We’ve all found ourselves at the beginning of our professional lives, where it’s not easy to know which path to take. Here are our top six tips to help you find the right career choice.
1. List your goals
What do you want to get out of your career? A career goal could be a specific vocation – perhaps your long-held dream has been to become a teacher, for example – or a specific achievement, such as getting an engineering degree or opening your own restaurant. It could also be something much less specific: perhaps you’d like to study a career that involves helping others or doing something creative? Setting goals will help guide your career path.
2. Be aware of your strengths
If you’re not clear about your goals, don’t worry: not everyone knows what to make of their career in advance. Start by being aware of your own strengths: are you a “social person” or do you prefer to work on your own? Are you a “people person” or do you prefer numbers? Do you think you would be better at an active, physical job or do you prefer office work? These are simple questions, but they can help you understand which job would be ideal for you.
3. A look at the job market
If you are open to different options, you might also find it useful to analyse the job market: which sectors will require a workforce in the coming years and what skills will be needed? In this way, you will find a career that can offer you many interesting opportunities. You can then focus on acquiring the specific skills and experience to increase your employability. Remember that there are many professions in the world, many of which you may not even have heard of.
4. Try to make a plan, one step at a time.
If you know where you want to go professionally speaking, it will be useful to draw up a rough roadmap to get you closer to your destination. Think about which types of first jobs will give you the most relevant experience and for which ones you feel you are best suited. Some jobs may require an academic or professional qualification, while others may involve on-the-job training.
While anticipating events can be useful, do not feel obliged to plan your entire career in advance. Career paths are built step by step, so consider each career opportunity as an opportunity to learn and develop “transferable” skills that you can apply to other jobs in the future.
5. Don’t be afraid to change career paths
You may try your luck in a particular job or sector and find that it wasn’t right for you. If so, don’t be afraid to change your plans. Although almost everyone is looking for career stability, sometimes we have to try other jobs before we find the one that suits us best. It is also normal to set new goals from time to time. If you don’t like your job, don’t be afraid to change direction to embark on the right path.
6. Job satisfaction should be your priority
Motivation is a really important element of our working life. Maybe you are one of those who set “big” goals in your career, or maybe you find motivation in the small, everyday challenges. The most important thing is to keep in mind what you want to get out of your career and try to find a job that fulfils your expectations every day.
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