How To Choose The Right Career
The Problem: So many people are petrified of choosing the wrong career. As a child, you are asked what you want to do when you are older. Many of us when we were little may have said an astronaut, a fireman, a singer.
However, if you were like me, you were also asked around the age of 14 what you wanted to do. A lot of us grew out of wanting to be an astronaut or a fireman and instead just had no clue.
I remember I had a careers meeting in secondary school which was to help me understand what I wanted to do. I can tell you, I came out of that meeting with no more of a clue than I did before. We spoke about what I liked, what I didn’t like and he just handed me some booklets of jobs and sent me on my way.
How can people be expected to know what they want to do at the age of 14, 18, 22, 26, even 30! We are so young at this age, we haven’t experience enough of the world to make a rational choice.
Some of you are lucky, some of you may be fixed on being a doctor, a teacher or a pilot because it's something you always dreamed you would do. If that's the case, then fair play to you and I wish you the best of luck!
For the rest of us, thinking of what career to follow can be as daunting as your fear of heights or public speaking. But, trust that you aren't alone in this issue.
Here are some ideas of mine that you can use to help choose the right career:
Passions:
The main problem in today's society when it comes to choosing a career is people base their choice off which job will pay the most, attractive benefits or which job gives you the premium, socially accepted lifestyle you are after. I'm telling you, if this is your approach then you are teeing yourself up for a miserable job. So, you might be wondering how you would go about the job seeking process instead?
Well, think of your favourite hobby. It might be a sport, cooking, gaming, music, art, it could be anything. Think of how much you enjoy it, the happiness it brings and how time seems to fly past when you are doing them. Now, imagine if that was your job. Trying to find a job in your passions will massively boost your happiness and overall success. Money won't be a concerning factor because you'll be too busy having fun, doing what you love as your job! If you are an artist, follow something art related, if you are a baker, open a bakery or an online cake store. You love going and searching the rockpools at the beach? Then stick a camera on your head and post videos to YouTube about what your day to day life or start a rock pooling club. There are always doors waiting for you to open them, you just have to think about your end goal. Pursuing enjoyment & satisfaction is the key to having a happy and successful career. The more you enjoy a job, the harder you will work at it and therefore the more likely you are to earn more money!
Pays Well Or Teaches You A Lesson:
A job is supposed to either pay you or it's supposed to teach you something. If you have one or the other, that is good. If you have both, then that is perfect. If you have none then maybe it's time to move on. So many people trap themselves in careers that deliver them neither lessons of experience or financial rewards. My current job pays me a dismal salary that I am struggling to live off, but it is giving me multiple years of invaluable exposure in running a business that I wouldn't be able to get anywhere else. Before this, my first proper job paid me much better but I was stuck doing the same thing, everyday, with little to no extra room to be promoted. So, I left. Your career is too important to waste valuable time on jobs that give you nothing. So, if you did pick the wrong job, don't worry but don't dwell on staying in it. Find something that will give you more lessons or more money!
Makes You Happy:
As I keep mentioning in all of my blogs, happiness in my opinion is the ultimate goal in life. Without it, what is the point in living a life if you are filled with nothing but sadness? A job that makes you happy will not feel like a job. You might get this happiness from a job that follows your passions as I mentioned earlier. You might find a career in a company that you adore because the culture is amazing. Sometimes, you might have to even go through phases of not being overly impressed with your current role but if it necessary for a positive reason, then of course that would be ok to go through. Just don't mistake comfort with happiness, you can be comfortable and yet deeply unsatisfied with your work.
Do Something Interesting:
A job that genuinely interests you will catapult your success and happiness in your career. Imagine you love the thought of space and you get to work at Nasa or become an astronaut! Imagine you love tanks and you get into a career that builds/tests tanks! Say you love crisps, imagine if you get to be a product developer for a crisp company. Similar to the passions piece as I spoke about earlier, doing something that intrigues you will boost your motivation and success in the given career field that you choose. Don't be afraid to go for the risky jobs, especially whilst you are young!
Give Back To The World:
Imagine you did a job where you could give back to nature, less fortunate countries, your local community. There are so many charitable jobs out there that you can do to really feel like you are making a difference. Climate change, homelessness, nature conservation, animal care can all fall under this category. Giving back can help you feel immensely proud and make you feel like your role isn't just earning you money, but your direct contributions are helping the world become a better place. The world is so full of negativity, it can't be bad to want to help contribute some good back into it. Again, there are financial opportunities everywhere so if you are thinking "well I would but there isn't much money in that" then you are wrong. There is always money to be made, if you are truly passionate and care for the job at hand then I have lots of faith that you will be rewarded, whether that's financially or emotionally.
Do A Role That Follows Your Personal Values:
Personal values are a big thing. How can you put your all into a company or a job if your personal values don't match up with what you are doing? It's always a good idea to follow something that you believe in and that you agree with. It will maximise your satisfaction from the job, increase your levels of motivation and result in an overall positive experience with your career. Whether you value a kind work culture, fast paced workplace, innovative, old fashioned, modern, whatever it is, follow the career that ticks those values.
So, I challenge you to write down a list of hobbies, values, interests etc. Then, write down potential jobs next to them, it doesn't matter about pay, just write them down. Then, prioritise which jobs look the best, number 1 the most attractive to you, 5 the least. Then when you have a list, do some research into them, find out what the role is, the companies you can do this job at etc.
If you don't know the jobs you can do in a given interest or value etc, search it on google! There are so many things like Chat GPT or different websites that can give you ideas of what you can do.
If you are anxious then relax, you can always change your job. Be patient and follow what you believe will make you happy.
Let me know how you get on!
SunTide