How to Choose A Career That Is Right for You
Choosing a career can be one of the most important decisions you make as an adult. Why? Because your career dictates a lot of things, from your finances to what you do with your time and sometimes it can even be a struggle to maintain a healthy work-life balance, to have a quality life outside of work. After all, so many people spend many hours a day, day in and day out at work either working for themselves or somebody else, carrying out their tasks virtually or in person. While a career may sound like the boss of you, calling the shots on when and how you show up for work, it is subservient to a lot of factors like your passion, qualifications, skills, and the things you see as essential.
With a number of things to consider and a lot of professions to choose from, it might be a little confusing trying to choose a career that works best for you. Some people may feel that they are at a crossroads with no idea what to do with their life when faced with the decision. You may be plagued with a lot of questions and very concerned about making a decision that ticks all the boxes. Worry no more. We have all your answers right here. Below is a list of tips that have guided a lot of people when they made a career choice.
- Make a List of Careers that Match Your Skills and Passion: As early as in childhood, we find ourselves drawn to some activities that we enjoy and are skillful at. Yes, they may seem just like mere hobbies or pastimes but they can be favorable when it boils down to choosing a career. Many people have found out that they enjoy their work-life and are competent at carrying out their tasks when they already have passion and prior knowledge of them. No career suits you better than one in which you can breeze through the challenges and one in which the job comes naturally to you. Knowing your skills and what you are capable of will ensure that you are aware of your strengths and weakness. Many employers also prefer to hire people who have the skills and experience required to carry out the requirements of a role. Going for jobs that match your skills and interest will increase your chances of being employed and this will give your career the push and smooth beginning it deserves. To help you make the match between your skills and related careers, write down all the skills you have on one side of a sheet of paper and then research careers that require them. Keep in mind that in-demand skills must not only be technical or physical. Sure enough, skills like physical fitness and strength are beneficial when you want to go for a job in the military or sports. Soft skills like communication provide you a lot of opportunities to choose from especially in jobs that require people skills and close relationships with the clientele. If you have an artistic talent like writing, drawing, or photography, there could be opportunities for you as a freelancer or an opportunity to own your own business. If you love volunteering and helping people, then you have viable opportunities in NGOs or a career in development.
After assessing yourself and making a list, you will find that just one or two skills can open a lot of career paths for you. For instance, if you are skilled at writing and enjoy it, you could become a published author, a freelancer or ghostwriter, or an editor. Making a list helps you see what careers are possible for you, analyze and rank them and then eliminate the options that do not appeal to you.
- Look Into Top Careers That Will Benefit You in the Long Run: You probably have goals that you look forward to achieving in your career. You may have dreams of climbing to a particular position or having a respectable title by a specific timeline. Maybe you want to make an associate or become an executive. If so, you cannot rely only on jobs that come naturally to you. You need to build a considerable amount of interest in careers that will help you get to where you want to be. While trying to make a career decision, it is important to add to your list of possible careers, jobs that could be a great match for you even if they are not really the careers you are passionate about. It is an opportunity to explore all available opportunities. However, make sure that these careers are ones you can learn about and those that interest you. You could take online courses, self-teach, learn from an expert or study a related course in school to get the needed qualifications. You might go for these careers because you know someone who is already doing well in them or have done your research and found out that the career gives room for career advancement and all the other essentials you require from a career. If so, talk to people you know that have a successful, attractive careers and learn more about what these careers demand, the requirements, the day-to-day activities, and growth opportunities. Some companies or organizations hire employees and then provide a learning experience for them by teaching them the ropes. This can come through providing job training in form of trainee positions or internships. See the big picture and consider those professions if they coincide with your long-term career goals.
- Narrow Down Your Options: When you have completed your list of possible careers (of course, it can still be more than one) to choose, it may become another uphill task to eliminate some options because they could all look promising. To help you delete and retain the most suitable career, you need to consider the factors that affect the career choice that we mentioned at the beginning of this article. This includes salary, work style, location, and personal likes and dislikes. If, for example, you have a list prepared based on your skills and interest in writing, you could cancel freelancing after you have researched and found out that it does not pay as well as a salary-earning job which is what you need. If so, you might want to consider some other well-paying job on your list like working with a publishing company. Narrowing down your options largely depends on things you view as essential.
- Carry Out More Research Before You Apply or Accept Job Offers: Yes. As you have already noticed the keyword to make the best career decision is carrying out in-depth research. The fact that you are reading this article means that you are on the right path. When you finally decide on a career path to take, ready yourself to begin your journey by preparing your CV and other documents you need to start applying for a job. Research and read up all you can about an organization, the role, and the requirements before applying. This will make your job search easier and make it possible for you to get the specific role you want. When you receive a job offer, ask all the necessary questions to ensure that the job is the right one for you. We trust that you will make the best decision.