How to Select a Career of Your Choice
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Selecting a career is one of the most crucial decisions that a person has to make in life. Most often there is no second chance and you have to keep going at all costs. Therefore, it is logical to select your career with care, after consideration of several factors.
1. WORK OUT YOUR LIFE’S PURPOSE
What do you want to achieve in life? Fame, fortune or both? What are your personal objectives in terms of work, family and social life? By being clear on what you want to achieve in life, it is easier to select a career that can help you achieve your goals.
Many persons simply do not have the slightest idea on what they wish to achieve in life. Either they have not thought about it or cannot be bothered to work it out.
2. UNDERSTAND YOURSELF
Who am I? What is my personality? What are my strengths and weaknesses as a person? By understanding your strengths, you should be in a better position to select a career that can be complimentary.
For example, if your strength is communication, careers in Marketing, Sales, Legal etc., would be ideal. On the other hand if your strength is technical, careers in Engineering, Production etc., would be appropriate.
3. Speak to opinion lenders, who can provide a reliable reference about a career, both in terms of present and future potential. There is no better guarantee than to obtain a first hand reference from a person who is practicing a specific profession.
For example, if Marketing is selected, there are several professionals who are in a position to provide a frank and unbiased reference.
4. Examine the career opportunities available in your selected profession. This should be done before you embark on a career and aspects such as career development, earning potential etc., should be examined. Professional Institutions and Associations can help in this regard, by being a catalyst.
5. In the early stages of your career, do not be afraid to experiment and take a few calculated risks. It is far more difficult to experiment in the middle stages of your career.
6. Try and become a generalist and not a specialist. If cricket parlance is used, it is about becoming an all rounder! Modern business organisations require staff that are multi skilled and thereby can handle multi tasks.
7. Select a career that you can contribute meaningfully to societal causes and developments. Marketing and Sales are two areas than can easily provide societal initiatives.
8. Look at opportunities for industrial placement. This will help to apply skills learnt and determine if they meet your expectations.
9. Visit career and educational fairs regularly. This exposure will provide insights into new career opportunities. For example, the British, Australian educational fairs and others organised by various sources.
10. All details pertaining to a selected career should be clearly understood, prior to embarking on it. For example, it if involves industrial placement experimentation etc.,
WHAT YOU SHOULD NOT DO, IN SELECTING A CAREER
Up to this point of time, this article focused on what should be done to select a career. It is opportune to also discuss what one should not do.
1. Never be unduly pressurised to select a career, which family and friends want you to do. Always consider their point of view, but be independent in your final decision.
2. Never blindly follow a role model and select a career. Many of us have role models, which we aspire to imitate. This is natural but to blindly follow this path could be disastrous.
3. Do not be misguided by educational consultants and career experts. Seek expert opinion, but always make your own judgement, based on your capabilities and instincts.
Selecting a career is never easy and it is a decision that people have to take. It is also possible to select joint career options. (E.g. Marketing and Finance), in order to broaden one’s horizons. In conclusion, please remember that it is possible to change careers, but it can be costly in terms of time and money. Therefore, it is always advisable “to get it right the first time”.
A wise man will make more opportunities than he finds.
(Francis Bacon)
Excellence is never an accident.
(Anonymous)
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