Choosing a Career

Choosing a career that you may do for the rest of your working life can be taxing. When others have a strong passion for their career prospects, it can be tough to discover you have no sense of direction with yours. It can make you feel helpless with no way out.

But not everyone knows exactly where to start. You might look at those people who seem to have it all figured out. However, that’s far from the truth in a lot of cases. At some point, everyone goes through the same feeling of hopelessness and lack of ambition.

Here are a few steps you can take to find the career you love!

1. Know yourself

Before you choose a career, you must know yourself. What are your interest, values, strengths, skills, talents, and what type of personality do you have? Knowing these things can help you to uncover different occupations you may like.

Interest: What do you like to do? List five things or more things of interest.

Skills: What are you good at? List five or more things you can excel in.

Values: What do you consider important? List five or more things fundamental to you.

Personality: What personal characteristics do you have that can benefit you in the role?

2. Make a list of occupations

The beauty of brainstorming career prospects is that you can list as many occupations as you want. Before you do, though, make sure that the job reflects your own skills and ambitions. Some jobs you may know nothing about, but it’s fine to jot them down and research them later.

3. Get more information

This is where the research comes in. You’ll need to gather information on the qualifications and experience required for each job, the salary, the location and commute time, how many hours you will work per week, and much more.

4. Meet with people

Meeting and chatting with employees who already work in your desired field can help a lot. These people already have the experience and know-how of the job. Sit down with them and ask them questions; you may learn something new that can help you with your search.

5. Narrow down the list

After exploring each job with a fine-tooth comb, it’s time to narrow down your list. What jobs don’t interest you anymore? Have you thought of another career path?

You can also consider:

What tasks would you do every day?

How much money will you make in a year?

What are the requirements to get it?

What growth opportunities can you gain?

Now it’s time to pick a suitable role! Hopefully, you learn more about yourself and your ambitions. Which jobs are you more passionate about? Once you’ve found your answer, you can move on to the last step.

6. Make a decision

After reflecting on the perfect career for you, you want to complete the process:

Set career goals

Create a career action plan

Have a backup plan

Read more: Can we Transform a Hobby into a Career?