Career Advice: Find the right career path for yourself

In this competitive job market, it is wise to know which career path best suits you. Before rashly applying for any job available, take a moment to analyze your skill sets, educational background and interests to follow a career path that will be good for you in the remote future.

In this blog, we are going to highlight a few tips on how to choose the right career path. But before we get started, let’s understand what career path really is.

Let us paint you a picture: You’ve landed your first job as a fresher. It is an entry level job based on your qualifications and skills. Gradually, you advance in your career and hold various positions in, let’s say, a span of 15 years. That is your career path. A path leading you to the top. For instance, let’s say you want to become a principal, you’d have to start by becoming a teacher. Also, you’d need to obtain a degree in Education.

Tips: How to find right career path for yourself

1. Clarify your career objective

You need to know which career path you’d like to follow. To do that, you have to define your career objective. Here are a few tips that will help you finding just that-

• What are your career goals?
• What are the skills you possess?
• What are your interests and hobbies?
• What are your strengths?
• Your hard & soft skills?
• Roles and positions you wish to hold.

Figuring out the above-mentioned points will definitely help you in narrowing down your choices and choose the best career path for yourself.

2. Draft long-term plans

Ask yourself the question “Where do you see yourself in five to ten years?”

You need to create a milestone. Do a thorough research on the position, company and industry you are interested in. Learn how people in your field of interest are advancing in their career. Study the roles and responsibilities they hold in their career and see if they are in alignment with your career objectives.

This will help you in calculating your annual progress.

3. Identify your personality type

There are many online personality type tests that you can take. Taking a personality test will help you in determining your personality traits such as interests and strengths, which will help you in easing your decision making. Research the answers you get from these tests and build your career path from that.

4. Take your work experience into consideration

It is important to enjoy your work especially if you are planning to stick on the same path for a long time. So, go back to the positions you have held in the past? Which one did you enjoy? Which position was your skills best suited for?

You do not want to be in a field you do not particularly enjoy, especially for a long period of time. Choose a career path that you will be able to handle with satisfaction.

5. Your educational qualifications

Certain positions demand certain educational degrees. For instance, to be a doctor, you’d need a professional medical degree. So, ensure that the career path you are choosing is in line with your educational qualifications.

6. Review your skillset

Choosing a career path that best utilizes your skillset is the most logical approach. So, make a list of the skills you possess and take reviews from your colleagues or close friends. The skills should include both hard and soft skills. This will help you in choosing a career path that will not require you to give much strenuous efforts.

7. Identify your interests and values

It’s important to be interested in your line of work. So, choose a field where your interest lies. For instance, let’s say your passions are reading and writing, you could become a blogger or even a novelist.

Working in an environment that holds the same values as yours goes a long way in determining whether you fit in with the company or not. So, identify your core values and ensure that the company or industry you are looking into has the ideal values and work culture for you.

8. Ballpark your salary expectation

You need to determine your salary expectation to meet your lifestyle needs. There are many websites where you can check how much is offered in the job market for a particular job. Take into consideration your years of experience while researching. This will help you in your decision making by calculating your potential income.

9. Be active on social media

Be active and engaged on professional social networking sites such as LinkedIn and Facebook. Grow your network and connect with people and organizations who are in your desired fields of interest. Through their posts, you get insights into the pros and cons of various roles and positions. You could even take reviews about your desired career path from people in your network who have worked or currently working in the same field.

Choosing the right career path can help you steadily and effectively reach your career goals. The above-mentioned tips are the keys to do just that.