How to choose your career, a GUIDE
Tags: Career Advice, Planning, Confidence, Career Development

I am not an expert in career advising, nor am I someone who has seen it all, I am just someone who has managed to find something that I can pursue as my career in midst of uncertainty and confusion

Many individuals have childhood dreams about what they want to be, an astronaut, musician, engineer, F1 driver, etc. Good for them! But I am sure there are plenty of people like me who have absolutely no idea what they want to do as a career. You are expected to have a rough idea about your college degree by the end of high school. That’s one of the biggest choices you will make that impacts your career, because you’ll be investing 4 years or more, so you have to be sure that it’s something you can enjoy. Picking a profession sure is a big commitment. So take this as a piece of friendly advice to help you navigate through the confusion.

Try new things! You have probably heard of this by now, but by new things, I don’t mean personality tests and quizzes. Rather new experiences. Pick up a camera, a pen. Visit some local factory. See how the world works. Do some internships. The thing is you never know what you like or don’t unless you have actually done it. The more different things you put yourself into the more you will learn about yourself, what things come naturally to you, what you struggle at. This will make it much clear to decide. Ask others what you are asking yourself? People around you who you see as ding well in their fields, go to them, ask them. How did they choose that specific profession? What was their journey? You can learn immensely from this while hearing the most fascinating stories, maybe one will even inspire you. Be observant. This works two ways. You have to be observant towards what I called the outer world, your surroundings. Start being observant towards the small details in everyday life that most people seem to miss, see what interests you. More importantly, start being observant towards yourself, your inner world, listen to yourself, what excites you what scares you. It’s easy to look for answers from others who are doing well in what they do, but that doesn’t mean they will know what you excel at. In my opinion, you yourself can be a better judge of that, but only if you pay close attention to it. Feasibility. A lot of individuals give up on something they enjoy doing simply because they don’t see the feasibility of that profession. Times are constantly changing, new professions you probably have never heard of are being made. Who would’ve thought 25 years ago that people would make living uploading pictures on the internet? Today influencers on Instagram and other social media platforms make millions of dollars just by uploading pictures. So if you think you are good at something. Hold onto that. Follow the world’s trends. See where the world is headed. See what types of requirements would there be a decade later, what skills would be highly in demand. Research about those skills, see if you can pursue that, and get a headstart.

In the end, the important thing is you should pick something you enjoy doing, something that you want to learn more about. Something that allows you to grow. So good luck and may you find what you are looking for.