Truth be told, choosing the perfect career path is often a difficult process. Everyone wants to end up in a career that not only allows them to live comfortably such as software engineer jobs, but also aligns with the things they are passionate about. Salaries Hub has a large database of information on an array of careers you can consider and the potential yearly income you could be making. Nevertheless, knowing what you want to make as a professional may be exciting, but a lot more goes into the decision on the perfect career you should pursue. Consider the following tips to help you finally make that decision:
Create a List of Careers You Like and Those You Don’t Like
Although you may be unclear on what exactly you want, you are most probably very aware of what you want as well as what you don’t want. Listing these careers will help you start narrowing down on the possible career path options you can consider. For example, you may like traveling but dislike the idea of big cities, or you could be the type of person who enjoys working remotely. Understanding these things will help you list career paths that would weigh you down versus those that would give your personality an opportunity to shine.
Research Career Trajectory and Prospects
Passion and commitment is never enough when choosing a career. The bitter truth is that some career paths do not have good prospects. What use is a degree if there are no jobs available that align with your skills and training? Before settling on a particular career, you need to do due diligence and find out that career’s trajectory.
Find out if the career will still be relevant in the years to come and your potential career trajectory once you go down that path. What opportunities will be there for you ten years down the line? What impact will years of experience have on your earnings? Answering these questions will help you make a decision that will be sustainable by the events that are likely to unfold in the future.
Get Practical Experience
Sometimes even with the best analysis, it can still be quite difficult to decide on a career path. That is why it can be necessary that you go into a career for a time in an effort to experience it firsthand. This way, you can make a decision based on how doing the daily tasks involved made you feel, as well as how well you executed them.
In addition, practical experience improves your employability score (PDF). For students, getting some practical experience might mean looking for internships and work experience placements in industries and jobs you have an interest in. You could also do some volunteer work that can increase your value and that will work well for you in the marketplace once you begin your job search.
If you ask people about the path they took to end up in the careers that they now are in, you might be surprised to learn that a notable number ended up in their careers by accident. Therefore, don’t be afraid to try out various jobs and opportunities even when they make you a little uncomfortable. You may be surprised to land a job you would never have thought you would be interested in and find yourself thriving in it and deriving satisfaction and enjoyment from a passion you never knew you had.