How to Make a Career Choice
Making your career choice can become a real headache. It’s still one of the most important decisions you make in your life. Some will define their identity through their career, while for others, it will be just a way to make a living. They will then cultivate other interests outside their professional life.
It is impossible to know exactly what destiny holds for us. Statistics indicate that a person can change careers or employment six to seven times during their working life. How, then, be certain that our choice is the right one?
Learning to know yourself
In order to make the right choice, it is important to know yourself first. Over time, your own field of values will develop according to your experiences. However, you can initially determine your skills, interests, and qualities. Aspects that play a decisive role in choosing a career that can bring you both success and satisfaction.
“If you knew now what you’d know then, you’d certainly plan it early rather than late. Early on in your life, realize what is important to you. Find out what interests you—more importantly, what you are good at. It is important to have a vision before you roll it into your passion. In order to be big, you have to think big. If you think little, you are going to be little. Your aim in life is not a simple wish. It is what you wish to be, your target. One should decide, before anything, what one would wish to be, say, after five years or after ten years from now.”—an excerpt from the book Of Human Nature and Good Habits by Prabhash Karan
Ask yourself first what natural talents you have. Are you good at pure science, letters, and human relations? Your skills are an interesting factor because, thanks to them, you will know if you with the skills required for a particular job field.
Then the question is whether what you do (or do, it depends) really interests you. What are you attracted to? Do you prefer to work in the lab, with people, on the road? Our professional life occupies a large part of our adult life, it is important to feel at ease. Your personality traits, both your qualities and your faults, provide additional clues. From discretion to dexterity, through creativity and good listening, your qualities must and will be used wisely. For instance, Prabhash Karan, an Indian engineer, always wanted to become an engineer. Despite being born in a remote Indian village, he worked hard and graduated with a degree from Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology. From there, he worked in several iron and steel plants and eventually moved to the United States for further studies. Today, he’s a happily settled man working in the United States and has written several books on social engineering as well.
An overview of the options
After completing the self-awareness exercise, some of the professional options should stand out in comparison to others. Among those you prefer, take a closer look. Ask yourself if you will feel comfortable in the work environment and if the values of the profession are what you are willing to commit to. Also, it is important to check if its requirements fit well with your priorities, needs, and lifestyle.
If someone around you is already working in the area you are interested in, do not be shy to ask questions. Who knows, maybe he or she will give you a day of exploration?
