How to Choose a Career

Teenagers who are about to graduate find themselves asking the same question: “After high school, what will I do?” Some decide a military career may offer a healthy, prosperous career, while others debate on venturing out into the workforce right after graduation. Whether it be a military career or a studious career as a young scholar, finding the right career takes time, preparation and an understanding of your own personal strengths. Before you jettison out of school, you might want to consider a few aspects about choosing a career that’s right for you.

What’s Your Talent?

From an early age, most people can recognize where their strengths lie. The brilliant writer is keen on producing eloquent sentences, while the math whiz enjoys solving problems with numbers. Everyone has strengths (and weaknesses). Before you go about searching for the career that suits you, you want to see where your biggest strengths lie. A strong writer might pursue a career as a journalist, content writer or even lawyer, but someone who struggles in math may reconsider pursuing a career as an accountant, bank manager or engineer. Your natural talents will make choosing a career path easier.

Where Would You Like to Work

Using your given talents, you can decide where the ideal location would be to work. An individual skilled at managing projects, staying organized and interacting with individuals may be more inclined to work in an office setting rather than outside on their hands and knees performing backbreaking work. While the individual that enjoys interacting and working with his hands may choose the laborious, backbreaking work that a construction worker, engineer or even electrician may perform.

How Do You Work

While in school, you begin to notice your style of work: Organized and able to meet deadlines; somewhat organized but misses a few deadlines; or languid and struggles with assignments. Each style helps decided the type of environment that will be the best fit for you. For example, the student who dislikes strict deadlines may prefer roles that do not require this type of skills, such as a teacher or an emergency 911 operator. The individual who excels at meeting tight deadlines may consider taking on a job as an office manager, engineer or even a journalist.
Other key working styles you might take into consideration are ability to handle pressure, working well with others, understanding complex issues in order to complete an assignment. Each of these styles will help you formulate the type of work you will be best fit for.

Research a Prospective Career Path

Career paths all differ, from the life of a court clerk to the pressures of meeting performance standards as a teacher, each profession will require you to have a different set of skills, preparation and aptitude to handle the workload.
Visit career preparation websites. Speak to school counselors. Read magazines and news articles about the life and conditions of your prospective career to see how you may or may not be a good fit for this job. Also make a note of any special certifications and education you might need in order to qualify for the position you hope to obtain. For example, a court reporter will need to enroll and complete court reporting training. Some career paths will require a bachelor’s degree or more, while some may do just fine with a degree from a vocational school.
Use your skills, working style and research to serve as the guiding force for the path that might be best for you. You might develop more skills while attending college or a trade school or you might be ready for the career of your choice now.

Sources

“U.S. News & World Report” (2010)
Helpguide.org (2012)