5 SIMPLE STEPS ON HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT CAREER PATH

HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT CAREER PATH.

Career path…

When we were little, we often get asked this question “what do you wanna be when you grow up?” And as a child, the answer we give is something like a lawyer, doctor, pilot, accountant, etc. But when it is time for us to make that decision, it could be extremely hard to do so.

Whether you’re just starting your career or maybe you’ve been at it and you’re tired of it. Choosing a career can be both thrilling and overwhelming. A lot of us feel intimidated and overwhelmed by this process.

Some people are lucky to know the type of career they want to get into and the course that is associated with it and others choose to blend with whatever career opportunities are available.

The choice of a career is the most critical life decision to make for a graduate or someone of working age. Nowadays we see how a person could switch from one career to another, let me give you an example, you could study cell biology and genetics (CBG) at the university but because of a decline in the availability of a job you find yourself working in a financial institution.

What things do you think should be considered when choosing a career path? Before making that decision, you need to know that an average person spends nearly 90,000 hours of their life at work. Would you want to spend over 90,000 hours of your life not enjoying your work?

I’m sure you don’t want to. With many options out there, what we don’t want to do is make a wrong decision. That’s why I have prepared for you 5 ways to choose a career path.

Let’s dive into it.

1. MAKE A LIST OF YOUR HOBBIES

To enjoy what you do for over a third of your life, it’s essential to find a job that you love. The best place to start is by making a list of your hobbies.

What are you passionate about? What would make you get out of bed on a chilly morning to go to work? While your passion might not be your forte, it’s a good starting point to help you figure out what career you want to pursue.

2. IDENTIFY YOUR PERSONALITY

The personality a person possesses is important in determining who they are. As a human, your personality gives information to everyone around you about how you behave and think.

To find the right career, you’re going to need to take a closer look at your personality traits and one of the most important factors to consider is the nature of your personality and the degree of happiness you would want to get from your job.

While you might be a talented dancer, your introverted nature might not allow you to succeed in this field because you have stage fright. Extroverts love engaging with people and find career fulfilment in jobs that entails a lot of socializing.

Therefore, it’s important to identify and take into consideration your personality traits in choosing the right career path.

3. CARRY A SELF EVALUATION

A self-evaluation needs to be carried out to figure out what kind of career aligns with your personality. You need to ask yourself some questions to identify your passion, interest, and strengths because it’s you that know yourself better. This would open your eyes to some natural talents that you might have overlooked.

So the questions you need to ask yourself are;

1. What career fascinates you?
2. What are the pros and cons of working in the career that you like? While you do these, take a pen and a note and write the answers to these questions.
3. JOB AVAILABILITY

When choosing a career path, make thorough research and update yourself on the type of jobs that have their seasons or jobs that you might get replaced with because of the advancement in technology. It could be frustrating to get jobs you could get replaced in the long run and would not grant you any satisfaction.

Even though many jobs continue to get replaced by machines, there are still openings where people can get good employment and proceed to the next level of their careers.

5. TALK TO AN INDUSTRY EXPERT

Once you’ve done the research and made a list of a handful of careers, talk to an industry expert and find out more about the industry.

Doing this would give you insights into the working hours, day-to-day practices, what the industry is about, and career opportunities. Which would give you a better understanding of that career.

CONCLUSION

Choosing a career may not be easy, but it’s something you’ve got to do, so you won’t end up regretting it all the days of your life.

Here are some factors you should also consider.

1. Interest: Interest is things you enjoy doing, such as reading, exercising, helping people, writing, etc. You need to know the things you enjoy doing cause a person’s interest in work will more likely find their work enjoyable.
2. Talents; Talents are those things you’re naturally good at. They are also important when selecting a career.
3. Skills; A skill is something you learn and you’re good at it.
4. Values; Values are beliefs that are important to you and should be taken into consideration when selecting a career. If your core values are not in line with your career, it would dissatisfy you with your work.

Note: Before you go for an interview, make research about the company and be confident throughout the interview process.

Do you have any other factors for choosing a career path? If yes, let us know in the comment section.