Dear reader,


Choosing a career can be the best and worst thing that can happen to a man most of us jump into choosing career probably because of pressure or because we see others going into it and when we enter it we find out its a very different thing entirely from what we thought it was. Some other choose it coz of what I tag career infatuation. Probably dz y when u ask 40 out of 50 science college students all they will tell you is they wanna be doctors and the shocker there is maybe just 3 might end up been one. Anyway its not too late to cry when the head is still there some of us HV made wrong choices and find a way in correcting them and we played the grand price of time for our mistakes. I HV a friend who was a computer student in the university but found out in z third year that all he wants to be his a farmer. Against all odds he followed his dream now z an agric student in the uni he paid the price called and some of us have other worst stories than that. I hope dz little article help someone before you get torned between two worlds like me

1. What are you good
at, and what do you
love?
Yeah, I know. You’ve heard the “follow your
passion” line since the day you were born.
While some people have a clear passion,
many of us find ourselves lost in the
“passion puzzle ,” paralyzed with fear that
we’re not doing it right if we don’t have one
burning career goal to pursue obsessively.
And even if you do have a passion, chances
are high it’s something vague and out of
reach, like becoming the next Stephen King.
The problem isn’t the idea of pursuing
things you’re good at and that you love; it’s
that your aspirations are too broad and
difficult to act on. Think of your passions as
a starting point. If you want to be the next
Stephen King, break that passion down into
writing and editing. Then do a “skills
inventory” to determine just what else you
bring to the table.
Are you good at providing feedback and
coaching other writers? Then becoming a
writing teacher or tutor might be right for
you. How about really digging into a subject,
synthesizing a ton of research and guiding
editorial direction? Then becoming a tech
writer or editor might be a better fit.
Your skills inventory could take the form of a
checklist, a mock resume or interviews with
friends, family members, mentors and former
employers who can provide an outside
perspective. You can then return to a tool
like the one provided above and more
carefully match your skills and interests to
job titles, narrowing in on those that are
both best suited to you and have the best
prospects for growth.
2. Are you promotion-
or prevention-
focused?
Feeling motivated is an essential aspect of
job satisfaction. But causes for motivation
vary widely from person to person. In
general, there tend to be two main
motivation types: promotion-focused and
prevention-focused .
Promotion-focused professionals are
classic creatives and entrepreneurs. They
work quickly, seize new opportunities and
think abstractly. The downside is that they
can be impulsive, overly optimistic and are
likely to make bigger mistakes.
Prevention-focused professionals are just
the opposite, focused on maintaining the
status quo and protecting all they’ve worked
on. These professionals prefer planning,
reliability, thoroughness and analytical
thinking.
While we all need a little bit of promotion-
and prevention-oriented thinking, it’s
important to determine which way you lean
before diving down a career path. A
prevention-focused person, for example,
would do far better as a developer in a major
corporation than launching her own startup.
A promotion-oriented person will likely feel
suffocated in a traditional 9-to-5, thriving
instead in a more creative environment with
bigger risks and bigger rewards.
3. What is the best
environment for your
personality type?
For similar reasons, it’s often helpful to do
even deeper personality tests like the Myers-
Briggs . This will help you further pinpoint
just what you need in your work
environment to thrive . Particularly important
is determining whether you’re more of an
introvert or an extrovert, as the two
personality types differ widely in their needs.
An introvert, for example, may be more
attracted to a quieter research role, while an
extrovert will thrive in a busy, loud sales
office. Public speaking, amount of teamwork
required and frequent contact with clients
are also factors to consider.
But as Susan Cain articulates so well in her
book Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World
That Can’t Stop Talking , introverts and
extroverts can both thrive in roles better
suited for the opposite personality type, as
long as they’re passionate about the cause
or are able to adapt the job to fit their style.
This is why stopping to think out your
passions is important, though you’ll also
discover many along the way.
4. What kind of
lifestyle do you want?
Most jobs start off with at least a few years
of hard labor at lower pay than you’d like.
What’s more important is looking ahead at
people well into a career track to determine
whether the lifestyle they lead is desirable to
you. Some factors you might want to
consider include the amount of control they
have over their own time, their salary and
the amount of travel involved, among other
factors.
I’m not saying you need to have a distinct
goal like “$150,000 per year or bust.” I’m
saying that what’s acceptable to you is
highly individual, and it’s important to do
what will make you the most comfortable .
If giving back to the community gives you
the most job satisfaction, then perhaps
being a social worker with a relatively low
wage will satisfy your needs. But if you’d
prefer to turn off work at the end of the day
and go live your “real” life, including eating
out, travel and play, then perhaps a higher
salary goal is more appropriate.
Again, these are things you may discover as
you go.
5. Where do you want
to live?
While not essential for every career type,
determining where you want to live can be
an important part of the career search
process. This is especially true for jobs that
are focused in certain regions. If you want to
work in the magazine industry, then you’ll
probably need to move to New York City.
Wheat farmer? The Midwest. Anthropologist?
Just about anywhere.
Beyond geographical region, think again
about the lifestyle on offer in the places
you’ll be headed . Do you seek a
metropolitan lifestyle with restaurants and
cultural attractions on every corner? Or do
you need the beauty and quiet of a rural
setting?
This is another place where the data can be
extremely helpful. If location is important to
you, head to the Bureau of Labor Statistics‘
website and do a few searches of job titles
by region.
Deciding which career is right for you can be
an overwhelming process. Rather than
focusing on identifying a direct path, first
determine your own needs and goals, and
then sync your findings with what the world
has to offer.

Nice write up, it impressive. FTC