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How can I be sure about what career path to pursue?

I'm studying Molecular Cell Biology as a premed major and want to pursue medicine. How can I be sure that's the right path?

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Ken’s Answer

Congratulations on being interested in finding the right career to follow.. It takes a special person to enter into a specific career field and meet the demands which that career area presents. The first step is to get to know yourself to see if you share the personality traits which make one successful in that area. The next step is doing networking to meet and talk to and possibly shadow people doing what you might think that you want to do to see if this is something that you really want to do, as a career area could look much different on the inside than it looks from the outside.  When I was doing college recruiting, I encountered too many students, who skipped these important steps, and ended up in a career/job for which they were ill suited.

Ken recommends the following next steps:

The first step is to take an interest and aptitude test and have it interpreted by your school counselor to see if you share the personality traits necessary to enter the field. You might want to do this again upon entry into college, as the interpretation might differ slightly due to the course offering of the school. However, do not wait until entering college, as the information from the test will help to determine the courses that you take in high school. Too many students, due to poor planning, end up paying for courses in college which they could have taken for free in high school.
Next, when you have the results of the testing, talk to the person at your high school and college who tracks and works with graduates to arrange to talk to, visit, and possibly shadow people doing what you think that you might want to do, so that you can get know what they are doing and how they got there. Here are some tips: ## http://www.wikihow.com/Network ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/nonawkward-ways-to-start-and-end-networking-conversations ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/4-questions-to-ask-your-network-besides-can-you-get-me-a-job?ref=carousel-slide-1 ##
Locate and attend meetings of professional associations to which people who are doing what you think that you want to do belong, so that you can get their advice. These associations may offer or know of intern, coop, shadowing, and scholarship opportunities. These associations are the means whereby the professionals keep abreast of their career area following college and advance in their career. You can locate them by asking your school academic advisor, favorite teachers, and the reference librarian at your local library. Here are some tips: ## https://www.careeronestop.org/BusinessCenter/Toolkit/find-professional-associations.aspx?&frd=true ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/9-tips-for-navigating-your-first-networking-event ##
It is very important to express your appreciation to those who help you along the way to be able to continue to receive helpful information and to create important networking contacts along the way. Here are some good tips: ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/the-informational-interview-thank-you-note-smart-people-know-to-send?ref=recently-published-2 ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/3-tips-for-writing-a-thank-you-note-thatll-make-you-look-like-the-best-candidate-alive?bsft_eid=7e230cba-a92f-4ec7-8ca3-2f50c8fc9c3c&bsft_pid=d08b95c2-bc8f-4eae-8618-d0826841a284&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily_20171020&utm_source=blueshift&utm_content=daily_20171020&bsft_clkid=edfe52ae-9e40-4d90-8e6a-e0bb76116570&bsft_uid=54658fa1-0090-41fd-b88c-20a86c513a6c&bsft_mid=214115cb-cca2-4aec-aa86-92a31d371185&bsft_pp=2 ##
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Emily’s Answer

Few things are as exciting (and scary) as deciding on a career. Of note, careers are usually long and come with many seen and unforeseen twists and turns; your career path today may look very different than your career path 20 years from now.

Both in high-school and in college, I explored my strengths and took multiple aptitude assessments. I volunteered. I had multiple internships. I listened to the advice of my peers, teachers, and mentors. All of the assessments, advice and experience was invaluable. I recommend all young-adults do as much as possible to expose themselves to the possibilities and perspectives of professional life. However, throughout my professional career I have learned to ask myself five questions when assessing a career move:

1) What motivates you?
2) What demotivates you?
3) What are the top three things you like learning about, studying, or doing during a typical week? *Think both inside and outside of the box.
4) What are the top three things you dislike learning about, studying, or doing during a typical week? *Think both inside and outside of the box.
5) As of today, what do you want your legacy to be?

These questions have nothing to do with specific careers and they may seem a bit broad, but I encourage all who are seeking an answer to the age-old question, "what next", to consider their answers to the questions above.

Jobs and careers are a major component of adulthood; if one can find a career/job that fulfills one's whole self vs. just one or two aspects of one's self the better positioned one is to have a sustainable and enjoyable career journey.
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