How to Make a Career Choice When You Are Undecided

With thousands and thousands of choices, picking a career that is right for you can seem incredibly confusing and terrifying at the same time. This is particularly the case with freshers or students about to enter college as they have no idea what they want to do or how they want to start the new chapter of their lives.

Ritika Tiwari

freelance writer/ blogger/ content Strategist

to help you IdentIfy the rIGht Career ChoICe, We have put toGether Some of the moSt helpful tIpS: 1- fInd out What IntereStS you

Before you consider any career path, understand and learn more about yourself -- Your interests, values, skills and aptitude. This will ensure that you are able to choose a career that fits you well.

You can use self-assessment tools like career tests to gain more insight about your traits. If possible, you can discuss your options with a career counsellor or a career development professional to help you navigate through this crucial process. 2- make a lISt of all the CareerS you Can explore

Based on the results of the selfassessment tests and your interests, create a list of careers that might fit you This is the time to be as detailed as possible, so list down every career

that even remotely interests you. While there may be some careers you might have no information about, go ahead and add them to your list so that you can explore them later. should be as precise as possible and shouldn’t have more than 3-5 careers, so make sure you don’t retain any options on the list that don’t appeal to you.

3- explore your optIonS and Create a ShortlISt

After completing the list, start researching about all the careers on your list which will in turn help you narrow down your list significantly. You should be looking at different aspects of every career like educational requirements, training time, estimated starting salary, and job descriptions.

With all the information of the different careers on your list, trim your list further. You can start by removing the careers from the list that you no longer want to pursue based on your research. You should also eliminate careers which are unsuitable for the kind of educational background that you have. Your shortlist 4- ConduCt IntervIeWS

Try contacting people who have the same careers like the ones on your shortlist. You can either ask around your family or friends, or just connect with people on LinkedIn. Make sure you have a set of questions prepared in advance that you want to ask them. Instead of just focusing on career growth and financial benefits, ask about the work hours, pressures, and how easy or difficult it is to find jobs in the field.

With so much information to guide you through the process, you will be easily able to make a career choice. You should choose a career that you think will satisfy you and make you excited about work as well. Though, you should also remember not to put too much pressure on yourself. You can always change your career and try

something new just as many people do. Instead of just focusing on the financial aspect, focus on occupations that truly interest you and utilise your best traits.