When we ask people about the most meaningful parts of their lives, family, health and work often rank as the top three. Choosing the type of work you intend doing, therefore, is arguably one of the most important decisions you can make.
Selecting a career path can take weeks, months or even years as you continue learning what you want and need in a job.
One of the biggest mistakes young people make is to follow other people’s dreams when choosing a career.
Be it parents, friends or idols, they follow a path that might not necessarily fit their set of skills or personality. Guard against this.
According to career websites Talentcor and Chasing Your Financial Freedom, there are five essential tips to follow when making this all-important decision:
1. Passion
It might sound cliché but passion plays an important role in being happy in your career. If you are passionate about what you do, your chances of making a good living are much higher than if you aren’t keen on what you do. Why? Because you will be able to learn things faster and could climb the corporate ladder faster.
2. Know your work style
Your work style influences your ability to thrive in certain careers. For example, if you’re someone who tends to procrastinate, you’ll probably be better suited to a career in which you report directly to another individual rather than one where you’re left to your own devices for most of the day. There are, of course, other factors that affect your job performance. But, your natural work style plays a big role.
3. Determine Your Goals
What do you want out of a career? Do you want to help other people? Do you want to travel? How much money do you want to make? If you’re pursuing a career that doesn’t align with your long-term goals, it’s unlikely that you’ll derive much satisfaction from it.
4. Job availability
When looking for a career path, you should focus on opportunities where the demand is high. Choose a job that is not likely to be replaced by machines or fade away due to advancement in technology. It can be overwhelming to choose a career path that has a limited number of options. You may end up in a position that you were not expecting, and you might have to spend some years slowly working your way up.
5. Salary
You will obviously consider salary when choosing a career. However, you shouldn’t use pay as either the only or the most important factor when making your choice. You might also want to consider the amount you are going to pay for your degree and how quickly you can pay off your student loan in the career of your choice.
In taking all these tips into account, remember that you need to be happy with your decision. Only then will you give it your best and be a success.