Proven tips on how to choose a career path

Welcome to the future! In the days of yore when things were still as it’s supposed to be, choosing a career path was as simple as A-B-C (graduate college, get a job, work your way up the ladder in a company, and retire at 65), but things have really changed in such a short while it seems you have to consider the other 23 alphabets.

One edge the current trend for choosing a career path (which also doubles as the downside as you would see very soon) has over the last decade or so is the seemingly inexhaustible amount of choices, but does having a huge amount of career choice necessarily mean a good thing, well not necessarily, considering not all choices are good choices, and procrastination could set in where a significant amount of a decade could be gone swapping careers and you’d be sitting there rethinking life.

How then can this often overwhelming decision of choosing a career path be narrowed down to perfection. Well with some research done, I’ve narrowed down options to put you on the right path.

Weigh your options.

Everyone says from the beginning to do what you love, while that is very important, you do not want to end up in a job that would hit rock bottom after a couple of years, that is after investing so much (especially time) in the career.

Let’s face it, with every development in technology, some career paths become redundant. There are many factors to consider though, but it is important that in any given career path; given field vs. potential salary vs. stability for the next few years can ensure you don’t end up in a job that some machines would put you out of.

What is your passion?

Here comes a vital one. You’ve probably heard people say “you can only become successful if you love what you do”, well what if there’s nothing that strikes your interest enough for you to call it a passion, then you begin to think you’d probably mess things up if you went for it because you don’t have enough passion to keep it burning and then you find yourself in the “passion puzzle” loop.

The problem isn’t not having a passion, it is one of broad aspirations. Learn to ground that broad aspiration of yours; if you want to be the next J. K. Rowling, determine what type of writer you want to be; a blogger, content writer, fictional novelist, non-fictional novelist.., you could even become a writing coach or a critic.

Create an inventory whichever way is best for you and see where you would perform best in a career, this is one of the ways to narrow the aspirations.

What motivates you?

Feeling motivated is an essential part of job satisfaction; it in fact makes you do more. In general, there are two motivation types: promotion-focused and prevention-focused.

Promotion focused is the classic entrepreneur, thinks up creative business ideas, and takes those leaps of faith. They are the impulsive ones, optimistic ones (sometimes too optimistic), but hey, that’s what motivates them, the danger of it all.

Prevention focused individuals are the more careful analytic kinds. They like being thorough and are not as foolhardy.

While it is good to have a healthy mix of both, it is best to know which part you are mostly geared towards. A promotion focused individual would most likely feel chocked in a 9-5, but a prevention focused individual might find it interesting.\

Man, know thyself.

It is often helpful to have a deeper knowledge of your personality and I do not mean Googling your zodiac sign, that’s not in depth enough, try the Myers-Briggs personality test, that should give some great insight on your personality.

An introverted individual for example might be more attracted to a quieter role and perform the duties spectacularly while an extroverted individual would thrive more in the outer world. This does not in any way imply an introvert cannot do well in the outside world of business and entrepreneurship as long as they are passionate about it, there is no wall that can’t be brought down.

There is no direct path to deciding which career is right for you, and this is what makes it an overwhelming process. The key to it is to keep things in perspective, don’t get dismayed, this is a decision that plagues millions of people, and for good reasons.

Determine your goals and then with this, choose the career path that is best suited with these goals. See you at the top of your career!

Written by Fehintola Sotomi

Fehintola Sotomi is a Talent Acquisition and Recruitment Specialist. She is passionate about people and believes that human resources are the key ingredient to a truly successful business. She prides herself in connecting people with top industry experts which has helped businesses succeed. Fehintola Sotomi loves to help individuals learn skills – that will enable them fit into the workplace or build their own thriving businesses. You can connect with her @ivorytots on Instagram