01/01/2016
("How To Choose Your Career")
By: Sardar Ifraz A. Khan
How do you choose a career? Well, some people seem to just fall into a career-maybe they come from a professional family where there is a tradition that family members go in for law, medicine or accountancy. Others have a talent such as music or acting. But most of us have to make a series of decisions that will lead us to a career path.
There is a school of thought that you should “do what you love” and “follow your passion”. Others argue this advice is wrong. That you need to find a way to add value and make a difference and solve a problem.
It helps if the two coincide. True career success and satisfaction come from doing something you care about and being rewarded for it.
When you are young, the best route is to keep as many doors open as long as possible. Select study options that will lead to a career you can envisage for yourself.
Then you need to make some decisions about how you can add value.
Will you go into a profession? Do you have the academic ability, the application and the finances you will need?
Or are you a caring person, who should consider an ancillary career in medicine-physiotherapy, nursing, health care. Or social work?
Are you a scientist, or does the world of business interest you? There are a myriad of career opportunities in business-sales, marketing, e-commerce, buying, general management, logistics, web designer.
Information technology-there are many career paths here-network engineer, programmer, developer, data analyst, data cabling –the list is endless.
Then you need to research your chosen field, see what is available, what you need to do to be considered for a career in that field. Then Do IT!!
A very important aspect of this is that almost all careers are evolving at speed as technology evolves and changes the things we do. How will this affect you? Will your career be at the cutting edge of technology?
If you have chosen a business or science career it is likely that will evolve and you will have to evolve with it. Who knew we would all be connected by the World Wide Web and be conducting international business from our homes? What does the future hold?
Caring for older people on the other hand will be less affected by technological changes, but demographic changes will mean there will be many opportunities in caring-perhaps you will own or manage a Care Home one day?
So consider how your career may develop over your lifetime. It is probable that many of us will have several careers in our lifetime as we, and the world around us, develop.
The important thing is to find something you enjoy and where you can add value.
Remember-True career success and satisfaction come from doing something you care about and being rewarded for.
