Choosing the Right Career
Some people are lucky enough to know what career path they want to follow: Even luckier if they’ve always known, so that the hesitation and anxiety of taking those first steps, is lessened by a steely infinite resolve. But there are many people who aren’t that lucky and there’s no need for these individuals to worry because the options are endless. Here are our simple steps and stages to career bliss:
Know thyself!
Career planning might seem like a minor thing but it’s quite the opposite you’ll spend 8 hours of your very precious day working so why not ensure that it’s doing something you love or at least enjoy. But, the question is, what do you love or enjoy? Looking back on your experiences and achievements will allow you to observe something about yourself you might not have given a great amount of consideration: What makes you happy?
Make a list of things that you’ve done in the past that you enjoyed. Think of times where you’ve volunteered, courses that you enjoyed at school or college, interests outside of work that you’ve sustained i.e. crafts, sport, reading etc. and finally significant experiences in your life. Draw up this list and then try and isolate what about it was so rewarding. You may notice that there’s a pattern occurring. If there is, then you have a sign post for a career or number of careers that may well be right up your street.
By the same token, right a list of experiences you didn’t enjoy. After all if there are a number of careers that appeal to you, there maybe a major aspect of it that your dislike list reveals you didn’t enjoy and can’t then over look.
Research
Once you have an idea of the sort of things you do and don’t enjoy, you can start researching possibilities and cutting them down based on their key skills and features.
There are a number of excellent websites out there to help you. Even Wikipedia will be you’re friend in this department as often the entries [written by people usually in the industry> will put to light some home truths.
www.prospects.ac.uk is a great site if you’re over 16 or you need some career advice. Plus it’ll help you every step of the way to find the job you’re after. Prospects focus’ mostly on graduates, so for those about to embark on their university career this is a great way to find out what you’ll be looking at on the other side of those three years. Go to the home page look under ‘jobs and work’, click ‘explore types of jobs’. You’ll then be giving all the industry types and you can explore as many jobs as take your fancy.
Another great place to go is to any governing or established body in the industry in which you want to work. So for example if you wanted a career in health care you’d be best visiting the NHS’s website.
Where to go now…
Once you have a rough idea of what you want to do there’s really only a few steps left to getting it. The first is work experience. It might seem rubbish because it’s unpaid and involves your time when you could be doing other thing but there really isn’t anything more precious in this world then experience. That’s for two reasons: A) it gives you an insight into the industry, which employers will love because they don’t have to hold you’re hand the whole time. B) You’ll find out if it really is the right career for you. Like trying on a new pair of shoes, no matter how good they look they might not fit so try them on first – that same is true with a career and instead of messing yourself and your new boss around, work experience will let you test drive those careers.
From here there are courses, university, getting advice from friends and family, and the long slog that is job searching. But at least, if you know where you want to go, you’ll have a goal and a focus and job hunting will be a journey not an ordeal!
If you now what career path you want to follow and just need to land that all important job then visit our Jobs section.