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What are the first steps in determining a career path?
I am a junior in highschool and college applications are opening soon. #college #college-advice #career #career-choice #college-applications
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Frank Oldfield
M.Ed. (TESOL)., Online Remote Adult Education Teacher, Educator & Facilitator.
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Frank’s Answer
I had listened to my parents discussing their career paths often enough and how they had made out in life. I wanted to be an engineer like my father. Anyway he came home one day and told me he had gotten me an interview with his friend who was an Engineering Service Manager at a huge motor engineering company where my dad got his company motor car serviced. Because I was only 15 years of age, my dad had to be at the interview too to discuss the terms and conditions of the apprenticeship. It was a wonderful experience working with a fully qualified motor vehicle engineer and the company sent me to Technical College one day per week every week working there. The Engineering Teachers were wonderful skilled engineering teachers and able to guide me how to learn the the theory and practice of motor engineering.
Check out with your parents, family, friends, relatives, class teachers, vocational teachers, librarians, head masters etc to obtain written/typed personal reference letters that you store in a display folder and can take with you when you go for interviews. JOB Interviewers like to read proof documentation that you are the right candidate for your chosen career pathways... or that you are adaptable and able to take on more than one role if an opportunity comes available...
Good Luck!
Best Wishes!
https://www.careervillage.org/users/74836/Frank
Check out with your parents, family, friends, relatives, class teachers, vocational teachers, librarians, head masters etc to obtain written/typed personal reference letters that you store in a display folder and can take with you when you go for interviews. JOB Interviewers like to read proof documentation that you are the right candidate for your chosen career pathways... or that you are adaptable and able to take on more than one role if an opportunity comes available...
Good Luck!
Best Wishes!
https://www.careervillage.org/users/74836/Frank
Updated
Jigar’s Answer
1. First and foremost find out what areas you are good at or you enjoy/like the most.
2. Look at career opportunities (Supply/Demand of jobs)
3. Look at opportunity to fork into different sub-areas
You might be super good in one area but opportunity might be way too less vs you might be good in other area where opportunities are abundance so right to find the right balance of what you can enjoy working long term with good job opportunities and trying out different things.
FYI, I am a chemical engineer myself but later shifted to Software engineering cause I felt I was better at Mathematics, Analytical thinking and Technology + abundance job opportunities hence I ended up doing master's in software engineering by doing masters due to interest + job opportunities. It works out well for me.
2. Look at career opportunities (Supply/Demand of jobs)
3. Look at opportunity to fork into different sub-areas
You might be super good in one area but opportunity might be way too less vs you might be good in other area where opportunities are abundance so right to find the right balance of what you can enjoy working long term with good job opportunities and trying out different things.
FYI, I am a chemical engineer myself but later shifted to Software engineering cause I felt I was better at Mathematics, Analytical thinking and Technology + abundance job opportunities hence I ended up doing master's in software engineering by doing masters due to interest + job opportunities. It works out well for me.
Updated
Dustin’s Answer
Write a list of things that you enjoy, people who you look up to and what keeps your mind busy during downtimes. Try and collect 10-20 words and research jobs that may fit what you would want to do. What's important to pin down once you know, what can you bring to expand it or make it better.
Updated
Gloria’s Answer
Hi Tasnia,
It would be helpful if you know what you want to do as a career before entering college, although it is not required. What skills and talents do you already have? Is one or some of those talents something that you would like to do every day? The hardest thing about any career is that there is always something that you don't like about it. There is always something that will stress you out or get on your nerves, so it is very helpful if the core of the career is something that you love. I am an instructional designer. I create training courses and programs that help people learn how to do their jobs when they start or continue to learn about their job throughout their career. I love the writing and creation of the training elements. I don't like the administrative work around my job, from project management to communicating status of where I am on the projects. Since I love the core of my job, I am able to get through what I call the administrative tasks because overall the job is something that i love to do.
