Best Way to Choose the Right Career

What do you want to be when you grow up? You’ve heard that since you were, what, a fetus? I always thought it was kind of fun to think about what career I would have. My second-grade diary says I was going to be a “gym­nastics girl.” Interesting career choice for a girl who had never taken a lesson and was well-known for being uncoordinated. Then, my seventh-grade diary says I’m going to be an author. So does my junior-year journal. And hey, it happened. So yup, what you’re thinking about now might really happen. You absolutely, definitely do not have to feel pressured to choose a career now. (I did about ten other jobs along the way to get here.) But it doesn’t hurt to start thinking about it.

Linda Smith is a college professor who counsels people on their career choices. Here are her5 Wrong Waysto Choose a Career-and 5 Right Ones.

Wrong Way: Listen to everyone else.

Right Way: Get to know yourself. “Know thyself.” This advice from fifth-century B.C. Greek philosopher Socrates is still good 2,500 years later-and is perhaps the best advice you will find anywhere about how to choose a career. The most important aspect of choos­ing your future job is finding one that fits your personality, suits your likes and dislikes, and provides a sense of fulfillment and satis­faction. This isn’t a decision anyone else can make for you. Only you know what types of activities you like to do and what you don’t, what fills you with a sense of excitement and challenge, and what makes you want to tear your hair out.

To learn clues that will lead you to your ideal career, simply start paying attention to everything you do every day and cataloging in your mind the things you enjoy and the things you don’t enjoy. Obviously every­thing you do may not relate to an actual job, but it will still give you an idea of how you feel about general types of work set­tings and tasks. Do you find yourself crabby and drained after spending a day with fam­ily or friends? Then you might prefer a job that allows you to work on your own at least part of the day. Do you enjoy solving problems required by a project that has been assigned for one of your classes? Then you might prefer a job that allows you to engage in similar creative or prob­lem-solving tasks. Do you hate being supervised by others and do­ing routine or repetitive tasks? Then you might prefer a job that allows you plenty of autonomy, flexibility, and challenge. If you do this for even a few weeks or a month, you will be amazed at the knowledge you will accumulate about yourself—knowledge that will one day help you make that important career decision.

Wrong Way: Go for the money.

Right Way: Follow your heart. “Follow your bliss,” said world-renowned mythologist Joseph Campbell. Doing what you love is one of the best ways of assuring that you will be successful. People who love what they do rarely fail at it, and people who hate what they do rarely succeed. Of course, there are always uncertainties in the economy and in the job market. But if you plan on being the best at whatever you decide to do, you will have more than enough job security. If you choose a career where the job openings are few, you must simply be more flexible in where you are willing to live, or be willing to accept a lower salary and take a second job while you establish yourself. But many people who opt for the lower-pay­ing job they love do not regret their decision.

Wrong Way: Play it safe, since your opportunities are limited.

Right Way: Think out of the box. You are a powerful and tal­ented being. Don’t ever forget that. And you can change the world if you want to. Your career opportunities are virtually unlimited if you learn to problem-solve, think creatively, and challenge assump­tions. Obviously, you will confront hurdles in your career if you make it your style to challenge and undercut others to make your­self look good. Teamwork is the word in the business world today. So if you act with integrity, treat others with respect, and speak up for yourself, you will succeed in whatever career you choose.

And if the corporate world doesn’t offer you what you are look­ing for, be willing to go out on your own. Increasing numbers of women are successfully turning to self-employment. They’re becom­ing entrepreneurs and starting their own businesses. They’re working from home and working online. Be original. Find a way to make a liv­ing doing what you love—even if you have to invent a job for yourself.

Wrong Way: Choose now and stick with it.

Right Way: Take your time. Don’t rush yourself to choose your future career-no matter how much pressure others may put on you to make a decision. Jumping into a career that isn’t right for you al­most assures a life of discontentment and frustration. It’s worth the time it takes to make the right decision. If you get to college and still don’t have any idea what you want to do, ask your college advi­sor if your college has a general studies degree. These are general programs of study that allow you to graduate with a college degree without necessarily honing in on a specific major.

In the process of earning the degree, you may discover some­thing you really love and switch into that other major before gradu­ation. Depending on how early you switch programs, you may take a little longer to graduate. But that’s still better than deciding later in life that you hate what you do and need to go back to school for a whole new degree. Even if you don’t find something you really like, you will still graduate with a college degree that will qualify you for many jobs. When you zero in on a career you want to pursue, don’t hesitate to do whatever it takes to make the change. It’s never too late to make the right career choice. Changing careers doesn’t make everything you did up to that point a waste. Everything you have ever done contributes to your knowledge, wisdom, and skills.

Wrong Way: Choose only the “top hottest jobs.’”

Right Way: Talk to people in the field. Data and statistics don’t tell you what you most need to know to decide whether a given ca­reer is right for you: what it’s like working in that field. The only way to find this out is by talking to people with experience in that job. Try to find four or five people who have worked ten or more years in that career and interview them. Ask friends and family if they know anyone in that field. If they do, you have an in when you call for the interview.

If friends and family don’t know anyone, you can just call local employers in the field and ask the receptionist to connect you with someone in the field you are researching. You’ll be surprised at how helpful most people are when you tell them you are researching their career. If possible, make an appointment to come in to inter­view the person or, ideally, to “shadow” them (follow them around) on their job for a day or an afternoon. Get an internship, which is something common in college but that high school students also do. An internship is an unpaid job for which you might be able to get school credit.