This presentation examines Waukesha County Technical College (WCTC), Wisconsin, students' goals and how those goals relate to academic persistence. Students who registered for Spring 2003 classes via the Internet were funneled through a brief survey. Survey results indicate that 59% of students aimed to complete a program, 23% aimed to complete 1 or 2 courses, 8% aimed to complete several courses but not a program, and 10% were undecided. About 58% of respondents expected to complete their program within 2 years, while 26% of Associate's Degree students expected to take more than 2 years to complete their degrees. Also, 56% of respondents were program-enrolled and, of those, 89% intended to complete a program. Findings indicate 26% of respondents were preparing to get a job, 21% were taking courses for personal interest, and 9% had no definite purpose. About 6% of respondents were preparing to transfer to another college. These numbers indicate that students at WCTC might benefit from career exploration services. The paper also argues that failure to complete a program is not necessarily a failure of retention, as substantial numbers of students do not intend to complete a program. (NB)