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HOW TO MAKE A GOOD CAREER CHOICE

Life is not as easy as most people say it is, in order
for you to understand/live life in a nice fulfilling way
you have to take some time off and be on your own,
no distraction by your side. Even your career choice
will not be bad at all.
Most of us are in the position of making
a career choice very early on in life and
when we are young, it isn't so easy to
decide whether or not the career we choose
will suit us for a lifetime. Making a good career
choice is actually about a lot more than choosing
a job; it's about choosing something that will
provide you with the lifestyle you seek. Don't
decide until you're ready. Although this seems
obvious advice, too many young people feel
pressured into making a choice before they are
really sure of what it is they want to do. In fact,
many young people don't even know who they
are, let alone what they want to become! If you
need time, take off a year or two to go and
discover yourself and what you're good at. School
doesn't teach you a lot of life skills – life does.
Many successful people take off time to slowly
work out what it is that makes them tick and
brings them fulfillment.
Look for breadth in your career choice.
Instead of trying to narrow down your options,
it can be helpful to keep open as many options as
possible within your chosen trade, profession, or
field of expertise. That way, you gain
maneuverability and flexibility as you and the job
change. For example, if you want to be a marine
biologist, why not consider also taking a course in
photography and writing, so that you can write or
photograph stories about what is under the sea
on a freelance basis. Keeping open your options
might mean a little extra study but it will be
worth it in the long run when you gain increased
flexibility.
Work to your strengths. Even if you are
well into your chosen course, training,
internship, or induction for your career, and find
that you are always relying on your less strong
attributes, it pays to stop and reassess the worth
of continuing on this course. A lifetime spent
working in an area where you don't get to rely on
your strengths for the majority of the time will
cause you a great deal of stress and disharmony
and can prevent growth and enjoyment of your
career. A good career will, on the whole, have you
working to your strengths.
Volunteer in your desired career. There is
no better way to know whether or not the
career is for you than to just pitch in and get your
hands dirty. It's much more likely to happen if you
take on such roles without payment, especially
where the employer understands your
motivations. If you can handle the work thrown to
you and still want more, you're likely to be onto a
winner. Moreover, the network contacts built up
during volunteer experiences are priceless.
Talk to people who work in your desired
career. Ask them such questions as: "Do you
still enjoy working in this career after all these
years?", "What is it about this job that you like
the most?", "What are the downsides to this
job?", "Do you find that this job lets you have a
good work-life balance?" Ask away and you will
soon get a good sense of fit for you.
Listen to advice but make your own
decision ultimately. Parents, teachers,
friends, careers counselors – all of them tend to
mean well but they're not you. It's you who has to
feel comfortable with the cloak you wear, the
boots you strap on, and the daily routine that you
adapt to. Nobody else can truly know what works
for you. Also, don't be put off by stories from
people who have nothing to do with your career
but have a bag of hearsay to feed you, both good
and bad. They don't know, and often what they do
know is gleaned from the entertainment industry,
hardly a decent resource for reality! Be polite but
do your own research and thinking on the matter.
The same principles apply to a change of career,
something that happens often in mid-life but can
also happen early on, or even much later. As with
making your first decision, having the right
information at your fingertips is crucial, including
information about the acceptance by the industry
or business in question of taking on someone in
your position. Again, don't listen to other people's
stories; you can rely more on those who actually
work still in the particular career you intend to
switch to, but even then, they cannot fully
comprehend what you might bring to a new
career with your previous experience in tow. Do
your research, soul-searching, additional training,
and stick with your convictions. Importantly,
change of career is considered to be a lot more
normal and responsible than it has been at any
other time in history (leaving out politicians, of
course!).