5 Steps in Choosing a Career Path

When you were a kid, people probably asked you what you wanted to become when you grew up. They were inquiring about your desired career path. Contrary to popular belief, you do not choose your career. Neither do you meet your professional milestones easily. Career paths are lined with detours, stops, and difficult decisions. 

When you choose a career path, you are on your way to garner the required education and skills to land a satisfying and enjoyable job. For instance, college graduates could seek recruitment at Teach for America–an organization that helps students in low-income communities access quality education. Teach for America reviews reveal that it is a wonderful organization to kickstart your career.

So, what is a career path? It is simply a series of all the positions you hold when you enter the job market. The more skills and knowledge you gain along the journey, the higher you move on your career ladder. 

While it is easy for some people to decide what they want to do all their lives, it is hard for others. So, how do you ensure the path you take suits you? Here are some steps to guide you along the way.

Step 1: List Your Career Goals

Before settling for any career, ask yourself the following questions:

• What do you wish to achieve from this career?
• Which values do you hold dearly?
• What are your hobbies? 
• Do you have any interests?
• What are your strengths and weaknesses?
• Do you want to specialize in a particular field?

Once you’ve answered the above questions, you are in a better position to research potential career paths.

Step 2: Create a Long-Term Plan

After narrowing down your options, it is time to establish milestones for your career. You can research the achievements of the people in the same field five or ten years into their careers. While at it, also take note of their job titles. From there, you can decide on the milestones you want to have achieved at these particular points. Once you’ve decided, you should embark on researching what actions to put in place to meet these goals.

Step 3: Know Your Personality Type

A personality type is a bundle of personality traits that you can categorize. You can use several methods to discover your personality type. Many of these methods pay close attention to the manner in which you respond to different occurrences.

Different individuals have different personality types that naturally gravitate toward different strengths, interests, and eventually careers. What is your personality type? Here are some tools that will help you determine this:

• The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
• The Jungian Type Index
• The Keirsey Temperament Sorter

Step 4: Review Previous Experience

Another aspect that could help guide your career choice is your job satisfaction in roles you previously held. It is, therefore, vital that you identify the trends in previous positions. The trends could point you to a particular skill that will since be your area of focus. In addition, reviewing your job history too is essential as it helps you identify positions that left you fulfilled.

Step 5: Look at the Job Requirements

With each job comes a job description. In addition, most jobs have specific education requirements for candidates seeking recruitment. For example, you may need a bachelor’s degree, high school diploma, or master’s degree. 

To qualify for some positions, you might need to have qualifications in a particular field of study. Therefore, it is essential that you properly review education requirements for any jobs you might be interested in before submitting your submission.

Other factors to consider when choosing a career path include your skillset, core values, and even salary needs. If you were previously confused about the path to take, the above tips have definitely shed some light.