How To Choose The Right Career Path When You Are Undecided

Choosing the right career path is one of the most difficult and important decisions a person can make. By choosing the right career, you will be able to have the greatest impact on society and be financially successful in life.

It can be overwhelming to figure out where your passions lie when you are not yet sure what career would make you happy. Some careers are more well-known than others and may have a greater impact on society.

The competition for these careers is also stiff. Some people will literally “follow the money” and choose a career that is well-known for monetary success.

However, careers in government, science, and healthcare have far less monetary potential. These are all great options for those who enjoy public.

The decision to enter into any one of these fields requires a major commitment, especially at the entry level. The professionalism needed to rise to the ranks can sometimes require a type of mental toughness.

Here are some tips on selecting the right career path when you are undecided.

Understand Yourself

First, you need to understand yourself and what your interests are. Getting a clear understanding of who you are and what makes you happy will help guide your decision.

Are you more of an introvert or extrovert? Do you love people or do you love animals or nature? Consider all the things that drive and motivate your life and see how they fit into potential careers.

Look for careers where those things are valued, promoted, or at least not discouraged. If you are a more introverted person who loves animals and nature, consider becoming an animal breeder or veterinarian.

If you are an extrovert who loves people and being in front of the camera, consider a career as a news anchor or actor.

Consider What Salary Is Right For You

While some careers may have little monetary value in their early years, most people want to be financially secure.

If you are uncertain of what career you would like to embark on, consider the total annual salary of your potential career. If that number is more than you are comfortable with, then don’t pursue it.

If the number is less than you are comfortable with, then consider other options. The most important thing is that your chosen career allows for financial success, regardless of how little income it will produce initially.

Some people have a difficult time distinguishing between poverty and prosperity. Consider what you need financially to survive in your chosen career.

How much are you willing to spend on a car, house, and other expenses? If you are unsure of how much money you will need monthly, keep track of how much money your current job pays per month.

Take those numbers and subtract them from your potential new salary to see what kind of monthly income you will need to live comfortably.

Consider Your Passions And Interests

The most important factor in choosing a career is finding one that you will be happy in. The money will follow if you are happy. Consider your passions and interests and see how they fit into potential careers.

If you love animals, consider a job in animal care or research. If you love science, consider a job in biology or physics. You can also examine what your interests are and see what careers would fit them.

Are you interested in music? Consider becoming a sound engineer or musician. By staying true to your interests and passions, you are far more likely to be successful in your career.

If you are interested in a certain career, look at jobs that would fit into your passions. If you are interested in being a journalist, consider internships during college.

Skills And Strengths

Skills and strengths also play a big part in choosing a career. If you are more logical and analytical, then consider a science-related field.

If you are more creative and imaginative, consider an artistic career. If you are skilled with numbers, consider accounting or finance. If you are good with numbers and money, then accounting or finance is the perfect career for you.

If you don’t have the skills or abilities to succeed in your desired career field, don’t pursue it. Strengths refer to the things that you are good at and it tends to be more innate than learned.

Things like your native language, the way you spell, and which color is your favorite can be somewhat of a struggle when you first start learning another language or color.

However, by staying true to your strengths and talents, you increase your chances of success in life.

If you are in a college, try to find classes with professors who are good at what they teach and don’t require remediation for those who do not have a strong grasp on the material initially.

You will be thankful later in life once you realize how much money you could have earned had you pursued your strengths and talents first, instead of trying to perfect your weaknesses.

Fine-tune your strengths by working on them as much as possible and make sure to include language learning as one of your strengths, if it isn’t already.

Personal Values

Personal values are extremely important when choosing a career path. Not all values are of equal importance and some may not be important at all.

Personal values include honesty, hard work, dedication, and integrity. Career fields like government and healthcare usually value these traits highly and are the most likely to reward them in the form of advancement opportunities.

However, you will not always find these traits within your career field. You may work with people or companies that don’t value these things as highly as you do.

Some career fields require a great deal of personal sacrifice and dedication while others are more laid back. Find the right balance between your values and your career goals and you will be much more likely to succeed.

Consider Your Work And Life Balance

A career is a time commitment that requires a certain level of dedication. You may not have the opportunity to take vacations, travel, or have the ability to spend time with some of your family or friends.

Even if you do have these opportunities, they won’t always be available. If you work 40 hours per week and spend less than 30 hours per week at college then your work and life balance may not be ideal.

When choosing a career, consider what kind of balance you want in your life once you are done with college. While you should have a long-term career goal, it is important to have shorter-term goals as well.

If you know that you want to be a physician but that may take over 10 years of schooling and practice, then try to break your goal down into smaller goals.

You may want to become a nurse or study and get your Bachelor’s first before pursuing additional degrees.

Consider The Job Market And Future Trends

The job market is always changing and there are always new opportunities to try. If you search the internet, then you can find thousands of companies that will be hiring in the next few years.

These are typically the companies that are growing the fastest and considering large acquisitions.

However, even if a company isn’t currently hiring, you may want to consider a career in that field because it’s in high demand and there is an opportunity for growth. The job market is also very cyclical.

A career field that is booming now may not be booming 5 years from now. There are trends in the job market that you can follow to find the current breaking points and what careers tend to be growing fastest.

Connect With People In Your Field Of Interest

As you search for your career, find people in your field of interest and connect with them. Contact people through their websites and online forums.

Reach out to them by phone or email and tell them what their work has meant to you and how it has influenced you.

Let them know that you are interested in a career similar to theirs. You may end up in the same field or a completely different field!

Final Thoughts

Choosing a career path is a difficult decision and you will find that you will have some regrets in the end. You may decide that you don’t like your job and that it isn’t for you.

This doesn’t mean that it was a bad choice, just because you don’t like it now. It could have been the wrong position for your life at this time.

Working at a job you don’t like can be very stressful and can cause performance issues. You may also find that you just don’t enjoy working and your job isn’t fulfilling your life goals.

In all cases, remember that while you’re in college it’s what you’re doing to change your life and reach your goals. Your career is the vehicle to get there.