Choosing the most suitable career for yourself can be a difficult task. This is partly due to  the  fact that there are so many career paths to choose from. The problem is compounded by the fact that there are so many tips on the internet today about choosing a career.

However, the journey towards the perfect career doesn’t have to be an overwhelming task. It can be an exciting journey if you follow the right tips. This has been made possible by improved knowledge and technological aids such as Naviance. Here are some tips you need to make the right decision and choose the best career path for yourself.

1. Know Your Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths and weaknesses are part and parcel of human beings. Finding your strengths and weaknesses requires a lot of self-revelation. However, it’s not something you want to shy away from when looking to choose a career.

Your strengths are generally things you’re passionate about and do naturally. Your weaknesses are things that require a lot of motivation for you to get started on.

Creating a list of hobbies, interests, and natural skills is a great way to figure out your strengths. Your weaknesses will be the items that are left out of such a list.

2. Know What Kind of Personality You Have

Your personality plays an important role in your career choice. It can help you tailor your career considerations enormously. Your personality determines how you’ll interact in various work environments.

There are jobs for introverts, extroverts, team players, and solo players. For instance, some people may be suitable for teaching and counseling. However, the same people may not be suitable for a marketing or a public relations job. Knowing your personality can help you understand the industries you should be looking to work in, regardless of the strengths you’ve identified.

3. Consider Your Occupational Goals

It’s also essential to be clear about your occupational goals. A lot of these hinge on your personality, but other things matter as well. The questions you should ask yourself  include:

● What are your career goals?
● Do you want a job that gives you maximum time with your family?
● Will you be working long term or short term?
● Will your career allow you to set up a private firm in the future?
● Which industries will you love to work in?

These considerations can help to align your career choice with your goals.

4. Take A Formal Assessment

Taking a skills assessment before opting for a career path is a step in the right direction. Such assessments help in a better analysis of your strengths, weaknesses, and personality. The most important part of a formal assessment is aptitudes.

Knowledge of our aptitudes helps us to gain more insights into our natural talent and abilities to acquire different skills. Subjects tested may include logic and reasoning, English, math, and other science or arts-related courses. These tests are not the primary means of deciding your career path, but they’re often a good start.

There are online assessment tools like Naviance that can be used for these formal assessments. Such tools help you to gather information about yourself based on comprehensive data that you’ll provide them. In your formal assessment quest, you must consult HR professionals, guidance counselors, and teachers. These actions take you through the next steps with ease.

5. Make A List of Possible Careers You Want to Follow

The next step after you’ve gotten a picture of your strengths, goals, and aptitudes is to create a list of careers that match your profile. This should be based on the several assessments you’ve made about yourself. It’s expected that there will be various options flying at you at this point. Make sure to pen them all down. This will typically result in a long list of occupations for you to consider. However, that’s only normal.

After you’ve written down everything, look through again. This helps you to know if there are any careers on your list that you don’t think will work for you. Found any? Strike them out. This will give you a finely curated list to carry out some more research.

6. Do Some Preliminary Research on Your Career List

You should endeavor to carry out preliminary research on each career on your list. This can help you to gather more information on what each career entails. Things to look out for include job descriptions, time to qualification, and money to be spent on education.

You can carry out the career research online or via publications. Your findings will help you to make a new and shorter list of careers.

7. Speak To Professionals

A viable way to find out more on your curated list of careers is to speak with professionals. Professionals can share with you first-hand experiences about their fields. This can help you to understand better if a career path suits you.

Take note that speaking to professionals requires you to be prepared for such meetings. Being vocal and versed in what you need to learn from a professional can help you get the best information.

8. Check-Up The Job Prospects For Each Shortlisted Career

Investigate the potential of your field by checking the job outlook for each career under consideration. A job outlook provides information on employability. The outlook also helps you look at the forecasts of the rate of employment, job creation, and annual salaries.

A job outlook is based on research carried out by verifiable government bodies. Thus, the outlook is a reliable piece of information to use. The information is vital for you when you make your final choice.

You want to be sure that your career path has a space for you when you are qualified to be employed. Therefore, beyond your initial attraction to a job portfolio, you need to consider the prospects of the job, the annual salary, and the projected job creation levels in the near future.

9. Inquire into the Financial Implication and Time to Completion

A major determinant for a career you want to follow is the financial implication of taking up 
education for the career. Courses have varying tuition fees. Thus, you need to find out about the fees and understand whether you’ll have the funding to complete the course. Funding options include self-sponsorship and scholarship grants. If you don’t have the funds, find out about other funding options. The funding options may be the bridge between you and the desired course.

Another issue of contention is the time required to complete the education for the career. Be sure to find out about this because it might be your dealbreaker. For instance, anyone who can’t study for too long shouldn’t take medicine as a career path.

10. Make A Choice

Based on all the research you’ve done and the guidance you’ve received, it’s the right time to make a career choice.

Your career choice should be a personal decision and based on the one you feel is the most suitable for you as an individual. It should be free from any external influences, such as peers and parents. This is especially true because if a career path is forced upon you, you’ll be the person to tread the path and face the challenges.

11. Leave Room For Change

Leave some flexibility for yourself. Put a second or even a third career option on your final list. This is particularly important because you may have to accommodate unexpected changes. These may come up suddenly. It might just be an orientation change, a new  discovery, or even the inability to get admission in the relevant course. So, don’t get totally locked on one option. A good thing about this is that the alternative career choices will be related to your first choice, with a few peculiarities here and there. So, your subject courses will still be the same even if you go for an alternate course.

12. Get Qualified and Develop Skills In Your Chosen Career

Moreover, there are tests you might need to take before you’re granted admission to study your chosen course. Qualifications are vital for getting admission in the best school/college for your desired course. Get training and keep on track to get the proper certification for your chosen course of study.

Also, now that you’ve chosen a career path, you’re expected you develop skills for it. A great way to do this is by developing skills in your chosen career. Look for soft skills that are related to your chosen field and become proficient in them.

Another path that many students consider is internships. Internships are great for gaining on-field experience in preparation for college or the job market. Not all internships are paid, but they often pay in terms of the knowledge gained. Engage in skills development while you’re still applying for college.

Takeaways

Choosing a career doesn’t have to be a difficult journey. Start by understanding your personality, strengths, and weaknesses. Consider setting your occupational goals before selecting career options. Take a formal assessment to justify your initial desire to venture into the field. Carry out some research after curating your career list. For more clarity, speak to professionals in the careers on your list.

Check out the job outlook for the short-listed careers. Find out the financial implication and time required to complete the courses you’re looking to undertake. Make a career choice and get qualified to study your chosen course. Ahead of college develop the necessary skills in your chosen field to be better prepared. Follow these tips to select the best career for yourself.