When we are kids and growing up, we are often asked one question – what do you want to be when you grow up? And as a child, the answer is usually something along the lines of “an astronaut,” “a policeman,” “a doctor,” etc.
With that said, when it is time to make the decision in your late teens – or – your adult years when you are in college, it can be a tricky question to answer.
If you want to come to the right conclusion and avoid living a life where you are constantly slumped over a desk, you will want to read on to learn more about the essential tips that you can follow to discover your ideal career path.
Without further ado, let us jump into the tips for making the right career choice.
What Are Your Hobbies?
You will want to start coming to a conclusion by listing your hobbies. If you want to enjoy what you do for a bigger part of the day, you need to find a job that you are passionate about. For instance, if you like to interact with people and help them, you might want to opt for an occupational therapy University.
You get the point – the best place to start is with your hobbies. Make a list of all things that you are passionate about. The thing that you are passionate about will make you want to get out of bed on a cold wintry morning and go to work.
If writing is your passion, you might aspire to become a writer. And if you really do choose to become a writer, you will want to choose a subject that you are passionate about. Your readers will be able to tell whether you were passionate about the subject while writing the topic or not.
You get the point – your passion will be the primary driving force for you to get up and spend time and dedication on doing the thing that you like the most. You can transform your passion into a career and do something that you enjoy doing for the rest of your life.
How cool does this sound? Nonetheless, we cannot rule out the possibility that your passion might not possibly be something like a strong suit – but – it remains a good starting point that can help you figure out what career you want to pursue.
Discover Your Strengths
Another step that you will want to take is to discover your strengths and weaknesses. Nonetheless, for your career path, you will want to focus on your strengths. But – being aware of your weaknesses will help you, too – in your personal and professional life.
It is essential to mention here that what you enjoy and what you are good at are two entirely different things. For instance, you might enjoy painting but be good at managing and organizing things.
Now, if you are good at organizing and managing things, then your ideal career path could include a job as an office manager, personal assistant, HR, or event planner.
You get the point – your strengths can point out the potential directions that you could choose for your career. With that said, after listing your hobbies, you will want to create another list that contains your skills.
Assess Your Personality
After you have listed your hobbies and skills, you will want to identify your personality traits. Suppose you are a fantastic singer – but – you are an introvert, which might be the cause of holding you back in this field as you might be overly anxious about standing in front of a crowd of people – let alone – be singing for them.
This example illustrates the importance of essential personality traits that you need to take into consideration for choosing the right career path.
It can often be confusing to figure out your personality traits on your own, which is why you can avail yourself of the option of conducting an online personality test and assessing the list of most-suited professions for you – using scientifically obtained data.
Be Brutally Honest with Yourself
The next step is to ask yourself what you want to gain out of your career. It is mandatory to identify that it is what you want out of your career. What would be your priorities? Some people want a high salary – others aim to have a good job title.
However, a career choice could also revolve around working for a cause that you deeply care about. Once you have the answer to a few essential questions about your priorities, you can narrow down the type of roles you would be interested in working towards.
This way, you will have an easier time finding your ultimate career path and being successful in your career. Once you know your desired career, you will want to talk to the relevant industry experts to learn more about the job and industry.