10 answers
Angelo James
Student
Trece Martires, Calabarzon, Philippines
1
Question
Asked
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How cam you decide on your career?
#career-choice #career-development
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10 answers
Amanda Shackelford
Copywriter
1
Answer
Detroit, Michigan
Updated
Amanda’s Answer
Deciding a on a career can be tricky but there's some steps you can take to point you in the right direction!
Learn about yourself. Consider where you excel and what you like to do. Assess your skills and aptitudes to better understand yourself and your direction.
Research! Think about careers that interest you, people you admire and industries you're fascinated by. Make a list and do a little digging into them.
Break down your research into a more digestible list-maybe 3-5 career opportunities.
Deep dive into these opportunities. Reach out to people in that field and learn more about their day to day. LinkedIn is a great resource for this.
After taking in all this new information, reflect on it. Where do you see yourself? What inspired you? Don't feel tied down--it's common to change directions on your professional journey.
Amanda recommends the following next steps:
Savannah Bond
Student
38
Answers
Valrico, Florida
Updated
Savannah’s Answer
Hi! think about your hobbies and think about what brings you joy and things you wanna do for the rest of your life. If you have something your good at and you enjoy it, work toward that goal and you can achieve that goal if you work hard. If for some reason there's a reason you don't think that particular job choose try something else but also something that needs the same sort of skills. Just have fun with whatever you wanna do in life. Hope this helps!
Thomas Sutherland
Associate Continuity and Recovery Specialist, CBCP
207
Answers
Detroit, Michigan
Updated
Thomas’s Answer
"With thousands of options, how will you choose a career that's right for you? If you don't have any idea what you want to do, the task may seem insurmountable. Fortunately, it isn't. Follow an organized process and you will increase your chances of making a good decision.
Assess Yourself
Before you can choose the right career, you must learn about yourself. Your values, interests, soft skills, and aptitudes, in combination with your personality type, make some occupations a good fit for you and others completely inappropriate.
Use self-assessment tools, and career tests to gather information about your traits and, subsequently, generate a list of occupations that are a good fit based on them. Some people choose to work with a career counselor or other career development professionals who can help them navigate this process.
Make a List of Occupations to Explore
You probably have multiple lists of occupations in front of you at this point—one generated by each of the self-assessment tools you used. To keep yourself organized, you should combine them into one master list.
First, look for careers that appear on multiple lists and copy them onto a blank page. Title it "Occupations to Explore." Your self-assessments indicated they are a good fit for you based on several of your traits, so they're definitely worth exploring.
Next, find any occupations on your lists that appeal to you. They may be careers you know a bit about and want to explore further. Also, include professions about which you don't know much. You might learn something unexpected.
Explore the Occupations on Your List
At this point, you'll be thrilled you managed to narrow your list down to only 10 to 20 options. Now you can get some basic information about each of the occupations on your list.
Find job descriptions and educational, training, and licensing requirements in published sources. Learn about advancement opportunities. Use government-produced labor market information to get data about earnings and job outlook.
Create a "Short List"
Now you have more information, start to narrow down your list even further. Based on what you learned from your research so far, begin eliminating the careers you don't want to pursue any further. You should end up with two to five occupations on your "short list."
If your reasons for finding a career unacceptable are non-negotiable, cross it off your list. Remove everything with duties that don't appeal to you. Eliminate careers that have weak job outlooks. Get rid of any occupation if you are unable or unwilling to fulfill the educational or other requirements, or if you lack some of the soft skills necessary to succeed in it.
Conduct Informational Interviews
When you have only a few occupations left on your list, start doing more in-depth research. Arrange to meet with people who work in the occupations in which you are interested. They can provide firsthand knowledge about the careers on your short list. Access your network, including LinkedIn, to find people with whom to have these informational interviews.
Make Your Career Choice
Finally, after doing all your research, you are probably ready to make your choice. Pick the occupation that you think will bring you the most satisfaction based on all the information you have gathered. Realize that you are allowed do-overs if you change your mind about your choice at any point in your life. Many people change their careers at least a few times.
Identify Your Goals
Once you make a decision, identify your long- and short-term goals. This helps to chart a course toward eventually landing work in your chosen field. Long-term goals typically take about three to five years to reach, while you can usually fulfill a short-term goal in six months to three years.
Let the research you did about required education and training be your guide. If you don't have all the details, do some more research. Once you have all the information you need, set your goals. An example of a long-term goal would be completing your education and training. Short-term goals include applying to college, apprenticeships, other training programs, and internships.
Write a Career Action Plan
Put together a career action plan, a written document that lays out all the steps you will have to take to reach your goals. Think of it as a road map that will take you from point A to B, then to C and D. Write down all your short- and long-term goals and the steps you will have to take to reach each one. Include any anticipated barriers that could get in the way of achieving your goals—and the ways you can overcome them.
