Unlike the days of old where the sons take on the trades of
their fathers and the women helped their husbands, you are now
faced with so many career choices after you complete your
education.
So which career path should you take? Which job should you apply
for? If you're new to the job market, you'll know that every
prospective employer will always ask you the same question at every
interview session what motivated you to apply for the job in the
first place. Before you answer that question, there are a number of
points you might like to ponder over.
What's your paper like?
What are your qualifications? The type of qualifications you have
will determine the kind of options available. Certain professions
require post-graduate degrees whereas some positions would only
require a diploma, making the degree holder over-qualified.
It is worth noting that a graduate in a specialised field would
most likely pursue the career in the field he has studied in. An
engineering graduate would most likely find a job in engineering
and pursue a career within that industry whereas a business
administration graduate would most likely enter the business world
and try to climb the corporate ladder.
However, if you are really interested in a particular field that
requires certain skills but do not have the necessary
qualifications, you can always work and study for it part-time at
the same time. When you have attained the necessary 'papers' and
the environment ideal or the opportunity present, you can then make
your desired career change.
Interest and motivation
Do you have any childhood ambitions? If so, are they still alive?
If they are, consider if it is possible and practical to fulfill
that dream. Be realistic though. There are in truth, different
types of jobs out there ranging from the desk-bound sort to those
that involve travelling abroad.
Perhaps you may like your job to encompass meeting many different
people on a daily basis. Well, lots of those abound in the service
industry. The main idea is that if you are choosing a career
seriously, you should take your own interest into consideration as
it could help motivate you once you get started.
Strengths and weaknesses
Something you might like to consider before embarking on a career
is to evaluate your own strength and weaknesses. What are you
really good at? If you have a gift of the gab, why hide it?
Marketing and sales jobs would suit you well, provided of course,
you enjoy meeting lots of people and not being tied to a desk all
day. It really makes a difference because if you excel at
something, your confidence will be high and it will definitely
show. The fact is youve got to be happy with your career choice if
you want to go far.
Find out more
Make it a point to find out more about the careers you are
interested in before plunging into it. Access more information or
talk to people in the targeted trade or industry whilst job
hunting. This may help you decide whether you really wish to pursue
such jobs in the first place. Sometimes getting more information
about a career in an industry may help us discover in depth the
true benefits and drawbacks of the job in question.
Finding out more also helps you know more about the needs of the
market. So although the career of your dreams may not be achievable
at present, as there may not be job openings, you may then either
change your career path to something similar, choose to go abroad
to pursue your other dreams or take on another related line of work
and return to that career option at a later stage.
Be flexible
The point in choosing a career is that such choices are not
engraved in stone. You can always upgrade yourself to acquire the
required qualifications to pursue your career path. Interests,
motivations, strengths and weaknesses may change with time. Your
first few jobs may not always be the career you desire but it helps
you to grow and enrich your work experiences in the process.
It's an exciting time in everyone's life to explore what's out
there. Just remember that although it may take you time to pursue a
career path that is dynamic and unique, you must believe in your
own capabilities and you will eventually get there.
article taken
from www.ataviz.com
