Choosing the right career

Figuring out a career can be tricky. And if you’re like me, you’ll be clueless or confused or both at the same time. Choosing a career is not rocket science but it’s not that simple either. But some people have it all figured out. They have their entire life planned out and they know exactly what they want to do in life. Well, some of us are different and we don’t really have a plan. We go with the flow and see where life takes us.  And it’s all fun and games until you find yourself stuck in a crappy job or sitting on the kitchen floor eating peanut butter out of a jar because that’s all you can afford with a meager paying job, or worse broke with absolutely no direction in life.

So, how do you choose the right career for yourself? Say, you graduate college and you land a nice paying job but that’s not what you want to do. And you go to bed each night thinking if you made a mistake by pursuing a particular program in college. And now you’re not happy with the way your life’s shaping up.

The first step in choosing a career is to ask yourself what you really want to do in life and what you’re good at.  And trust me; most people don’t have the answer to that. It’s not as easy as it seems. Once you have that answer, the rest is child’s play.

Suppose you want to work with children, you could opt for a profession that gives you a chance to be around children. You could be a teacher, pediatric, child psychologist, child welfare specialist, coach, child social worker etc. The options are endless and you will actually enjoy your job because that’s something you love and are good at.

Once you’ve figured out what you really want to do in life, you need to know how to get there. There are various universities that offer under graduate, graduate programs and doctoral programs. You need to do a bit of research and find out about the courses these universities offer and the cost involved in pursuing them, scholarships offered etc. Most colleges and universities have counselors that guide you to find the right program for yourself and steer you in the right direction.

Be focused and believe in yourself and even if you don’t land a great job in the first try, don’t lose hope and give up. Use these mistakes as stepping stone to move forward in life. Keep everything in perspective and move steadily towards your goal. And at the end you’ll have a rewarding and fulfilling career for sure.