Graduates

Use These Simple Tips To Help Guide Your Career

Tips to Help You Find the Right Career

You're going to invest years of training and hard work into building your career, so it's important not only to your job satisfaction but your overall happiness that you choose a career that will reward you both financially and personally. Whether you're wondering how to choose a career or, make a career change, you need to consider some factors in order to find your true calling.

The single most important piece of advice is to pursue career training that makes the most of your natural aptitudes and personal interests. Truly connecting with what you do for a living is a surefire strategy for achieving a high level of contentment with your career.

How to Choose a Career

Before you begin, you should carefully assess your own skills, abilities, and inclinations. Evaluating your goals and values will help you if you're wondering how to find a college that offers the education you need to pursue your chosen career.

  • Aptitudes. Everyone has natural talents and interests, and exploring yours is an excellent place to start looking for a career opportunity.
  • Interests. On top of your aptitudes, you have things you're interested in: baseball, stamp collecting, fashion, music. Educators stress the importance of choosing a career path you're interested in, as it will give you natural incentive to learn more.
  • Skills. Again, skills are different from aptitudes and interests. You might be a wizard with a band saw, a virtuoso on the piano, or have the ability to type 120 words a minute. Create a list of skills you have that can set you apart from the crowd.
  • Family needs. Your priorities will be different if you're single than they will if you have a spouse and children to consider. People raising families generally seek career paths leading to stable jobs with regular, predictable hours.
  • Personal needs. Do you get bored sitting at a desk for eight hours a day? Do you need to be doing different things all the time? Try to find a career that fits your personal needs.
  • Financial goals. How important is money to you? How much money do you need to live the kind of life you want to have, and what are you willing to sacrifice if you absolutely must have a high-paying job?
  • Career goals. Do you want to be recognized as the best in a specific field? Do you want to work in a highly structured environment with tangible career paths? Setting clear goals will help you succeed within your career.

Taking an aptitude test or completing a personal assessment is a strategy you should consider. This will help you identify strengths and find career paths that are best suited to your interests and abilities.