Choosing a good career path is a stepping stone for every teenager, student, and employee. There’s never a time too late to choose a career path. Keep in mind that you can’t just wake up one morning and choose a career path. There are factors you’ll have to consider before choosing which career path that’s best for you. There are about 5 to 10 important factors you’ll have to consider when you want to choose a career path.
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How to Choose a Career Path
You need to understand properly the clear difference between a job and a career. A job is just what you do to get paid while a career is that path you’ve chosen to grow in and it adds value to you. In a career path, you learn and grow and it’s long-term. Below is a very good guide on how to choose a career path
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Proper Understanding of Your Personality
When it comes to choosing a career, your personality is very important and must be considered. Paying attention to your personality would make you choose a career you’ll cherish for a lifetime. If you ignore to consider your personality, then be ready to choose a career you’ll hate.
When considering your personality, there are certain questions you’ll need to ask yourself, they include;
- Do you like traveling a lot or do you like work that doesn’t involve traveling?
- Do you like associating with people a lot or do you like staying alone
- Do you like sitting in front of your computer all day or do you get irritated by it?
- Do you like cooking and trying different dishes?
- Do you like reading a lot and answering questions?
- Are you always irritated working for other people irrespective of the salary?
If you like traveling a lot, then travel agency jobs might be your best bet.
If you like associating with people, you might consider going into a ‘public relations’ job
If you like sitting in front of your computer all day, then going into tech or blogging is best for you.
If you like to always cook and try new dishes, then you might as well consider becoming a chef.
If you like reading a lot and answering questions, you might like a career in the media industry.
If you’re always irritated working for other people irrespective of the salary, then know that you’ll have to source funds to become a boss.
Don’t Imitate Anyone
I met a friend when I was living in New York, his name was Jonathan. Jonathan always knew he wanted to be a writer. His love for words and storytelling had been inborn since he was a child. But when he saw his friend, Alex, receiving all the accolades and praises for his successful career in marketing, Jonathan’s confidence wavered towards being a writer because he wanted to receive the same accolades and praises as Alex his friend.
He started to copy Alex’s every move, from the way he dressed to the way he spoke. Jonathan even pursued a marketing degree, thinking it was the path to success. But as he climbed the corporate ladder, he realized that he was living someone else’s dream.
Alex is a good communicator, he can work on multiple projects simultaneously, he’s creative, he’s always up for new challenges, his marketing skills are second to none, he knows how to physically convince people, and has very good management skills, all of which are lacking in Jonathan. Jonathan only has good knowledge of grammar and a passion for writing, he always raises important issues and makes persuasive arguments.
One day, while pitching a new campaign, he froze. He couldn’t come up with any creative ideas, and his boss was very disappointed in him. It was then that Jonathan realized he had made a grave mistake. He mustered the courage to quit his job and pursue his passion for writing. It was a risky move, but he knew it was the only way to find true happiness and fulfillment.
Years later, Jonathan’s debut novel became a bestseller, and he was finally living his dream. As he looked back on his journey, he realized that copying someone else’s career path may seem like an easy way out, but it will never lead to true success and happiness
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Never Trade Your Career with Money
I had a similar experience as Jonathan. Growing up as a kid, I knew I would be a footballer. I was skillful, had very fast dribbling skills, could shoot the ball on target, and had a natural talent for the sport. But when I was offered a full scholarship to play basketball in college, I couldn’t resist. The money that came with the offer was too good to pass up. But deep down, I knew I had made a mistake. My heart belonged on the football field, not the basketball court.
Years went by and I became very successful as an individual but I never became a top player in basketball, I was just an average player. But as my wealth grew, so did my regret. I missed the feeling of dribbling and running with the ball on my legs, jogging the ball, and shooting the ball at a particular angle to score goals. Basketball didn’t give me the same rush. I never won any trophy and my coach starts me from the bench even though I’m well paid.
Then one day, an old friend from my football days reached out to me. He had become a successful coach and wanted me to join his team. It was a chance to finally fulfill my true passion, but it came at a cost. I would have to give up my basketball career and terminate the contract and all the money that came with it. I struggled with the decision, torn between my love for football and my comfortable lifestyle.
But deep down, I knew what I had to do. I couldn’t let money control my happiness anymore. I said goodbye to my basketball career and joined my friend’s team. At first, it was tough. I was out of practice and had to work twice as hard to catch up to my teammates. But as I stepped onto the field, I felt alive again. As the season went on, I proved myself to be a valuable player and my team made it to the cup final.
We were facing off against the top team in the league, led by a ruthless and tactical opponent. The game was intense, and we were neck and neck. In the final moments, I found myself one-on-one with my old football rival. He tackled me, knowing my weakness was my lack of experience in football. But I dribbled past him and moved forward to the goalpost. I looked up and saw the keeper waiting for me to strike the ball, I placed the ball at the top right angle and it went past the goal keeper into the net and it was a goal.
The crowd erupted in cheers and my teammates lifted me in celebration. As I held the trophy, I realized that choosing football over basketball was the best decision I ever made. Money may have lured me away, but my passion and love for the game had brought me back to where I truly belonged. I became a top football player in my team and I was paid heavily by my club, I made so much money more than I was paid in basketball.
Let me tell you the truth, everything isn’t all about money. Many people have chosen a career path they don’t like because of money. Making money from a job you like is very good but making money from a job you don’t like, possibly because you chose the wrong career path because of money when you could have chosen the right path and made more money with it is horrible, to be honest.
There is money in every career path you choose today. Just because football pays more money than basketball doesn’t mean basketball doesn’t pay well. If you’re a top basketball player, you’ll make more money and easily grow to fame than a mediocre football player.
If you are just average in basketball, but your passion is football, you are more likely to make more money and be the best in football than being a mediocre basketballer.
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Don’t be Afraid of Criticism
People will always criticize every move you make. So don’t be afraid to make decisions especially decisions concerning your career choice. The reason people will criticize you is simply because not everyone will see things the way you see them. You’re unique and you know yourself very well and what’s best for you better than anyone else. Many people have given up their dreams because they’re afraid to make decisions maybe because of what people will think about their career choice.
If you choose to be a blogger, people will say you resorted to blogging because you’re incompetent to secure a good-paying job in a good company. (They forgot that some bloggers earn more than company CEOs)
If you choose to be a marketer, people will say you’re so desperate for a job that you choose to work as if you’re a slave. I think letting people especially strangers influence your decision is very devastating and has terrible consequences. Because of your mental health in your career, don’t let people choose or decide your career for you.
Other Factors to Consider Before Choosing a Career
There are quite some factors to consider when choosing a career. They’re very important and must not be neglected. They include;
Skills, Passion, and Interest
Always go for what you have passion for. I’ll advise you to go for a job you derive joy in doing, something you could even do without being paid. For example, I’ll always advise someone who wants to go into blogging to go for a niche you have a passion for.
This is because there is always a time in blogging when all hope may seem to be lost because of a lack of traffic or poor results from search engines, only your love and passion for that niche will be the driving force and of course, it’ll encourage you to keep moving forward. If you go for a niche you don’t like, then be ready to abandon it when discouragement sets in as a result of poor search engine results page rank.
Job Availability and Sustainability
In this generation of Artificial Intelligence, human jobs are being threatened by AI. Check if the job has a limited lifespan. Don’t choose jobs that can be replaced by technology tomorrow but pay well over jobs that can last for ages. Make sure the job is very sustainable.
Educational Background
Your educational background is essential in your career. Although not all jobs require a degree you’ll still need to advance your educational status at one point or the other. In some jobs, promotion only comes with higher educational status; in others, you only need to learn on the job as time passes.