Title: How to Choose a Career: Top 7 Determining Factors You Need to Know
Description: How to choose a career to your liking? What are the important factors to consider when choosing a career: interests, prospects, career growth and more?
Choosing a career is one of life’s most important decisions. The path presented can be chosen based on a variety of considerations. For example, some people prefer to pursue a career in a field they feel passionate about. Others prefer a solid paycheck.
At the moment, there are certain areas of professional activity where there is a significant shortage of staff. For example, accounting vacancies overseas amount to more than 40,000, with not many applicants. However, the great demand for specialists among employers is not the only factor in choosing a suitable career. You should also pay attention to a number of important parameters, which we will talk about in more detail in our article.
Top 7 important factors for choosing a career
Choosing a career is a very responsible, exciting and at the same time difficult decision. Some people know from a very young age exactly what they were born to do and what they want to do in the future. Others prefer the most popular professions so that they don’t have to worry about being in demand in the labour market. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a graduate or whether you’ve decided to change career paths years later, choosing a career is more important. The experts at job aggregator Jooble have taken a responsible approach to this issue and have put together a little guide on what factors you should definitely consider.
No. 1: Interests and hobbies
The first thing to think about is what makes you happy, and what you enjoy doing. For example, if you enjoy helping others, you might want to pursue a career as a social worker or teacher. If you prefer travelling, you can build a career in the travel industry.
It is best to spend some time thinking about what you want out of life from the very beginning, what your hobby can become a full-fledged field of professional activity.
No. 2: Salary amount
A career doesn’t just have to be enjoyable, it also has to provide financially. In this situation, it’s best to research salary rankings and match these professions to your interests. That being said, you shouldn’t chase the highest amounts if this line of work doesn’t bring you joy at all.
No. 3: What kind of education you need for the job
Some professions only require on-the-job training, while others require several years of education (adding up to tens of thousands of dollars). In this situation, it’s worth weighing your future student loan debt against your future salary in your chosen field. Make sure you have an excellent understanding of exactly what your expenses will be and how long it will take you to repay the debt.
No. 4: Personal and work-life balance
Modern life is such that many people get caught up in the rat race, where people sacrifice their personal lives to further their own careers. But this can leave you facing professional burnout, health problems and dissatisfaction with life. There are certain professions that definitely do not have a work-life balance – doctors, lawyers, financial analysts and others.
If you definitely want to have a personal life outside of your career development, it is definitely worth looking at the schedule in detail, whether you can work remotely in this position, or how much free time is available. Remember, your career should complement your life, not completely consume it for its own sake.
No. 5: Be prepared for business travel
When choosing a career path, it’s definitely worth considering whether you’re willing to travel or constantly move from place to place. Whether a job that constantly involves travelling will suit your lifestyle and personal goals. If you want to see the world, frequent travelling will appeal to you. Travel-related careers are found in sales, fashion, air travel, event planning and more. If you want to always come home in the evening, then it’s best to choose careers in education, accounting, and others – the choices are pretty wide.
No. 6: Potential Growth and Development
When choosing a career, it’s definitely worth finding out whether you’ll be able to advance in a particular field over time or whether you’ll find yourself stalled after a certain number of years. Some professions are quite limited in terms of career progression, while others have broad prospects. For example, by settling down in a corporate environment, there is a good chance of getting a management position in the future. Whereas entrepreneurship and many other fields have quite limited potential.
Consider the opportunities for each career option. You need to know exactly what to expect after 5-15 years of hard work.
No. 7: Job prospects
When choosing a career path, you should always consider the job market outlook. You certainly don’t want to invest your time, money and effort into something that will soon no longer be in demand. In this situation, you should study the prospects of your chosen field in advance.
