Chapter 3 Agriculture as a Career 109 Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Short-term goals are those goals that you plan on accomplishing in the immediate future. A general guideline is that these goals can be accomplished in a time frame of less than one year. Long-term goals are those that may take several years to accomplish. When you determine which type of goal you are setting, you should consider at what point you are in your SAE development. For example, the goal of exhibiting the grand champion heifer at the county fair may be a short- term goal for someone who has shown for many years, and has already put in the time and resources to select and exhibit quality animals, Figure 3-15. The same goal might be a long-term goal for someone who is new to showing cattle. As you develop goals, it is a good practice to write them down and refer to them often. To take the goal setting process one step further, you can make a list of the smaller steps required to accomplish your goals and begin working toward them. Choose the best fit. (These are all Journal- based SAEs.) No Will you have money or time at risk could your SAE lose money? Yes Yes Are you conducting an experiment, creating and testing a hypothesis? No No Entrepreneurship SAE (business) Journal and Financial SAE Placement SAE (job) Journal and Financial SAE Research SAE (experiment) Journal-based SAE It appears you have a learning experience related to agriculture An Exploratory SAE (learning) is a new learning experience that incorporates agricultural literacy or agricultural career planning. Examples of an Exploratory SAE include: job shadowing, career exploration, or training for an FFA event. A School-based SAE (school) is a student managed project that is not dependent on individual student funding, but may be school supported. Examples of School-based SAEs include cooperative livestock raising, school gardens and land labs, production greenhouses, services, or a school store. A Community/Event SAE (service) requires working with a community or working an event that is designed to benefit the community. Examples of Community/Event SAEs include planning a farm show for the local elementary schools, holding a fundraising event for the agricultural education program, or organizing a fair and rodeo event for the local youth organization. Community/ Event SAEs require intensive assessment, planning, budgeting, and evaluation. Is making money or getting paid for this SAE a major focus? Yes Roger Hanagriff, The AET Record Book Figure 3-14. If you are having difficulty deciding on an SAE, this decision tree can help you. To use the decision tree, begin answering the questions from the top down and follow the arrows. Complete this exercise for each of your SAE project ideas.