This may sound like a lot of work—and it is. But it's much easier to forge a career path when you know what you want. Taking these steps early will save you a lot of struggle and uncertainty in the long run."
Source: https://www.thebalancecareers.com/steps-to-choosing-career-525506
Assess Yourself
Before you can choose the right career, you must learn about yourself. Your values, interests, soft skills, and aptitudes, in combination with your personality type, make some occupations a good fit for you and others completely inappropriate.
Use self-assessment tools, and career tests to gather information about your traits and, subsequently, generate a list of occupations that are a good fit based on them. Some people choose to work with a career counselor or other career development professionals who can help them navigate this process.
Make a List of Occupations to Explore
You probably have multiple lists of occupations in front of you at this point—one generated by each of the self-assessment tools you used. To keep yourself organized, you should combine them into one master list.
First, look for careers that appear on multiple lists and copy them onto a blank page. Title it "Occupations to Explore." Your self-assessments indicated they are a good fit for you based on several of your traits, so they're definitely worth exploring.
Next, find any occupations on your lists that appeal to you. They may be careers you know a bit about and want to explore further. Also, include professions about which you don't know much. You might learn something unexpected.
Explore the Occupations on Your List
At this point, you'll be thrilled you managed to narrow your list down to only 10 to 20 options. Now you can get some basic information about each of the occupations on your list.
Find job descriptions and educational, training, and licensing requirements in published sources. Learn about advancement opportunities. Use government-produced labor market information to get data about earnings and job outlook.
Create a "Short List"
Now you have more information, start to narrow down your list even further. Based on what you learned from your research so far, begin eliminating the careers you don't want to pursue any further. You should end up with two to five occupations on your "short list."
If your reasons for finding a career unacceptable are non-negotiable, cross it off your list. Remove everything with duties that don't appeal to you. Eliminate careers that have weak job outlooks. Get rid of any occupation if you are unable or unwilling to fulfill the educational or other requirements, or if you lack some of the soft skills necessary to succeed in it.
Conduct Informational Interviews
When you have only a few occupations left on your list, start doing more in-depth research. Arrange to meet with people who work in the occupations in which you are interested. They can provide firsthand knowledge about the careers on your short list. Access your network, including LinkedIn, to find people with whom to have these informational interviews.
Make Your Career Choice
Finally, after doing all your research, you are probably ready to make your choice. Pick the occupation that you think will bring you the most satisfaction based on all the information you have gathered. Realize that you are allowed do-overs if you change your mind about your choice at any point in your life. Many people change their careers at least a few times.
Identify Your Goals
Once you make a decision, identify your long- and short-term goals. This helps to chart a course toward eventually landing work in your chosen field. Long-term goals typically take about three to five years to reach, while you can usually fulfill a short-term goal in six months to three years.
Let the research you did about required education and training be your guide. If you don't have all the details, do some more research. Once you have all the information you need, set your goals. An example of a long-term goal would be completing your education and training. Short-term goals include applying to college, apprenticeships, other training programs, and internships.
Write a Career Action Plan
Put together a career action plan, a written document that lays out all the steps you will have to take to reach your goals. Think of it as a road map that will take you from point A to B, then to C and D. Write down all your short- and long-term goals and the steps you will have to take to reach each one. Include any anticipated barriers that could get in the way of achieving your goals—and the ways you can overcome them.
This may sound like a lot of work—and it is. But it's much easier to forge a career path when you know what you want. Taking these steps early will save you a lot of struggle and uncertainty in the long run."
Source: https://www.thebalancecareers.com/steps-to-choosing-career-525506
Simeon Snow
Risk Assurance
1792
Answers
Houston, Texas
Updated
Simeon’s Answer
The starting point I usually recommend is going to the department of labor's website and seeing what the fastest growing fields are. That will give you a starting point if you're drawing a blank about what you'd like to do. I'd also recommend looking at YouTube videos where employees discuss their favorite and least favorite parts of their jobs. One of the downsides to a lot of career decision materials is that they don't usually tell you the downsides of different careers, so it might help you narrow down the options you're considering.
Pro Professional
209
Answers
Fort Worth, Texas
Updated
Pro’s Answer
If you have multiple interests you might try an Interdisciplinary, Liberal Studies, or General Studies major, that will let you combine multiple interests. Or an Individually Designed major that you can even name yourself.
Laura Wells
Talent Acquisition at New Relic
13
Answers
Portland, Oregon
Updated
Laura’s Answer
Hi Angelo, that is a great question!
