Make sound career decisions

Choosing a career is not a once-in-a-lifetime decision. In fact, it is a string of choices exercised by you while passing through various phases of your life and as you gain newer experiences. To a large extent, people display a flexible attitude all along, but are ignorant as far as knowing precisely what is correct and what is not.

It is necessary to know how people falter while making career decisions. It is only then that you would be able to exercise proper choices.  The most common erring actions are explicated below:  

·      Accepting the first available job:  If you get into the first job that comes your way, you are not a good warden of yourself. You should aim to venture into areas where you can put your skills and aptitude to maximum use.

·   According high priority to money:   This error is embedded deep in our culture and beliefs. We accord a high precedence to salary rather than contentment; and this may not be paying in the long run.  

·   Getting impressed by the designation:  Companies have a tendency to give you high-sounding and impressing titles. You should not get carried away by such offers but instead see if the job is your cup of tea or not.

·   Succumbing to management pressures:  If you are already into a job, there is no harm in doing straight talk with your boss to make certain that you find your work interesting. But remember that sometimes, your management may thrust additional responsibilities on you and such scope enlargement will stand you in good stead eventually.   

·   Yielding to parental influences:   You have been created to be distinctive and hence you need to find out that exceptionality to be able to build up your career plans around it. While parental aspirations should not be discounted, you should make it known what you aspire for.

·   Taking a job that you aren’t fully fit for:  You can perform a plethora of tasks, some exceptionally well and some satisfactorily. Every individual has his strong-points and motivational factors. You should take up a job that is in maximum sync with your skills, outlook and ambitions.   

The question that now comes up is how we can make sound career decisions. The under-mentioned aspects, if adhered to by us will help us do the same:

·   Spell out your life’s purpose:  You can do this only if you know your strengths, weaknesses, values and principles. Moving forward based on their cognizance will help you attain what you are cut out for.

·   Uncover your innate talents:  You must not venture into areas that are not in consonance with your innate attributes. Letting such qualities come to the fore in all your actions will facilitate your career success.

·   Identify professions that match you: You must focus on jobs that are prospective made-for-you models. You should make regular efforts to gain better knowledge about jobs that go well with your aptitude contours. 

·   Chart a roadmap:  This could well embrace both company-sponsored training programmes and your own initiatives to improve yourself. You should be able to build up a curriculum vitae that manifests your skills. Aspirations and capabilities.

·   Learn to handle your career:  Your job may place intense demands on you. You should be adept at making adjustments so that your productivity level is not disturbed. In addition, you should also keep abreast with all new developments so that you enjoy the competitive edge. You have to be a lifetime student.

·   Apply midterm corrections:  It is only when you are into a job that you will get to know the specific arenas that warrant perfection and development. Application of corrective measures at any stage is justified.

·   Trust others, albeit cautiously:  Though it is your life, you cannot live it alone. You will need help, you will require encouragement. You must have confidants who could be looked up to for advice. But you need to select them guardedly.

We have a tendency to create a mould that we thing is apt for us and then cast ourselves into it. This is, to say the least absolutely ridiculous because the skills and talents that we are born with are relegated to a position of no-use. You need to identify your intrinsic capabilities and go about using them judiciously to grab opportunities. The future belongs to you if you believe in the beauty of your dreams.