ALT-1 How to Choose a Career
So you want a new career? No problem. Walk into any bookstore, and you will see dozens of career advice books. Type “career” into any search engine, and you will get thousands of results—maybe even a million. This might be a problem. Thankfully though, most of the advice can be boiled down to variations of the following five-step guide.
Step 1: Believe in yourself
Belief is absolutely critical to your success. If you do not believe in your heart that you will succeed, then how can you convince others that you will? People love winners; it is human nature. As you go along, you will find many people willing to help or hire you, but they want to know that their time and resources are being used wisely. So take "can't" and "yeah, but..." out of your vocabulary. Believe in yourself, and others will believe in you.
Step 2: Know yourself
In ancient Greece, people traveled far and wide to visit the Oracle of Delphi, believing it could tell them the future and answer any question they had. Inscribed above the entrance way were two words: Know Thyself. You already have all the answers you need; you only have to look inside.
Start by analyzing your job experiences starting with your current or most recent one. What did you like or not like? What types of people did you enjoy or not enjoy working with? Each experience yields valuable information about your personality, strengths, and weaknesses. In addition, talk to your friends and family. They can offer insights into things that you unconsciously say and do. There are also several personality tests you can take, such as theMyers-Briggs Type Indicator.
This step is critical to your success, and you must be honest and objective about yourself throughout it. If you have trouble with this, enlist the help of family, friends, and perhaps a career counselor.
Step 3: Find your passionWhile getting to know yourself, the most important thing is to find your passion. Most experts agree that career success demands top performance over an extended period of time. When it comes to sustained performance, passion far outweighs skill. Passion without skill leads to maximum effort and the acquisition of the necessary skills. Skill without passion however leads to stagnation and obsolescence. Skill is acquirable. Passion, by and large, is not.A lucky few already know their passions. For most adults though, passion is a whisper—a fleeting yearning—not a shout from the rooftops. This is because reason often overrules their desires on a daily basis. To find your passion, you must open your mind wide. One helpful exercise is to think back to the activities you enjoyed as a child. Family members and friends can also help you by recounting their observations and things that you have said in the past.Step 4: NetworkNow that you have some ideas about what you want to do, it is time to discover what it takes to make them careers. There are many helpful resources both in print and online, but the best and most efficient method of gathering information is to talk to people in the field. Doing this kills two birds with one stone. You acquire the necessary information to make an informed decision while making contacts that can further your new career. They might even offer you a job. You will be pleasantly surprised at people’s willingness to talk. They were once in your shoes and remember that others had helped them too.Step 5: Make a plan
You have all the information you need; now it is time to make a plan. If you had several options, narrow them down to one. Do you have the necessary qualities and qualifications to make this a career? Look at your existing skills and identify which ones are transferable. Shine them in a positive light. A career counselor can help you polish your resumes and cover letters, and there are many helpful books on this topic as well. Are you willing and able to do whatever it takes? In some cases, you will need to obtain a degree or training to enhance your qualifications. Take time to craft a realistic and achievable plan, and your chances of success will greatly increase.In his classic military treatise, "The Art of War," Sun Tzu wrote, “If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.” Following this five-step process, you know yourself and what it is going to take. Now go boldly and be successful.