I did not find my career until I had worked for several years. I wish that I had not started my college career in journalism. Looking back, I would have done a more generic major, such as English.
Gloria
It would be helpful if you know what you want to do as a career before entering college, although it is not required. What skills and talents do you already have? Is one or some of those talents something that you would like to do every day? The hardest thing about any career is that there is always something that you don't like about it. There is always something that will stress you out or get on your nerves, so it is very helpful if the core of the career is something that you love. I am an instructional designer. I create training courses and programs that help people learn how to do their jobs when they start or continue to learn about their job throughout their career. I love the writing and creation of the training elements. I don't like the administrative work around my job, from project management to communicating status of where I am on the projects. Since I love the core of my job, I am able to get through what I call the administrative tasks because overall the job is something that i love to do.
I did not find my career until I had worked for several years. I wish that I had not started my college career in journalism. Looking back, I would have done a more generic major, such as English.
Gloria
Updated
Jacob’s Answer
Hi, Tasnia,
I think this is a great question and am glad to read that you are thinking about it. You have some really helpful answers already and I just wanted to add a couple more resources.
I came across the 80,000 Hours Organization a few years ago and think that they provide a unique, valuable perspective on how to think about your career path. To give some context, the organization aims to solve the most pressing skill bottlenecks in the world’s most pressing problems by providing research and support to help people switch into careers that effectively tackle those problems.
A link to their website is in the next steps section. They also just rolled out a weekly, free career planning course. I included a link with more information about the course and how you can begin the content too.
I hope this helps - good luck!
https://80000hours.org/about/
https://80000hours.org/career-planning/process/
I think this is a great question and am glad to read that you are thinking about it. You have some really helpful answers already and I just wanted to add a couple more resources.
I came across the 80,000 Hours Organization a few years ago and think that they provide a unique, valuable perspective on how to think about your career path. To give some context, the organization aims to solve the most pressing skill bottlenecks in the world’s most pressing problems by providing research and support to help people switch into careers that effectively tackle those problems.
A link to their website is in the next steps section. They also just rolled out a weekly, free career planning course. I included a link with more information about the course and how you can begin the content too.
I hope this helps - good luck!
Jacob recommends the following next steps:
Updated
Brayden’s Answer
Hello!
It can be a difficult question to answer when starting to decide what you ultimately want to do in life. Not only will this decision impact where you might attend college but also where you might live, the amount of money you will make and many other things. I always suggest to people that the number one thing you should do in this situation it take some time you reflect and really think about where you want to see yourself in 10 years, 15 years etc. Then begin thinking about jobs or areas that you find interesting or jobs that you think are fun and cool. By doing this you begin to generate a list that is built around your interests. From there using something like google to search for jobs that involve the areas of interest that you have. From there, websites like glassdoor and others will show career paths and explain what it is that one does in this occupation and the type of degree you will need to seek a job in that specific field.
I try to tell people that yes money is important when choosing a career path but it should be accounted for later becuase using the amount of money you will make as the number one deciding factor can lead you down a road where while the money is good, you have no true passion in this specific topic and will most likely find something else.
Hopefully this helps!
It can be a difficult question to answer when starting to decide what you ultimately want to do in life. Not only will this decision impact where you might attend college but also where you might live, the amount of money you will make and many other things. I always suggest to people that the number one thing you should do in this situation it take some time you reflect and really think about where you want to see yourself in 10 years, 15 years etc. Then begin thinking about jobs or areas that you find interesting or jobs that you think are fun and cool. By doing this you begin to generate a list that is built around your interests. From there using something like google to search for jobs that involve the areas of interest that you have. From there, websites like glassdoor and others will show career paths and explain what it is that one does in this occupation and the type of degree you will need to seek a job in that specific field.
I try to tell people that yes money is important when choosing a career path but it should be accounted for later becuase using the amount of money you will make as the number one deciding factor can lead you down a road where while the money is good, you have no true passion in this specific topic and will most likely find something else.
Hopefully this helps!