Career Planning Strategy - How to Choose a Career That Suits You

In a perfect world, everyone would be able to determine what their true calling is early in life. Ideally, people can find happiness in their jobs and careers, but then again, it just doesn’t work this way in real life. In fact, several studies have already proven that professionals are expected to switch careers at least three times in during their lifetime.

When it comes to choosing a career path to pursue, you can’t just follow your parents’ footsteps, and you certainly can’t do random choosing. Here’s what you can do to find out the right career for you.

Think about What Inspires and Excites You

The biggest sign that you’re taking the wrong career path is when you don’t get excited or feel enthusiastic about your job. If this is how you feel right now, there’s no question that you should start considering a new career plan.

Although passion alone cannot guarantee career success, it is very important especially when you’re about to choose a career path. Nobody wants to be miserable in their life, so don’t make the mistake of pursuing a career that won’t make you happy in the end.

Know What You’re Good At

It’s good to pursue a career you’re passionate about, but not if you eventually find out you’re just not good at it. If you’re having a dilemma because there are a couple of things you love to do, then your decision shall be based on what you can do well. Assess your own skills and take note of what you can and cannot do. This way, you may easily decide in which career you can surely be successful.

Try Internships

If you can afford to do some work without pay, then doing an internship is the best way to figure out which career fits you. Many companies end up offering employment to their interns, so this can be an opportunity for you to find work eventually as well. And if you don’t end up getting the job, look at it as an excellent opportunity to meet people and grow your network, which has proven to be a crucial factor in any job or career search.

Have a Career Plan

Just like other things in your life, it will be beneficial if you set goals and plan for achieving those goals. If you’re quite sure you want to be a writer, for instance, and then a restaurant owner later on, how are you going to make that happen? Which career should you pursue first? When will you go for the other goal? How are you going to switch from being a writer to a restaurant owner? Before you take any steps, be sure you have spent enough time and effort on your career planning.

Choosing a career path is tough at any age.  When we were young the big question was “What do you want to be when you grow up?”  It was a tough question to answer then and could still be tough to answer now.  Following these steps is a good way to get started.

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