How to choose the right career in 4 simple steps.

This article on how to choose the right career in 4 simple steps will help you to make a better career choice so that you will never have to regret your career choice in the future or give up in between. I will be sharing my journey too which will help you to relate and discover how I made my career choice.

When I was in school, I had an aptitude for art and craft. I was good at making things out of regular waste materials like paper, plastic bottles & wood. I could do that all day long without taking a break, those days art and craft occupied my mind. Soon I decided that In the future I will become an Architect engineer. I was so surefooted that one day I will become an architect-engineer and I will make a great contribution to my country by designing cities and buildings.

The irony here is I was bad at math and science but still I was headstrong that I will become an architect so I stubbornly ended up choosing science after my SLC. My inability to understand math and science took a toll on my studies. I failed in all the major subjects like Physic, Math & Chemistry which made me ineligible for bachelors. I gave re-exams and passed all three with a huge struggle. This is why choosing the right career is not an easy task.

We are highly likely to make a wrong career choice when we are in the following situations:

  1. When we are clueless, uncertain, and indecisive about which career we want to pursue.
  2. When we prioritize our parent’s expectations more than our dreams.
  3. When we are in a hurry to choose careers.
  4. When we fail to acknowledge our strengths and weakness.
  5. When we don’t have goals & follow the crowd instead.
  6. When we don’t understand our personality type.
  7. When we fail to acknowledge the job market. Etc.

This confusion about how to choose the right career frustrates us all. It can give us anxiety, and making poor choices in a situation like this is a very common phenomenon. Some may want to graduate from university to pursue their career; however, you can also try a few options like going for a certificate course, one like aws solutions architect certification to get a job in the IT profession. It can save you money, and time as well as can get you good job opportunities based on the course type you opt for. Moreover, we all face career-oriented problems at some point in our life, and I am not an exception. I faced that problem as well. I believe with proper help and guidance we can find the right solutions to our problems.

The following steps will help you to make a better career choice so read them carefully:

Step 1:

Have a deep and honest conversation with yourself to know yourself better.

First, You distance yourself from the world and manage to stay alone where you will not be influenced or disturbed by anyone or anything. In that peaceful and undisturbed atmosphere you reflect on your life, do some introspection & talk to yourself. It is best if you keep a pen and paper near you to take notes about yourself or anything important.

Long back, the Greek philosopher Aristotle said “knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.” I agree! Knowing yourself well will also give you a sense of control and power over yourself. This is why the first step involves self-interrogation. Those questions will ultimately help you to understand yourself better.

Most people are delusional and choose a tough career for themself and end up quitting later because they fail to see their shortcomings. This is why you need to be more realistic and less idealist about your potential & capacity. This is why you must be an honest discussion with yourself. You must acknowledge your good and bad traits unconditionally. You must spend some time alone to acknowledge your weakness and strength equally. If you have no clue how to do this then just start by preparing a questionnaire. You can put questions like:

Which career suits my nature? What are my goals? According to my level of education and qualification, how many career options do I have? What are my long-cherished desires? What is my true nature? What type of work makes me forget food and sleep? What am I good at? What am I bad at? What makes me happy? Are there any hidden aptitudes in me? What are my skills? What is my vision in life? What do I hate the most? What are my values in life? What do I want to become? What do I want to do or accomplish before I die? Etc.

Please try not to go overboard. It is very easy to get carried away. Sometimes introspection can go unnecessarily deep and you might end up asking questions like, where did the universe come from, and do I even exist? You don’t want to go there right now! It might be very tempting but please save those questions for later because we have a different goal here. By the end of step 1. You must be able to have some insight into yourself. With that insight, you must discover or Identify which career is best for you. If not that at least you will be able to identify your area of interest.

Step 2:

List the possible career options.

The second step involves a lot of research. In this process, you need to come up with a list of careers according to your preferences. Keep in mind that the list should be based on the conclusions you have drawn from step one. Once you list all the options you narrow down your options.

You can do some research about the jobs and occupations that is related to your possible career choice. For example, if you were thinking that a career in real estate might be for you, you might want to look up things like “how do you become a home inspector” in order to learn about what this process entails. You can also search for the industry or company that you might get employed in the future. If you find the job or occupation related to your career hard, provides less salary, or if it is not promising you can always choose a different career that you believe you can enjoy.

Getting mentorship from someone who is already pursuing your career path is the best. They are an excellent source of information, they may have all your answers. If not you can also get help from your parents or seniors who have some experience regarding your issue. While selecting a career it is good to reach out and connect with the right mentor who can help you. The right mentors can help us mold and shape our careers well. Hence, getting help is not a bad idea. Make sure you come up with a priority list of your career choices by the end of this process.

Step 3:

Tallying your career choice with your skills.

The third step is your skills in your career. The carrier that you are interested in must align with your values in life & the skills that you possess. Every career demands a specific set of skills and every skill that we possess opens up different career opportunities. Don’t focus only on one career, there are many careers out there that suit your personality.

For example, if you want to become a doctor, you must be very hardworking and dedicated otherwise your dream to become a doctor will remain a dream. If you can’t stand the sight of blood and cutting body parts is against your values & morals in life then there is a huge probability that you might quit your job in the future and choose different jobs.

The message I am trying to convey is, If your career (field of interest), your skill & values in life are not in proper alignment then the journey will be very tough for you. Don’t be limited to one career because there are excellent careers out there that you can pursue.

This is where I failed and I don’t want you to repeat the same mistake. Though my field of interest was engineering, my inability to understand math and science didn’t qualify me for an engineering career.

It is alright if you want to take a challenge in life and go for something tough without having the necessary skill set required for it. There is a proverb that says, “where there is a wish there is a way” this simply means that willpower & determination will enable you to accomplish your desires regardless of the obstacles. You just make sure you are mindful of your weakness and skills that you need to work upon.

Step 4:

Tallying your career choice with the contemporary job market.

Before we begin, I have two questions for you:

  1. How many demands are there for radio mechanics in the contemporary market?
  2. How many demands are there for mobile mechanics in the contemporary market?

You know the answer right? This is why you must be aware of the relevance of your career in the contemporary job market. The lack of demand in the market may render you to become jobless and your profession may not yield the result that you were expecting. This is why it is very important to consider the contemporary job market while choosing a career.

There are a lot of other challenges in the contemporary job market that you must be aware of, for example, High competition and low wages. This is why you must do some market analysis and research as well. There are many people today who regret their career choice, who are not satisfied with their salary, and who wish they had chosen a different career path when they were young. I hope you will not end up like them in the future.

Conclusion:

Choosing a career or deciding a career is the most vital point of your life. Whether or not you will regret your choice in the future solely depends upon your present. The right choice will enable you to live a happy and prosperous life. Your job satisfaction and enjoyment will be high if you love your job. You will be able to perform well if you are equipped with the necessary skills that are required in your job and career. Once you successfully decide what career path you want to follow the next step is to choose the right educational institution that will empower you and help you to bring out the best in you.

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