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A career is a good way to ensure you lead a comfortable life. Not only does it help you make money, but it also gives you direction and purpose. It eventually becomes a part of your identity and influences your personal and social life. However, a wrong career choice can make you frustrated or anxious due to a poor career outlook. Moreover, it can also cause tremendous stress that can affect your physical health. Fortunately, approximately 65% of Americans are happy with their current jobs. You too can also have a fulfilling career if you make the right decisions. If you’re choosing a career soon, here’s what to consider.
1. Your Interests
Some people believe that you should consider money when choosing a career. While this may be true to an extent, you don’t want to ignore your interests. This is because you can easily become dissatisfied when repeatedly doing something you don’t enjoy. However, you’re likelier to stay motivated and committed to a job that aligns with your preferences. Therefore, you want to prioritize your interests if you haven’t already. Identifying your interests doesn’t have to be challenging. Simply make a list of activities or hobbies you enjoy doing in your spare time.
Many people consider their sense of purpose when deciding on a career. What do you wish to achieve in life? Are there any causes that rouse your passion and commitment? It’s important to understand your values so that you can pursue a career that brings you fulfillment. This might mean fighting for others who can’t fight for themselves in a non-profit type role where you can offer an opportunity for mistreated people to get a free case review, or it could mean something more technical like working in the IT industry to help businesses improve and protect their networks. The key is to take time and think about what you want from your career.
Also, analyzing your skillset can help you determine what career you’ll effectively function in. For instance, you may enjoy accounting or office management if you possess skills like organization, record-keeping, written communication, computer skills, attention to detail, etc. Likewise, you have great potential for being a career counselor, psychologist, or teacher if you enjoy social activities, community service, or imparting knowledge to others. An interest in culture, arts, and improvisation can be helpful if you become an architect, artist, musician, or graphic designer. If you need an analysis of your career interests, you can try the interest inventory test.
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2. Educational Requirements
While some careers require on-the-job training, others may require years of education. For instance, doctors, lawyers, teachers, and scientists often require intensive specialized training to help them perform their tasks efficiently. This involves years of college to obtain a degree and intense post-graduate work. However, these jobs may have high earning potential, so keep this in mind. It’s essential to ask yourself if you’re ready to undergo many years of education to achieve your desired career or if you want to work as you earn. If you choose the former, familiarize yourself with the educational costs and ascertain if you can afford them. If you need to take loans to finance your education, ensure that your job can help you offset these debts while boosting your financial security.
3. Work-Life Balance
A poor work-life balance can be harmful in many ways. You’re likelier to neglect other parts of your life to make up for work. Statistics also indicate that employees who work more than 55 hours weekly are at risk of developing stroke and coronary heart disease. Also, working long hours can lead to dissatisfaction, burnout, and unhappiness. Research revealed that approximately 50% of workers turn to drugs, alcohol, or violence to deal with work stress. Seeing these dangers, you want to choose a career that will help you balance your work and other aspects of your life without causing undue pressure. Sometimes, it means sacrificing higher salaries if you have to work longer hours or forgo your social life. It’s helpful to consider options that allow flexible work options like remote or hybrid working. Also, consider the vacation period before deciding, so keep this in mind.
4. Career Development Opportunities
At a point, you’ll desire to climb the career ladder and apply for top positions. And this can be possible if you develop your career even as you work. Therefore, you want to consider a career that allows you to keep learning new skills and provide opportunities to apply for advanced posts. However, not all careers offer career development. For instance, hourly-wage jobs often have little room to grow while entrepreneurship allows for it. As a tip, envision yourself in 10 or 15 years and determine what to expect before making an informed decision.
5. Job Market
It would be unpleasant to invest your time, money, and hopes into a career that’s in low demand. Therefore, it’s prudent to research your chosen field to ascertain how much people need it. Fortunately, certain sites can help you get the needed information, so feel free to consider them. For instance, the BLS, CareerBuilder, and Glassdoor can help you understand the job market outlook.
Having a career is worth considering to have a good life. Hopefully, you’ll consider these factors to achieve the desired outcome.
