בס׳ד

"Where does it say that you have a contract with G-d to have an easy life?"

the Lubavitcher Rebbe



"Failure is not the enemy of success; it is its prerequisite."

Rabbi Nosson Scherman



14 Aug 2012

Career choices

As the new school year is fast approaching with students embarking on their college carrers, two young people approached me this week, nervously asking how one makes a career choice. I recalled an article that I was sent a little while back and am posting it below. Hope you choose the correct career path and make sure you like what you do, because you will be doing it for a long time, hopefully. 

Tools for Selecting Your Ideal Career
There are literally dozens of avenues to take on the road to discovering the ideal career. Vocational tests are one option while personality inventories and old-fashioned experience are others. This article will explore academic and experiential ways to find the job that best suits your aptitudes and interests.

Self Understanding and MBTI

A book entitled Do What You Are has proved a mainstay as a tool for discovering personality type and pursuing the career which complements that particular personality type. The idea behind the book is to help the reader find out how s/he processes information, renders decisions, and interfaces with the larger world such that career decisions can best be made. The reader goes through a questionnaire and some exercises to reveal her Myers-Briggs personality type, of which there are sixteen. Once the reader's personality is revealed through the questionnaire, Do What You Are clues the reader in to the merits and pitfalls of her particular personality type as it relates to career choices.

Career Counselors

Similar to the counseling that takes place in schools or a mental health clinic, career counseling concerns issues related to finding optimal employment or issues of career enhancement. Career counselors look to find the perfect career given the aptitude, experiences, interest, personality, and skills of the consultee. Largely depending on the nation, career counselors can be found either in independent career counseling practices or among career counseling clinics comprised of many career counselors. Ideally a career counselor would match the consultee's desired future salary and job duties with her qualifications, experiences, interests, and skills. A good career counselor will realistically frame these details within the context of the current job environment.

Experimentation and Academia

Especially in today's tough economy, many are either staying in school longer or deciding to hazard graduate school to increase their job prospects. The undergraduate years are actually an ideal time to experiment and free spiritedly chase down your interests via undergraduate open electives. At university, you can attempt to master almost any topic which interests you, from applied mathematics and neuroscience to philosophy and English. Professors, other staff, and university advisers will help channel your passions and skills into the most suitable academic areas.

Be Honest with Yourself

The better you can analyze yourself and your goals, the better your chances are of finding the perfect career. It's important to inquire about the following: what do you want your future salary to be? What are the job prospects in particular fields? Does this career field offer steady employment? How will my family be affected by this decision? Once your goals and prospects are prioritized, you can continue to research specific careers online. In addition, online vocational tests and job listings are constantly available and updated.

The theme throughout this article has been self-honesty when researching and selecting a future career. This theme applies to judging your own personality and prospective career goals to being upfront about what you want out of your next career.

 Derek Greggs enjoys writing about career advice, finance, and home equity mortgages.
www.guestpostu.com


1 comment:

  1. Nice posting. I have really enjoyed reading your inspirational and motivational career related blog. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete