Getting into a career that is great for you

We all have different interests and aspirations. If that be so, it is not possible to pinpoint a career that goes with everybody. Therefore, the vexed question is, ‘How do you choose a career that is great for you?’ Here is what you should deliberate upon while making this vital choice:

· Intrinsic abilities: Everybody possesses some inherent skills and as clock keeps ticking, there will be bouquets to reward our capacities. It is important to know where your inherent skills lie because they have a significant influence on selecting a career. There will be a horde of other fields where one can acquit well, but then the efforts involved could be colossal. You should identify tasks that you derive pleasure from and then figure out how your intrinsic abilities can be applied to make them more interesting.

· Approach to & method of working:  One may acknowledge it or not, every individual prefers to do work in a particular manner. This methodology of doing things can interfere intensely with your career selection. You should be clear about the work & workplace that goes well with you so that you can experience superior satisfaction.

· Location of work:  You may like to work from a location that appeals to you the most – it could well be an office at the end of a corridor on the top floor of a multi-storeyed building in commercial hubs or a small premises in an uptown locality. It is possible that jobs involving plenty of travel are not made for you. Hence, your work-location will influence your career selection.

· Affability & sociability:  You may be a loner and feel comfortable remaining aloof. It is possible that appreciate team-functioning and get inspired by the requirements of others and your capability to resolve issues. Identification and cognizance of your preferences is important and will help you in selecting an appropriate career. 

· Work-life balance: This is all contingent on your outlook and personal inclinations; and the priorities that you attach to various contributory factors. In case you seek a career that will afford you more time for your domestic issues and leisure, jobs that have fixed timings are great for you.

· Perennial spotlight: There are some careers that let the spotlight remain on you, you enjoy intense public interaction and acceptance. Such careers bestow renown on you; you should understand the ramifications of being in the limelight 24/7 and be clear about the effect on you – whether as a responsibility, compulsion or prospect. Your preference in this context should be a deciding factor in selecting a career.

· Coping with work pressures:  There are many people who want to remain in the loop and like to flourish on monumental aims and cut-offs. The environment places great reliance on you for your capacity to work and withstand related pressures. In case you are one who is anxious to do something in a stipulated manner and with strict deadlines, you will acquit yourself well in high-pressure jobs. But in case you seek to be relaxed, you will have to search for other options.  

 

· Remuneration expected: When you move ahead in your life and career, your expectations vis-à-vis your salary package will undergo a change. You will have a family to look after and with passage of time, your obligations will increase. It is likely that your spouse may be working and in the bargain, you have a dual income. However, you will have to take a call on whether it is alright to settle for less income or earn more by conceding on other aspects of your life. You must take on a career that goes with your desire for more or less money.

It is possible that you may not be able to decide on a career at the current juncture. You have an alternative at hand – embark upon a track that is perceived as correct by making an appropriate judgement with elbow room to change it subsequently. In the current times, you need not continue with one pursuit lifelong; all that you need to do is to make a clever choice today and plan to take stock of things five or ten years hence in consonance with the ultimate targets that you have set for yourself.

You must acknowledge the fact that you will change with time and so will your requirements of finances, freedom, balance and recognition. However, for the present, you ought to reflect on various issues highlighted above and there will be no difficulty in selecting a career that is great for you.