How to Choose a Career
Reading Time: 5 minutes Choosing a professional career is one of the most important decisions a person needs to make. This isn’t only about what kind of work you plan to do and how much you plan to earn. This decision is about something much more. A career will determine how you contribute to the world and how you make it better.
Have in mind that even though there are ways to change your career – this is usually a long-lasting if not a lifelong decision and should be made with this perspective in mind.
Table of Contents
Known yourself
Most people choose their career while they are very young. This makes it hard for them to truly assess their strengths and weaknesses or even their interests. However, that’s how the education system is set up and that’s where the decision should be made.
At first, it’s enough to know what kind of person you are and how you handle stressful situations. This will give you a broad idea of what kind of job you’re ready to do. Have in mind that, for the most part, people don’t know what they are capable of until they try to do it.
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What does it take to get there?
The next step is to figure out how your career path will look like. For the most professions the career path starts with the education needed to get the proper skills and there’s often an internship period to consider.
Before you choose a career, you should familiarize yourself with what is needed to make it in one. This will sometimes act as a deterrent to your decision and sometimes it will simply help you make a better call and prepare yourself properly. Have in mind that these paths usually only cover getting a job and there’s also a matter of advancing on it.
Internships
Actually, doing a job and planning for it are two completely different things. For the most part, you don’t know what it’s like to do something before you try it. That’s where internships come up and they are a great way to experience a job and all the responsibilities related to it before making a jump.
Have in mind that these internships are rarely paid and if they are, that’s never an amount that’s enough to make a living. This is something to consider while making your plans.
Making the world a better place
A career can be more than just a way to make money. It can be a way for you to an impact in the world and help others. First of all, you need to be sure that you’re a type of person who’s able to do this kind of work. Secondly, you should find a vehicle for the change you want to make.
Platforms such as Mable are there to help connect those aging, or people living with a disability with independent support and care workers. This could easily be turned into a career at first and even into a life mission and a goal as time goes by.
Ask for guidance
There are a lot of ways to look for guidance with this decision. Schools, colleges, and other youth-oriented institutions have professionals to help you with making the call. However, the best way is often to talk to someone who works in the industry you want to try your hand in. Their insight often proves to be more detailed and concrete than the one coming from someone who doesn’t know the industry.
The best way to go is to come up with a list of clearly defined questions and then let the interview go its own way.
The ability to grow
A modern professional probably changes more than a dozen jobs during their career. This is something that needs to be factored in when choosing a career path. Very rarely is there a need for highly specialized professionals that can fit one particular job in every company. Instead, it’s best to find a career that has room to let you grow for the years to come.
It’s hard to predict which career will meet these criteria because the advances in technology are changing everyone’s job. The only way to go is to familiarize yourself with the field and decide based on that.
The money
A career isn’t just an interest. It should be something that can support you and your family. One of the things to take into account when choosing a career is how much you can make from it and is it enough to satisfy your needs. Have in mind that needs grow and multiply as you get older.
This isn’t the only consideration and it shouldn’t be the main one, but it’s immature not to consider it while making such an important and long-lasting decision.
Making a mistake
There’s no way of knowing whether you’re going to make it in your field until you try. Making a mistake when choosing a career can be expensive and time-consuming, but it isn’t the end of the world. It’s simply a cost you’ll have to accept and make an effort to find a new and more marketable skill.
The important thing is not to beat yourself up about this setback. It’s something that can happen and that you need to adjust to. Feeling bad about a missed career opportunity is often less productive than actually missing the opportunity.
Being your own boss
In the end, it’s sometimes useful to think about what kind of entrepreneurship options your career provides. Obviously, for some careers, this isn’t an option at all and that doesn’t mean you should avoid them. However, those careers that could be turned into private business opportunities should be examined from this angle as well.
Start by figuring out how much investment would it take to start your own company in the field and how much experience would you need to be your own boss. This won’t happen overnight, but it’s good to know.
Choosing a career is a big and long-lasting decision. It should be made after careful consideration.
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