A good career is an ideal combination of your interest, financial concerns, and job satisfaction. Your career must meet professional aspirations and also take care of personal concerns.  These steps can surely help you make a smart career choice:

List down what matters to you

Identify what drives you and what your values are. Answer the following questions to find out about your priorities:

  • What do you want out of life? (Your goals, dreams, values)
  • What kind of work will suit you? (tasks and responsibilities, work environment)
  • What other things concern you? (salary, location, travel)
  • How do you imagine your long term career to be like? (a managerial position, a business of your own, freelance work, training)

Research Online

Look for careers over the internet. This way you will come across career choices that never occurred to you before. The more careers you know, more options you will have. If you read job descriptions and learn about work environments, you can have a better idea about what careers will be a great choice.

Take an aptitude test

An aptitude test is a helpful way to understand your capabilities and personality. Many aptitude tests also provide you a list of suitable careers that match your aptitude and interest. You can look through the list and pick careers that you think you will enjoy and are practical to go for.

Choose a combination of your passion and requirements

Find a career that you would love to have, but also keep in mind how it will meet your financial and lifestyle needs. A good way to go about it is to make a list of careers and write down how they can help you meet your requirements. This can help you make a balanced choice, giving you the best of both worlds.

Consider the financial aspect

Money may not be the only factor but it can affect your lifestyle. Consider going for a career that you would love, is practical, and will be lucrative and challenging. A career cannot solely be decided on one factor. Interest and financial aspects both carry equal weight.

Scan the market

It is advisable that you scan the market before making a career decision. You can check out the BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics) website, to find out about different careers and their demand. If you end up selecting a saturated field, you will have a hard time finding a suitable job. So, look for a career that caters to your interest and is also in demand.

A job will take up most of your adult life. So, it’s extremely important to go for a career that suits you in every way. This will greatly determine your success and overall happiness.

If you have some interesting ideas or useful tips for landing that perfect career, feel free to share with us.

Other Useful Resource