Choosing a career is one of those momentous decisions that can change the course of your life. Such an important decision deserves considerable time and introspection. Ample information and self-examination can help you choose a satisfying career that you will enjoy for years to come.

Deciding on a career may seem daunting, but it is easier when you give yourself a lot of options and time to consider it. However, the dilemma is the lack of match between your aptitude and the skill sets. You are fortunate if your skill sets match your aptitude. Otherwise, while it is easy to develop your skill sets according to your aptitude, the challenge is to change your aptitude in accordance with the skill sets. Your aptitude slowly and unknowingly develops in you a mindset towards a particular field of activity. Hence, the parents should identify the child’s aptitude and encourage the child in developing the required skill sets. Waiting till the end of the one’s schooling to decide on the career field may not be a healthy option.

Although the idea of a “job for life” is fast becoming a thing of the past, the field of work which you choose is important because it will determine where you will spend a good deal of your working life and will also define how many opportunities you will have to branch out using your basic skills set. So, choose wisely and select a field that encompasses as many of your talents as possible, to allow you to the greatest freedom and leeway for shifting around a field doing different jobs with a good set of basic skills, along with a good dose of solid confidence in your worth and abilities.

Here are few steps you must follow.
Begin by determining what you like to do:
A lot of people look to others to determine their career paths: teachers, parents, neighbors, and peers. Think about people you respect and what they do for work. Take time to map out your wants and to match your skills with skills that are actively sought within certain fields of work. This will involve a fair bit of research work but it is well worth it. It is very easy to turn your hobbies or something you love doing into a future career. Many hobbies correspond to real world needs and positions. Consider what you like to do and how that might fit into a career.

Evaluate Your Work Style:
The right career for you will be suited to your work style. Are you a self-starter who accomplishes goals on your own, or do you need the discipline of a structured work environment to do your best? An honest evaluation of your work style will help you decide whether a career where you work independently is right for you. If you’re naturally a daydreamer or a procrastinator, you may do well in a career where a supervisor help you stay on task.

Know Your Talents:
If you are particularly good at certain skills, such as fixing things or making things, this can provide you with a great future career. Schooling may or may not be necessary, but skilled labor is often in demand and you will find it fairly easy to find work. Look at the things you are good at doing already. These will give you a very good indication of what you are likely to enjoy doing by way of a career. Think of ways to transform activities that come naturally to you into a career.

Set Financial Goals:

One of your goals should be to choose a career where you can earn enough money to meet your financial goals. If you want to own a vacation home on every continent and fly to these homes on your private jet, a career as a retail clerk will probably not help you achieve your goals. You may have to make some compromises along the way, but generally speaking, the career you choose should allow you to meet your financial goals. Your ability to pursue or change careers may hinge on your financial situation. Some career paths require special schooling and this is sometimes expensive.

Assess Your Social Needs:
You’ll spend one-third of your life with the people you work with, so choose a career that’s a good social fit. If you’re a loner who doesn’t enjoy social interaction, you may be well-suited to a career where you work independently or work from home. If you love to meet new people, you may find a career in sales fulfilling, where you work with the public.

Conduct Informational Interviews:

A 15-minute informational interview with someone who has a job you think you want can help cement your career choice. Many people will be happy to meet briefly with you to talk about the pros and cons of what they do and tell you whether they would make the same career choice if they could turn back time and choose differently. Start and end the meeting on time, ask probing questions and listen carefully to the answers. Sometimes it’s hard for us to see the areas in life where we excel. If you don’t think you’re good at anything, ask your parents, other family members, friends, or teachers what they think you’d be good at. Their ideas might surprise you!

Use Self-Assessment Tools:
Use do-it-yourself resources to help you narrow your career choices. Take online quizzes to help you assess your aptitude for certain types of work. Review online job descriptions and career information from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to help you understand what the education and training requirements are for different kinds of jobs. Many books and workbooks are also available to guide you through the self-assessment process.

Get Real-Life Experience:
Follow the example of companies that use interns and temps to evaluate an individual before they extend a job offer. Real-life experience in the work environment where you think you want to work can help you make up your mind for certain. Job shadows, internships and temporary assignments give you a realistic view of a day in the life of a profession.

Be Patient:
Finding the right career is a process, not an event. An entry level position in your field may not be your dream job, but it can give you a foothold on the career ladder you want to climb. It takes time to develop your career, but setting goals and following a plan to achieve them can help you fulfill your career aspirations.

Keep positive.
When you are finally trained and ready to find that dream career, the most important thing is to maintain a positive outlook about your life and to be ready for change, difference and shifts in your comfort zones. This is the real world and it moves rapidly; it is important to keep up with changes and to take a positive approach by making opportunities out of challenges. However, always keep what is unique about you because at the end of the day, that is the special something many employers are looking for while they choose from many skilled and educated workers available to them.

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