10 Tips for Making the Right Career Choice
While it may not be considered as the biggest choice that you’ll ever make (this spot is reserved for some issues from the personal sphere of your life), making the right career choice is incredibly important. Why? Well, because it will decide how you spend your time working (which is about half of your waking hours), as well as your income, your chances of advancement and more. Seeing as how this is a major choice, here are the 10 things you need to take into consideration in order to ensure that you choose wisely.
Table of Contents
#1. Something in agreement with your personality
The first thing you need to figure out is whether the job in question is in agreement with your personality. Needless to say, introverts might not be great for jobs with too much direct customer interaction. You can also use your personality to your strength. For instance, if you’re an empath, you could pick a job that can allow you to actively help people. Either way, you have so many options and choosing the right one might be harder than you would think.
#2. Consider your temperament
The next thing you should think about is your temperament. Some people want to feel their adrenaline pumping, which is why they pick work in dynamic fields like professional sports, law enforcement or military. Keep in mind that some of these occupations (like being a paramedic or firefighter) can also allow you to help others, which is something that we’ve discussed in the previous section.
#3. Do you want a challenge?
Another question worth asking yourself is whether you want your right choice for a job to be challenging or do you want something that will take as little of your energy as possible. A challenging occupation can help you grow professionally but something that will keep you relaxed and laid back is probably better for your personal life and your mental health in the long run. Other than this, you need to keep in mind that too much stress may start causing anxiety as stress and challenges often go hand in hand.
#4. How well does it pay?
Passion is incredibly important, however, chances are that you won’t stay passionate for the profession that can’t provide you with the lifestyle you want. Keep in mind that while money may not be the most important thing when it comes to your happiness and that of your family, it definitely is something that provides you with many options. Even those who see professional growth as the utmost priority will want an income that they can efficiently reinvest towards their own education.
#5. Consider the local chance of advancement
There are some people who are willing to travel to the end of the world in pursuit of their dreams. Others, however, might want to stay closer to home while doing so. Therefore, the proximity of your future workplace might be crucial in your choice of profession. In other words, a Victoria-based employee should probably focus on jobs in Melbourne. You should also consider your local chance of advancement. Sometimes, as you grow in rank, you might have to relocate, which is not something that everyone would agree on.
#6. Think about the future
Now, this here is not an easy thing to answer but at one point you need to ask yourself the question – are you going to get bored with this job in the near future? Some people are more than satisfied finding employment in industries where they don’t plan on staying for too long. For people who aim high in life, this might be a massive waste of time, as well as something that they should definitely avoid. In other words, just think about the chance that you stay in this field for 5, 10, 15 years or until you retire. Are you comfortable with this thought or do you think it is a right choice?
#7. Work-life balance
Some jobs will have a greater impact on your personal life than others. For instance, in some professions, working long hours or a graveyard shift is a norm. In some jobs, you’ll be put in extreme situations that you won’t be able to forget for weeks and years to come. All in all, your personal life will pay the toll and you’ll find yourself in a scenario where you have to ask yourself if all of this was worth it. These kinds of professions have to be considered only if it’s your life-long passion. Also, you need to consider just how big of a priority on this list is your private life.
#8. What kind of colleagues
One more thing worth thinking about is the question of what kind of people you’ll spend time around in this field. For introverts, telecommuting is the best solution, while extroverts, even when remote workers, can find a shared office space to work from. Still, before making your mind up, try to find some common denominators of people who are working in this field that you are interested in joining. This will give you an answer to the question of what kind of colleagues you can expect to meet in this field.
#9. The requirements
Another thing you should take into considerations are the requirements for the industry in question. For instance, there are certain professions that require a degree that might take years and cost a small fortune to obtain. For instance, finishing medical school will take so much time and resources that you will have to dedicate your entire life to pursue it. While there are some exceptions even here, the general rule is that once you opt for this, you’re not likely to pivot.
#10. The independence
Lastly, you need to think about the personal and professional freedom that you’ll have in this position/profession. Here, working from home might provide you with the flexibility that you’re looking for. Other than this, you might also look for a profession where there’s a great chance of going on your own, at a later date. At one point, you might want to start an agency of your own instead of working for someone else. You need to think about it in time.
Of course, these 10 considerations won’t guarantee that you’ve made the right choice, but they will definitely improve your odds. They will also make sure that a mistake made is not cardinal and that you’re at least on the right track, even if you aren’t there just yet.
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