How to Choose a Career
Updated: Aug 9, 2021
As a student you are confused to make a decision? So here is the solution?
There are lots of instances when students already know what they want to do by the time they're graduating but some aren't so lucky.
A Step by Step Guide on How to Choose a Career While You're Still in High School

1. Create a List of Professions

Every high school student has an idea of what they would like to pursue, which is a huge advantage when it comes to making a list of the occupations that interest you.
This list should consist of all the professions, starting from the ones that interested you as a child to the ones you’re interested in right now, regardless of how bizarre they seem
2. Explore the Professions

Once you’ve created a list, it’s time to do research. Don’t worry; this research is nothing similar to what you do for your term papers, so it should be fun! All you need to do is read engaging articles, get more information about your potential dream career(s), and learn more about the occupations on your list. Additionally, look for published resources and find the requirements of the careers you’ve listed. Read what other people are saying about the jobs you are interested in. Consider whether you’ll require to receive a college degree to improve your marketability in that field and so on. You don’t have to get your final career choice from this research, but only narrow down on your options.
3. Self-evaluation

The final decision about your career choice should be based on you, your interests, hobbies, personality, and preferences.
To ensure that you choose a career that is right for you, you’ll need to ask yourself the following questions:
01. Where Do You See Yourself in 10 Years?

Where you see yourself dramatically determines what you want to do. For instance, do you see yourself in an office or traveling around the world? Would you like to pursue a career in law or athletics? Perhaps you want a flexible schedule as a freelancer?
Generally, you need to think about all these factors and come up with answers to these questions, among others. Doing this will enable you to eliminate some of the choices that you’ve simply grown out of or don’t resonate with where you see yourself. Moreover, this allows you to stick with the career choices that you want and not those imposed by another person.
02. Do You Need Further Education for Your Career Choice?

In most cases, after choosing your career, the next step involves determining whether you’ll need further education. Are there better opportunities with a college or university degree? Will a college education prepare you for a career?
03. Do You Have the Necessary Skills?

It’s pretty simple really if your dream career is to be a writer, you’ll need advanced writing skills, and if it’s to be a singer, you need a killer voice. All career paths demand a specific skill set.
Thus, regardless of how badly you want a job or think that a particular career is the best for you, having the right skills is a must. And no, not everyone possesses the same set of skills. Nonetheless, you can do a self-assessment and determine whether you have what it takes to pursue your career choice.
04. Do You Enjoy Working With People?

Although communication and collaboration are significant aspects in most careers, some require minimum communication. Typically, whether you enjoy working with people or not all depends on your personality.
In this case, you need to determine whether you’re an introvert or extrovert and pick a career that compliments your character to avoid job dissatisfaction.
05. Is Your Career Choice Financially Maintainable?

Choosing your future career boils down to two critical things, education and finances. Generally, well-paying jobs demand more training and experience, which realistically may take a lot of time. On the other hand, you can do a short-term course for an average salary.
While making your choice, consider college expenses. Is your career path capable of paying off your college debt if you enroll in a college program? Is Will receiving further education improve your career opportunities? When answering these questions, do take your time to come to the right decision.
4 Make a Shortlist

Now, after you’ve gone through all the steps above, it’s time to narrow down further. Look at the career choices on your list and, again, eliminate more based on what you’ve learned from your research. The goal is to end up with about five to ten occupations.
Once you have this list, you can do the final round of eliminations. At this point, you should be ready to answer “how to choose a career? And make the final choice. Remember to select the occupation that brings you the most satisfaction, is within your skillset, and matches your future objectives.
5 Make a Career Plan.

Well, different careers require a set of specific skills, talents, and qualifications.
By the time you make the final decision, you’ll already be aware of the requirements of your career path. At this stage, you should have a career plan to help you achieve your goals and get on your dream career path. Besides this step-by-step guide, read on for more tips to help make your career plan a success.