Deciding on your career might bring up many questions and uncertainties, you will be wondering on which job best suits my personality? How can I choose my career path wisely? Can I see myself doing this all day, every day, and for many years?
Answering these questions can be overwhelming especially if you don't have any idea about what you want to do and there are many different options around you.
There is no simple answer on how to choose a career that's right for you, but the below guidelines will more likely help you make good career choices and decisions.
1. What are my interests?
Interests are what you desire to do. The activities you enjoy doing can give insights into a career that would be satisfying, fulfilling, and fun for you. To figure out your interests, ask yourself:
Aligning your interests with your career path selection leads to higher job satisfaction, and once you enjoy what you do on a daily basis, you will feel more productive, and this will increase your opportunity for career development and success.
2. What are my skills and strengths?
Every person has talents and strengths that make them unique, knowing these skills and strengths can help you succeed in your chosen career.
If you are not sure about your talents and strengths, make a list of everything you’re good at doing. Your family members, friends, and even teachers can help you write this list that you will use to narrow down potential career options.
You can split your list into three categories: Technical skills, Personal skills, and people-oriented skills. Below is a simple example that can help you with this:
3. What is my personality?
You can take this test to give you an insight into your personality.
4. What are my values?
Everyone has values or things that are important to them, identifying these values can help you decide what type of career to pursue.
Consider taking this test to identify your most important values.
5. Are there jobs available in this career?
Finally, I would like to say that choosing a career that fits you is something very important. You'll spend a significant amount of your life at work, so in order to enjoy your job, and remain motivated and engaged, you need to make your career choices wisely.
Taking the right decision early will save you a lot of struggle and uncertainty in the long run.
For more information on how to choose a career path, check out the below links:
- https://www.careerprofiles.info/selecting-a-career-path.html
- https://www.prospects.ac.uk/careers-advice/getting-a-job/how-to-choose-a-career