Self-Assessment
Before you can choose the right career for you, you need to understand yourself. Your values, interests, soft skills, and technical abilities, along with your personality type, make some professions suitable for you and make others completely unsuitable.
Use self-assessment tools and career tests to gather information about your traits and build a list of careers that match. Some people may choose to work with a career counselor or another professional in career development who can assist them in guiding them through this process.
Preparing a List of Careers to Explore
You probably have many career lists in front of you at this stage – one list created by each self-assessment tool you used. To keep yourself organized, you should merge them into one master list.
First, look for careers that appear on multiple lists and copy them onto a blank page titled “Careers to Explore.”
Then, look for any careers on your lists that pique your interest. These may be careers you know little about and wish to explore further. Also, include careers you don’t know much about. You might learn something unexpected.
Exploring the Careers on Your List
At this stage, you’ll be glad you’ve narrowed your list down to just 10 to 20 options. Now you can gather some basic information about each of the careers on your list.
Look for job descriptions, educational and training requirements, and licensing in published sources. Learn about opportunities for advancement in the field. Use labor market information produced by the government to get data about wages and job outlook.
Creating a “Short List”
Now that you have more information, start narrowing your list even further. Based on what you’ve learned from your research so far, begin removing careers that you do not wish to pursue further. You should end up with two to five careers in your “short list.”
If your reasons for not pursuing a career are non-negotiable, delete it from your list. Also, eliminate any career that you do not like the duties of. Remove careers that have poor job prospects. Get rid of any career if you are unable or unwilling to meet the educational or other requirements, or if you lack some of the soft skills necessary to succeed in it.
Conducting Informational Interviews
When you have just a few careers left on your list, begin conducting deeper research. Arrange meetings with people working in the careers that interest you. They can provide first-hand knowledge about the professions on your short list.
Choosing Your Career
Finally, after doing all your research, you may be ready to make your decision. Choose the career that you believe will bring you the most satisfaction based on all the information you’ve gathered. Remember that you can re-evaluate your decision at any time in your life. Many people change their careers at least several times.
Setting Your Goals
Once you’ve made your decision, set your long-term and short-term goals. This helps in creating a plan to eventually work in the field you’ve chosen. Long-term goals typically take three to five years to achieve, while short-term goals can usually be met within six months to three years.
Writing a Career Action Plan
Write a career action plan, a written document that outlines all the steps you need to take to achieve your goals. Think of it as a roadmap that will take you from point A to point B, then to point C and D. Write down all your short and long-term goals and the steps you need to take to achieve each one. Include any anticipated barriers that may hinder achieving your goals – and the ways you can use to overcome them.
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This seems like a lot of work – and it is. But it’s much easier to determine a career path when you know what you want. These early steps will save you a lot of struggle and uncertainty in the long run.
Source: https://www.thebalancemoney.com/steps-to-choosing-career-525506
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