Top Ways to Find Your Career Path

Last Updated on June 7, 2018 by Bharat Saini

Choosing the right career certainly is one of the most important decisions you will ever make in life. A career is no more about deciding what you will do to make a living but about what you want to do with your life and make it meaningful.

With innumerable career options available these days, how will you pick a career that’s suitable for you? Too many choices are not always good and if you have no idea what you want to do, then it might seem to be an insurmountable task. But thankfully, it isn’t! You just need to put enough thought into it and your chances of making a good decision will increase manifold.

That said, we know there are better ways to choose a career than just following your parents’ footsteps or choosing randomly. Here are a few ideas to help you.

1. Find your passion – This is the top priority – what you do must excite and energize you. You need to work out what you actually like doing. Once you have decided what you are really passionate about, look at the job opportunities available in the relevant industry that utilizes your skills.
2. Assess yourself – It’s quite possible that you don’t feel very passionate about any specific career, or you have many choices and can’t decide on just one. Then you need to focus on your strengths and your skills. Your values, interests, knowledge, aptitude, and your personality type make some occupations a good fit for you. You can go online have self-assessment tools that can help you find your niche.
3. Make a list of potential occupations – This can actually be a very long list of multiple occupations that is generated by the self-assessment tool you used. It is impossible to pursue each one, so just use it to determine where to begin your career search and in which direction to move forward. Zero in on 5 to 10 career options and create a new list with these choices.
4. Explore the options – After narrowing down on a few options, you need to learn about each of them and gather all the related information. Look for important things like educational or training requirements, job duties, employment outlook, annual earnings, and promotion opportunities. Try to meet professionals in these fields to obtain in-depth details about each profession.
5. Create a final list – Eliminate careers that no longer interest you after thoroughly reviewing each one. Remove anything that doesn’t appeal you or if your educational background or other skills necessary to succeed in it does not match.
6. Set goals – After finalizing your list, establish short and long-term attainable goals. Keep in mind that reaching each goal is not easy, so be prepared to work hard, and remain committed.
7. Make a career plan – Your career might not necessarily be a linear path, but it’s still important to plan it out. Write a career plan that consists of goals and specific steps to reach them. It should also have possible obstacles and steps to address them. You can take help from magazines for competitive exams to create a great career plan.

Deciding which career is right for you can be an overwhelming process. It is advisable that rather than focusing on a particular career choice, first determine your own needs and goals and then sync your findings with the various career options available.