Tips for Choosing a Career
Deciding on a career is often the first step in career planning. This article describes the difference between a career and a job and tips for choosing a career.
Jeffrey McMurray of USA Today, writes that before you look for specific companies, you should decide on a line of work. He also cautions not to look for a job until you’ve found a career. That statement captures the essence of the first step of career planning. You need to have a career in mind before you can go searching for a job.
Career vs. Job
Remember imagining as a kid what you would grow up to be? Some
kids say veterinarian while other kids say firefighter-that’s a career. A career is completely independent of any company or corporation. A job is a specific position at a company, such as a Level II Engineer in (fill in the blank) department at (fill in the blank) Company. In other words, it’s the position listed in a job listing on a company website or job search engine like Yahoo Jobs, or Monster Job Search. You’ll need to decide on a career before you decide on a job because it will give you a sense of direction, thus allowing you to focus your job search.
Questions
Take out a piece of paper and a pen and ask yourself some questions. Here are some questions you could ask yourself:
- Who am I already?
- What would I like to be better at than anyone else?
- What ‘team’ would I like to play on?
- Is there something in the world that I believe needs to be done?
These questions can get you thinking and allow you to articulate your thoughts. By writing your answers down, you commit yourself to considering these questions. You also have written answers to refer to later, especially when you’re feeling lost. If these questions don’t work for you, try making up similar questions that are more applicable to your personal situation.
Career Tests
Career tests can be useful, especially if you’re considering multiple careers. These tests are available at on-campus career centers. They are also available at College Board, for members who join the My Road program. It may be a good idea to take a test at an on-campus career center, so you can discuss your results with your career counselor. Remember these tests should be taken as a suggestion and not the deciding factor in your career decision process.