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How to Decide on a Career Field
Deciding on a career may seem daunting but it is easier when you give
yourself a lot of options and time to consider it. 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.
- 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 field of work. This will involve a fair bit of research work
but it is well worth it.
- Identify the skills you use when you're doing
the thing(s) you enjoy. 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. For instance,
perhaps you like being with animals. Already this simple but
important enjoyment opens up a very broad field of work for you that
encompasses such possible jobs as caring for animals, veterinary
work, racing animal industry, transporting animals, calming animals
(e.g., horse whispering), making animal clothing and feed items and
running a pet store etc. Once you have identified a potential field,
you are then ready to match your skills.
- Think of fields broadly. A field of work
is far more than a single job. It is an area in which many jobs or
trades are possible and you should be able to consider your training
and interests in terms of looking for a career path that will give
you a shot at least five related types of jobs that are available
within that field. For instance, if you learn engineering, you might
consider being an engineer out in the field (such as oil
production), a manager of a site, an office manager, a trainer of
engineering skills and a consultant in engineering. Or, if you study
law, you may want to be a lawyer in a large law firm, a lawyer in
non-profit organization, a team leader in an office of any type
(even non-law), a manager of a company or a writer of corporate
compliance manuals. Realize that the breadth of the field will be
determined in part by the training you receive and also by your own
personal, up-to-date "skills set", as well as your willingness to
try new things and to be retrained.
- Consider cross-field work. When working
out what you would like to be and what you will need to study to get
to this point, give consideration to the possibilities involved in
crossing fields; for instance, many teachers are good with word
skills and hence make excellent editors and publishers. Think
outside the square your title bestows (or will bestow) upon you.
- Learn as much as possible about the
qualifications required for fields that interest you.
Library, internet and direct contact research will be required here.
It is also helpful to ask your school, local community services,
university etc. for assistance in career choices and development.
Your thorough research will help you to determine quickly which
areas you want to study in, as well as the depth of study required.
Dig deep and look at third and fourth year subject/skills training
requirements as well, so that you don't find any nasty surprises
awaiting you, such as additional time or harder skills that do not
match your interests or abilities.
- Find people who work in the field and learn
from them. Once you have worked out which specific jobs
interest you, speak to those already working in these areas. This
will enable you to hear their suggestions and to ask them what they
like and dislike about the field in which they work. Sometimes you
may even have an opportunity to do some work experience with a place
that interests you, to help you to "get a feel" for the work
involved.
- Evaluate your choice of field according to your
own perceptions and the information you have gathered. Assess
the comments you've received, weigh these up with your research work
and add in your own feelings about your potential career path. This
is now the time to decide whether this career continues to appeal to
you. Do not forget to include the type of lifestyle you would like
in the balancing equation. If you make enormous compromises as to
the type of lifestyle that you ultimately want, you may be unhappy
and live to regret this. As such, it is wise to try and combine your
career choice with a lifestyle balance, with minor or short-term
compromises rather than major, long-term ones.
- Sign up for an educational or training program
in the career of your choice. While studying, do not neglect
to take advantage of networking opportunities and chances to work in
your career field either as a volunteer or in short-term paid
positions. These opportunities will give you the best possible feel
for the work and the types of people in the field that you will be
working with. It will help you to filter out any unneeded areas of
study or to take on additional subjects and skills training that may
be of possible use and could help to extend your horizons.
- 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.
Other career tips:
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