How to Select a Career path

Written by Imo David

Choosing a career path is really a series of small decisions that have a big impact on your happiness and well-being. You could consider them your best bets along the way, based on the information you have at the time and keeping in mind what you can and cannot control.

We show you how to choose a career path by applying three basic decision-making principles:

1. Understand yourself—your strengths, values, personality, and abilities.

Such self-reflection and learning activities will assist you in determining which career path is best for you.

Discover which Holland personality types you are most similar to, and then match your findings to promising careers, college majors, and training programs.

Learn about John Holland's Theory of Career Choice to understand how your job, school, or college success and satisfaction are related to your personality.

Carry out the activities in To better understand yourself, learn about yourself and identify your skills.

Learn what career well-being entails and how to improve your own.

2.Make a List of Potential Careers

You've probably got several lists of occupations in front of you right now, one from each of the self-assessment tools you used. You should combine them into one master list to keep yourself organized.

First, copy any careers that appear on multiple lists onto a blank page. Call it "Occupations to Investigate."

3. Investigate the Jobs on Your List

You'll be pleased that you were able to reduce your list to 10 to 20 options at this point. You can now learn the fundamentals of each of the occupations on your list.

In published sources, you can find job descriptions as well as educational, training, and licensing requirements. Discover your options for advancement. Use government-produced labor market data to learn about earnings and job prospects.

4. Make a "Short List."

Now that you have more information, start narrowing down your list even more. Begin eliminating the careers you don't want to pursue further based on what you've learned so far from your research. Your "short list" should consist of two to five occupations.

If your reasons for disliking a job are non-negotiable, cross it off your list. Remove any responsibilities that you dislike. Careers with poor job prospects should be avoided. Remove yourself from any occupation if you are unable or unwilling to meet the educational or other requirements, or if you lack some of the soft skills required for success.

5. Conduct In-depth Interviews

Start doing more in-depth research when you only have a few occupations left on your list. Make plans to meet with people who work in the occupations that interest you. They can provide firsthand information about the jobs on your short list.

6. Determine Your Objectives

Once you've made a decision, determine your long- and short-term objectives. This assists in charting a path toward eventually landing work in your chosen field. Long-term goals typically take three to five years to achieve, whereas short-term goals can usually be completed in six months to three years.

Allow your research on required education and training to serve as a guide. Do more research if you don't have all of the information. Set your goals after you've gathered all of the necessary information.

7. Prepare a Career Action Plan.

Create a career action plan, which is a written document that outlines all of the steps you will need to take to achieve your goals. Consider it a road map that will take you from point A to point B, then to points C and D. Make a list of all your short- and long-term goals, as well as the steps you'll need to take to achieve each one. Include any potential roadblocks to achieving your objectives, as well as strategies for overcoming them.

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ABOUT THE WRITER

Founder & CEO, ipentv.com

Imo David is a Nigeria Young Entrepreneur who is passionate about impacting Lives with Positive Changes. He Believes in the Power of Knowledge and is Dedicated to giving People with the Best Information on to Improve their Lives beyond their Imagination. David is Equally Committed to the General Growth of Young People Across Different Areas of Interest Such as Lifestyle, Career and personal development.

As the Founder and CEO of I PEN MEDIA HOUSE, David Leads and Oversees the General Activities of the Company, Particularly in the Areas of innovation and Media. As a Media Enthusiast, David also occupies the Position of Filmmaker/Producer of I Pen Tv, where he is Responsible for the management of the Media and Tv needs of the Company