10 questions TO ask yourself BEFORE Choosing A CAREER

Choosing a career is often like choosing a life partner- There are so many options out there, you cannot look at others to decide what’s best for you and others always seem to have it figured out better than you. Let’s do a little math here, shall we? Out of the 16 waking hours in a day, we spend an average of 8 hours working. Leaving out the weekends and vacations, we spend a whole one third of our life, working. Research suggests that an average person spends 90,000 hours working in a lifetime. That’s way more than the time we spend with our partner! Do I make a good enough argument for why it is imperative we make the right choice ? Don’t be overwhelmed. Pick up your wet wipes and let’s clean that mirror to give you some clarity.

Here are a few questions to ask yourself

Knowing what you are good at gives you a starting point. You want to make sure that your career fetches you satisfaction, not just an income. And you can only be satisfied if you truly excel at something. Chances are, even you do not know the answer to this question. In that case, ask your closest circle what they think you’re extremely good at.

It’s okay not to be extremely good at one thing and be mediocre at a lot of things. Join the club. The next thing you can ask yourself is what garners my curiosity? Do you find yourself wondering how your ceiling fan works? Or can you not stop humming while doing your chores? Does your love for numbers not let you sleep at night ? What is it that you want to learn more about ?

This is a big one. Everyone knows the pros of their career choice, but do you know what sacrifices you’ll have to make to make it big? Simply put, if you want to go to heaven, are you willing to die first?

Thanks to technology, it is not very difficult to find out how much would pursuing a career cost you. You need to ask yourself if you can afford it and if not, can you take a loan for the same. You will also need to research if there are any scholarships that are provided. Often, scholarships are not advertised and you will to ask for this opportunity.

Having a mentor is so under rated. Keep a look out for someone you know who is in the same profession. They’re the best guides into your career. Ask them what it takes and what mistakes they made so you can learn from them. If you don’t know anyone in your immediate circle, try finding them on social media and send them a DM/ email requesting guidance. Help always comes to those who ask for it!

Some careers need you have certain qualifications or you need to meet certain criteria. Be sure to research on these thoroughly. Most people jump into career paths they know nothing of, only to realize that they do not meet the pre-requisites. Such occurrences can be demotivating. So be one step ahead of the game. If you do not meet the pre-requisites, begin with completing those first. And if it is not possible, consider a related career path.

I truly believe that one should dare to do different things and not follow the herd. Are you hearing almost everyone taking up engineering, medical or IT, JUST BECAUSE IT IS IN VOGUE? Although this is an easy way out into taking up a career, it is not long lasting. To ensure the highest level of satisfaction, you need to pick something you love and are good at, while also having a fair idea of what the future holds for this industry.

For many of us, this is the first question we ask ourselves while deciding on our path. While this shouldn’t ideally be the first question you ask yourself, it shouldn’t be the last one either. Financial independence is very much needed for survival in today’s world. After arriving at an approximate (and reasonable) value, research on the average annual income of a person in the industry. Does it fit your financial needs?

One of the silver linings of the year 2020 was that it highlighted the importance of mental health. While our work gives us a sense of achievement, our social/ leisure activities gives us sanity. You might want to ponder upon what your definition of work- life balance is and how you will achieve that in your career. The best way to decide this is knowing how many vacations would you want in a year or would you want your weekends work-free?

With globalization at an all time rise, people can freely move to different countries for work. Chances are, the future prospects of your industry of choice is more in one country than another. Knowing where you want to nest and create a life and be willing to relocate if the need arises, should be definite questions in your quest to choosing the right career.

While, choosing a career can be extremely overwhelming, it can be fun too. Playing this simple rapid fire round with yourself can give you the much needed clarity of what you can excel at.