the short-term category.

There are all kinds of long-term career goals, from becoming a CEO to being known as an expert in your field. It all depends on what you want your career to look like. Here are a few common examples to get you started:

This goal can take a while, but if you’re willing to do what it takes for as long it takes, then getting your dream job really is possible. If you’ve been working toward this by doing some of the short-term goals we already covered, you’re already on the right path!

You don’t have to be in leadership to be a great leader, but maybe your goal is to lead a big project, a team or even a whole company. Leading isn’t for everyone, but if you’re willing to put in the hard work and approach it with a servant’s heart, it could be right for you.

So many of us don’t want to spend our whole lives just working a J-O-B. We want to know that our work really makes a difference.

Whatever that difference is for you—whether it’s starting a business that meets a huge need in the marketplace, providing a solution for a problem that tugs at your heartstrings, or being able to donate to a cause you’re passionate about—be sure to define it as a concrete goal so you can work toward it.

This goes hand in hand with making an impact. Think about what you want to give to future generations—whether that’s a legacy of great leadership, a book you’ve written, or a financial inheritance you leave for your kids and grandkids. And guess what? All of this can happen because of the career goals you set today.

Hey—you spend a lot of your lifetime at work. So make sure you’re setting goals to help you create a meaningful career!