Finding the right career is a quest relevant to those starting out right after college and also the ones who wish to change paths along the way. There are some questions one may want to answer for oneself to be comfortably placed in what one does, not only for a living but what takes their 8-10 hours every day.
The following 10 tips can help you identify the perfect career for you:
Don’t just follow your passion but look for the journey that leads to your passion: this criteria helps understand the work culture, compromises and challenges that you may have to deal with to achieve your dream. Once you’re willing to go through the journey, finding the destination will become easier.
List your options: Listing down the avenues that you’re interested in can help you see the scope and opportunities to volunteer for, helping you narrow down.
Find commonality: Looking for overlaps between what you want to do, what you’re good at and what is good for you can help you identify a shared theme and eventually a career path.
Skills, Hobbies and Interests: Apart from theoretical knowledge, things that come intrinsically to you keep you motivated throughout to complete and enjoy tasks even when they’re challenging.
Take Career Assessments: It helps you identify your strengths and gives you insights about industries and roles inclined with them.
Interest Inventories: Self report interest inventories bring out areas of interest that you may be unaware of, but can direct you to a potential career path.
Convert Hobbies into Profession: In the current boom, a lot of activities that you do for leisure have become full time professions. Look for things that you enjoy doing even if it’s 8am on a weekend as they are likely to bring you joy every time.
Check your Priorities: Rank in order of priority – Designation, Money, Colleagues, Creativity, Fame, Service to community, etc. to understand what it is that you’re seeking and is important for a fulfilling career.
Experiment first: Try volunteering, internships and workshops to gain first-hand experience in your fields of interest.
Ask a mentor: Seeking advice from people in the industry and workforce always helps. Learning from their experiences provides insight and a window into what life in a particular career may look like.
Importance of Professional Counseling: A friend or family member may listen to you, but they aren’t professionally, technically qualified or experienced to offer you professional advice. If you wish you can contact us at MindTribe to receive help from our team of expert psychologists.
About MindTribe.in.
MindTribe Founder Dr. Prerna Kohli, India’s eminent psychologist, established the company to leverage the strength of the online to make counseling affordable and accessible to everyone. MindTribe provides counseling, workshops, support groups, forums, and eLearning.
About the Author.
Vritti Kapoor is a psychologist at MindTribe.in. You can learn more about her by clicking here.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of MindTribe.in, the Founders, or management team.
Acknowledgement: All images used are open source and from Unsplash.