Steps to Choosing a Career...

STEP 1: Assess Yourself

To decide what career you would be well suited for, you first need to determine your interests (what you like to do), skills (what you are good at), work values (what is important to you), and personality.

STEP 2: Research Careers

By knowing as much as you can about careers of interest, you are able to narrow your focus and make the best informed decision possible. Read books and resources to learn about the training needed, work environment, salary, and job prospects for the careers you are considering.

STEP 3: Experience Careers

The best way to know if you are going to enjoy a potential career is to gain experience in your chosen field . By talking with people in the field, shadowing people who do what you want to do, and experiencing the work required through an internship, you will find out what is really involved in this career.

STEP 4: Decide

After you have been through the last 3 steps, you will be able to decide if it is the career you want to pursue. If it is, you can then begin planning your path for that career. If it isn't, go back and research and experience other career fields of interest to find the one that is right for you.

STEP 5: Evaluate

After you have started your in a career, you need to periodically evaluate your choice. Do you want to continue in this career field, or are you in need of a career change? If you stay within your career field, determine the steps you need to take to make yourself continually marketable in the field. If you are thinking of a change, it is then time to start the career development process again to see how your interests, skills, work values and personality have changed and how those changes will affect your career choices.

 

Building Your Career

Setting off on your career journey

Your career is the variety of experiences of learning and work (both unpaid and paid) that you undertake throughout your lifetime..

Developing your career is not an easy or a short process. Our careers are influenced by many things, such as our age, our gender and our ability. Our careers are also influenced by our families and our cultural values. Chance also plays a part.

But it is up to you to plan, build and manage your lifelong career journey. You are the person best suited to make choices on the basis of your own skills, knowledge, interests, personal circumstances and preferences. However, you will not be alone. Be open to those who can help and support you along the way, and offer your help and support to others as well.

You will need to be flexible. In the 21st century, very few people will have a job or occupation for life. It is very difficult to go through life without changing, growing and learning. It is important, however, that you actively manage this process as much as possible, rather than just letting it happen.

 

Making the Right Choice

This could be the biggest decision of your life, make sure it’s the right one.

Education is a fundamental building block for developing knowledge and skills. Your choice of university and degree will ultimately affect the decisions you make about your career. Choosing the right university and degree will put you in a prime position to realise your goals and then expand them.

 

Choosing the Right Career

External factors such as money, prestige or family history can often influence initial career choices. However, as you pursue your interests and discover more about yourself, you may find that the ‘right’ career choice for you is driven by more personal factors.

Whether you have given a lot of thought to your career or not, this page is designed to give you some very practical assistance in making choices about your career.

 

Self Assessment

Your Achievements

Reflect on your achievements – the easiest way to start is with your academic achievements at school or at university. Think about what led you to choose your course of study, and the kinds of strengths you have developed along with the specific knowledge gained. Some employers feel quite strongly that a pattern of achievement in education is likely to be repeated in later years.

Then think about your other achievements, e.g. responsibilities you’ve accepted in organisations, within your family, work or social groups. Employers are interested in far more than a degree certificate and will look for achievements in all aspects of a potential employee’s life.

 

Your Skills and Abilities

Skills are the essence of what we contribute to the world. Advising, coaching, communicating, analysing, researching, organising, are only a few of the hundreds of skills that you may possess.

List all the skills that you feel you possess. If you can’t think of many, consider what skills you need to complete your achievements. Most jobs will require a variety of skills; start to think what skills you would enjoy using on a regular basis as part of your ideal job.

 

Your Personal Values

Carefully consider the following:

  • What are the most important things to you?
  • What are you committed to?
  • What makes you happy?
  • How much power and responsibility do you want in the work place?
  • How much of yourself do you want to put into your work?

There are no right and wrong answers to these and other questions. It is important to think them through so that your ambitions are realistic.

The closer the match between your values and your job, the happier and more successful you will be.

 

Your Interests

Think about the work areas that interest you, such as; administrative, artistic, computers, mechanical, musical, outdoor, communication, scientific, social service.

Think about other aspects of work, such as; working on your own / with other people, supervision, dealing with the public, persuading people, staying travel / in one place, in an office environment / in the field.

 

Finding the Right Career

Having assessed yourself in this way, you may have not discovered the exact career you want to follow, but you will have discovered what you're good at, what you like and what you value. This gives you an excellent platform to start looking for a job that fulfills all these aspects of yourself.

Now, whenever you consider pursuing a career or applying for a job, carefully consider whether it will provide you with the environment to succeed and the satisfaction to make you happy: You deserve both!