Finding Your Way: Tips for Choosing Your Ideal Career Path
Some people seem to have always known what they were born to do. But for most people, choosing on a career path causes nothing but worry. Indeed, in some education systems, children might have to choose focus subjects as soon as they become teenagers, potentially limiting their options in later life. So, how do you avoid making the ‘wrong’ choice, and maximize your chances of following a career path you will find rewarding and fulfilling? It’s a case of knowing yourself, knowing the career, and knowing how to get there.
Know thyself
Ever since it was engraved on the Temple of Apollo thousands of years ago, the adage ‘know thyself’ has been interpreted to match the times. Today, the significance of self-awareness and emotional intelligence is seen as critical to wellbeing. And these factors are absolutely critical when contemplating the professional journey you hope to undertake.
It’s important to consider what’s important to you, your strengths (and weaknesses), and your interests. There is likely to be some overlap, your interests will often lead you to develop skills in some areas. If you really enjoy math, it’s likely you will have developed strong numeracy and analytical skills, for example.
However, it’s important to make sure these all align for a career choice. You might be interested in rules and the law, have good attention to detail and advocacy and debating skills. Being a lawyer might be an ideal career, but your values are just as important. Your interests and skills might make you a great prosecutor, but values like social justice or equality might mean you find being a defense lawyer far more rewarding.
Know the careers
It’s just as important to know the careers that you are considering. Most people will have relatively little inside knowledge of what a particular career involves. And, sometimes, their ideas are formed from TV and movies that focus on the more dramatic elements that comprise only a small part, if any, of the career for most practitioners.
You can address this by doing the research, your college’s careers advice service is a good starting point. Many professional organizations also have resources for those considering entering the career. But don’t forget to ask people who are in the career already. You might be able to find these through your network, but if not, cold calling can be surprisingly effective; many professionals are happy to spare some time to talk to those considering their career.
Finding people is especially important. Many people follow in the footsteps of their family because having that connection can be enormously helpful, it not only means they understand the career, but they also have a ready-made network of contacts for advice and support. Trying to replicate that by building your own contacts increases your chances of success.
Finally, see if there are chances to test the water. Look for opportunities like work experience, internships, or shadowing. These offer you the prospect of an inside look at the career you are considering, as well as to talk to people already doing it to find out more.
Know the path
The final key element is the actual path you might follow. And make sure you consider every aspect of this, there may be other factors beyond academic qualifications. For example, opportunities in some careers may be limited by geography, meaning you would have to move. Others might have working conditions that are unpalatable but necessary. Sometimes, the path might be one that you cannot, do not want to, follow. Which may mean revisiting your choices and preferences.
The easiest way to do this is to start with the job and work back to where you are now. A common consideration are qualifications, your career might require high-level study in certain disciplines, or even have a specific professional qualification, meaning you have to consider how you can accomplish that. Many skip this, thinking the steps are obvious, but when you thoroughly research the path you might take, you will also notice many smaller decisions, like extracurricular activities that can build experience, that help. It becomes a career roadmap that makes sure you are always heading towards your dream career.
Be ready for a changing world, and a changing life
Many people struggle with choosing a career because the decision seems so big and final. The fear of getting it wrong — or perhaps worse, being seen as getting it wrong — and the pressure of peer and family expectations, often means people find themselves in jobs that aren’t quite right for them.
But no decision is final. Even if you are absolutely certain of your career choice, and the path you will take towards it, it is always possible to change direction. And that change might be small, to a slightly different specialism, or to something entirely different. The old concept of a job-for-life is long gone, many people change jobs and even careers several times during their life.
Even if you are initially delighted with your career, that might not still be true in ten years’ time, when changes mean you no longer have any job-satisfaction. Likewise, your life can change, whether it’s starting a family, or even holding a different worldview and set of values, many factors affect how you view your career. And, from time-to-time, everyone has to face the unexpected. Whether it’s an unforeseen crisis or an exciting opportunity, either might see you having to reconsider your previous plans.
However confident you are that you’ve got your career path set, you will find yourself having to check the route you follow throughout your working life. And while some people might only take minor diversions on their career journey, there will be many who find themselves heading in a completely different direction to their original plans.
Choosing or changing career is a tough decision because our careers mean so much, they are a core part of our identity. But by knowing the three key parts of a career choice — yourself, your career, and the path you must take — you can be confident you are always following your head and your heart towards your ideal career.
