There are many ways to decide how to choose the best career and many opinions on how to do it, the world is awash with careers experts but the only opinion that ultimately matters is yours. What is it that you want to do?
The first thing you need to understand in making these choices is where you are on your career journey. It is easier for an experienced individual to know what they will or will not like, there is a chance they may have already tried it.
For a younger person the world is an open book with which they can write anything they like.
To be happy in any career you need to have passion, this is the only thing that will keep you enthused from day to day. For every individual this is different – for the small business owner it may be the autonomy that is their passion, the idea of knowing that they can do (within reason) anything they like, this is counter-balanced by the responsibility of knowing that if they get decisions wrong they will in turn take responsibility.
Lots of other people shy away from this autonomy, for them teamwork is enjoyable (maybe challenging at times) it is the ultimate human triumph to take individuals and set them onto a task that can only be delivered through co-operation. Some people need to be a cog in the bigger wheel.
It is when we align these passions and beliefs that true happiness can be found – people that are happy at work are proven to be happier people, we spend so much of our time at work that it would defy logic for this not to be the case.
Two things matter when we start to look for a new career:
- Your background – training, education, employment history, etc.
- Your personality – what you enjoy, how you interact, how much you commit, etc.
These two things need to be in order for you to obtain any position but they are not more important that the other. It is possible to have the perfect education, training and qualifications for a role but not be suitable because of your personality; conversely it is possible to not have the required education for a position but to be able to make it work through having the right kind of attitude and commitment.
Many career tests and personality tests will show you what roles you should be suited to. Myers Briggs is a well-known personality test that will define you as one of sixteen personality types and then advise on what kind of role you would be suitable for.
Research will always give you the route you need to follow to gain the correct education and qualifications necessary to fulfill your dream career. There can often be me than one option available, be that full-time, part-time, on-the-job or remote study. Age is no barrier to this process; many Americans have successfully transitioned from one career to another later in life. Our veterans demonstrate this, as they make the transition back into civilian life after their military service.
What is your dream career?
Pilot, engineer, lawyer, accountant, doctor or nurse? It used to be that when people reached a certain age they believed that changing career became impossible. That is not the case anymore; modern study methods and the use of technology now mean that anyone can access courses that can give them their dream career qualification. If you already had the passion and belief, now you can have the education to make it happen.
Healthcare has often been a dream career for many. If your passion lies in helping people, if you believe caring and looking after others is rewarding, then Maryville’s bsn to dnp program could be for you.
The search for a rewarding career is truly a search for meaning in our daily lives. Happiness should not be beyond the reach of anyone, all you need to do is develop the correct background in the field in which your passion lies making sure the role suits your personality.
Only you can make the decision about what career suits you, make the right decisions by completing career tests, personality tests and then researching the best providers of education to meet your current needs. Luckily we live in a world where we have multiple chances to find our dream career. So if you are looking for a first career, a new career or a needed career – good luck.