It can be difficult to decide on what type of career you want in your life. I believe the best way to start is to see where your interests lie. Do any of your hobbies or school subjects excite you? I decided to major in Communication Studies because I am an outgoing person who enjoyed writing research papers and public speaking. I minored in Psychology because that is always a subject that interested me. Now, I work in Human Resources where I am able to engage with so many different people each day and help them either move up in their career, answer questions, etc. I always wanted to work in a field where I was able to help people and that is why I am excited about what I am doing today.
The first thing you should think about is what you truly love doing and see if there are jobs or careers out there surrounding that. I wish you the best of luck :)
It can be difficult to decide on what type of career you want in your life. I believe the best way to start is to see where your interests lie. Do any of your hobbies or school subjects excite you? I decided to major in Communication Studies because I am an outgoing person who enjoyed writing research papers and public speaking. I minored in Psychology because that is always a subject that interested me. Now, I work in Human Resources where I am able to engage with so many different people each day and help them either move up in their career, answer questions, etc. I always wanted to work in a field where I was able to help people and that is why I am excited about what I am doing today.
The first thing you should think about is what you truly love doing and see if there are jobs or careers out there surrounding that. I wish you the best of luck :)
Nitsan Cherkassky
Software Engineer
6
Answers
Tel Aviv-Yafo, Tel Aviv District, Israel
Updated
Nitsan’s Answer
Hi, In my opinion, the decision regarding your career should be based on two things -
1. What are your talents? How good you really are in these field, comparing to others.
2. What the market is looking for? What the market will look for, in your opinion, in 10 years? 20 years?
The combination of these two things will give you your answer. Of course, it is also important that your career choice will be interesting for you- you are going to do that every day. But please remember, you are searching for a career, not an hobby. There is a big difference between the two.
Good luck!
1. What are your talents? How good you really are in these field, comparing to others.
2. What the market is looking for? What the market will look for, in your opinion, in 10 years? 20 years?
The combination of these two things will give you your answer. Of course, it is also important that your career choice will be interesting for you- you are going to do that every day. But please remember, you are searching for a career, not an hobby. There is a big difference between the two.
Good luck!
Marites Macalintal
5
Answers
Updated
Marites’s Answer
Hi Angelo - I always say this to folks who asked me this question. Find a career that you are passionate about. I think this is very important as this will definitely help you succeed if you are doing something that you really like from the very beginning. Once you know what your passion is, you'll be able to prioritize the careers that you will pursue. I hope this helps. Good luck!
Michael Malloy
Workforce Planning and Analysis
5
Answers
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Updated
Michael’s Answer
Careers can take many twists and turns throughout your life. When you are searching for a career choice it's good to concentrate on things you enjoy. If Science and Math are enjoyable, you can look to further your education down that path and see where it leads you. Engineering, Medical, and Research careers most often have Math and Science as their foundations. Sometimes you may start one career, and 5 years down the road you will find something even more interesting to you that will make you change your path. Do not be afraid of new challenges along the way. Keep exploring and educating yourself and the possibilities are endless.
Hope this helps!
Hope this helps!
Desiree Giler Mann
Attorney
166
Answers
New York, New York
Updated
Desiree’s Answer
Consider first the things that interests you, then your talents. It's likely that you will need additional knowledge/skills, but if you align those to your interests and things for which you have an aptitude, then it will be more likely to lead to a fulfilling career. Make a list of your interests and talents to brainstorm with friends and family possible professions that match up with your interests. Research those professions on-line to learn about the requirements, job demand, salary, work-life balance, etc to see if those options will meet your needs.
Be realistic about the requirements for a given career - if you dislike studying, then pursuing a career that requires years of additional schooling may not be a good fit; if you dream of being a professional athlete, carefully assess your ability to meet the performance & training requirements. If you don't think you can make the requirements work for you, perhaps consider a profession related to that career, in the same field.
See if your school has a guidance counselor or career office and make an appoint to talk about your career search.
And be flexible - many people change their career paths over time. As you learn and experience more, you might find new interests or talents you had hidden :)
Assess your interests and talents
Brainstorm professions that align with your interests and talents
Research possible professions on-line to see if they might be a good fit
Consult your school's guidance counselor or career office
Be flexible and keep an open mind!
Be realistic about the requirements for a given career - if you dislike studying, then pursuing a career that requires years of additional schooling may not be a good fit; if you dream of being a professional athlete, carefully assess your ability to meet the performance & training requirements. If you don't think you can make the requirements work for you, perhaps consider a profession related to that career, in the same field.
See if your school has a guidance counselor or career office and make an appoint to talk about your career search.
And be flexible - many people change their career paths over time. As you learn and experience more, you might find new interests or talents you had hidden :)
Desiree recommends the following next steps: