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How To Choose A Right Career Path – Tips That Actually Works & Might Help You

Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.

– Albert Einstein

First of all, there’s no such a thing as right or wrong career. What makes it right or wrong is all decided by how much you enjoy your work. But, the question here is, do you know what kinds of work are enjoyable to you. Unfortunately, Google doesn’t have an answer to this. Of course, there is hell lot of content that gives you tools and methodologies to try and help you figure that out, but never a direct answer. I know someone who can give you a direct answer to this. Do you want to know who that someone is? It is YOU.

We are all naturally inclined to few things more than others. Sometimes we are too busy to even notice them. I once thought I was too plain and had no special interest in anything. But, the truth was I was too ignorant of myself. I often cursed God for not giving me any special talents. I wasted 20 years of my life thinking I was just a dumb person. I wish someone told me “Everyone is gifted. But, most people never open their package.”

It took me 2 decades and a lot of reading to realize I was gifted too. What a waste of time and talent! My story is only an antidote for lack of clarity. Consider yourself lucky if you already know what interests you. Don’t be in despair, if you don’t know already. Your willingness to ponder, a little bit of planning and a pinch of common sense is all it takes. If done sincerely, the following tips and exercises are bound to shed some light on your way.

Know Thyself:

“If you don’t know what you want, you end up with a lot of what you don’t.”

More often than not we forget who we are in a futile effort to fit in with the rest of the world. Ever since we were born, we are told what to do and what not. Our brains are hardwired and conditioned to follow the norm. I am definitely not against this paradigm. It is indeed great to not have to figure life out all by yourself. But, you might also have to consider the danger of not following your bliss, doing only what’s been said.

Imagine ending up with a job you whine about all day, after all the years of hard work and dedication that took you to get there. Sounds good? I’ve heard stories of people who spent half their lives imitating what everybody else did and somehow got lucky enough to discover their field of expertise. Worse are the unlucky ones who never find that sweet spot. Luckily, you don’t need the luck to be on your side but a little bit of self-knowledge to save you from such disasters.

Every damn person in this world is unique in every possible way. You are as unique as your fingerprint. Right from your hair strand to something as complicated as your thought processes; they are all unique. Why is this important now? Let me tell you how I wasted my time not knowing I was unique and how it mattered at all. Not long before I started writing, I never believed I could write, despite the burning passion. Every time I had a compelling desire to write, a creepy self-criticizing voice in me echoed “Who do you think you are?” My mind kept resonating with the statement, “Others have already written books. Why would I do what others have already done make any difference?” Yes, this may seem innocent, but it’s the nastiest of them all.

I never dared to even think I could write something genuine until I stumbled across the book “The secret to Awesomeness” written by Joshua Tongol. The lines “You have your own style, flavor and twist. Do your thing your way and add some variety to this world.” hit me so hard that it literally changed my life. And here I am doing what I once hesitated to even dream of.

Now, the realization isn’t attained by merely waiting for it to come. You have to ask yourself a few questions and believe me; you will get a lucid picture of yourself in the end. I can vouch for that. So what are these questions, you ask?

The Three Circles:

A thorough self-introspection is the first and most important step in realizing what you want to do in life.

While the Hedgehog concept traditionally applies to businesses, you’ll be pleasantly surprised to experience the results when you employ them on a personal level.

What Are You Deeply Passionate About?

Trust me, all the answers are within you, all you got to do is probe deeply. And by deeply, I mean earnestly. It just doesn’t limit itself to your current state of mind. Go back in time and figure out what you were good at or the favorite subjects during your adolescent years to right up until this given moment. What did you do for fun when you were a child? Do you remember anything that came particularly easy to you as a child? What did you tell people you were going to do or be when you grew up? Are you being or doing anything that resembles that dream now? If so, what? if not, why not?

Your past experiences have made you the person you are today and it will help you realize the interests that have stood the test of time.

What are the things that peak your fascination currently? It could be science, space, movies, music, arts, design or any darn thing for that matter. Now, what are you most passionate about, as in, what takes up a bulk of your mental and physical energy as well as the time?

In my case, I realized it was my obsession with reading and writing. A bibliophile to the core, I knew this was my calling and it didn’t take me time to commit myself to it. But that’s just the first step of an unmitigated self-analysis…

What Can You Be The Best In The World At?

Let’s tweak an age-old saying a bit; you can be the jack of all trades but a master of none? Nope, you can undoubtedly be a master of some or at least one.

Figure out what you can be the best at. You already know the things you are passionate about, but can you do it on an elite level? You will certainly have a set of prominent skills that you have noticed or have been made aware of by your friends and family. Identify them and match it with your passions and you will get your answer.

For example, you are predominantly a creative thinker and have been a music-buff all your life. Your friends say you have a brilliant sense of rhythm, pitch, and timing and have a keen ear for different types of sounds. You are gifted with the virtue of patience and have a high level of absorbing technical practicalities. It’s a no-brainer then – nothing should stop you from exploring a career in sound engineering because you have all the tools to be supremely good at it.

So now you know what you like and whether you can take it up as a profession, but nothing in this world comes without a price…

What Drives Your Economic Engine?

This question may be framed in a business-oriented way but it can be implemented to the career-choosing process as well. Acquiring education requires money and as we all know, higher education doesn’t come cheap.

So once you have zeroed in on the options you want to pursue, the next step is to assess its financial feasibility. Do you have the necessary means to fund your entire education? Do you have the necessary economic background to go all the way?

Of course, banks wouldn’t mind giving you an educational loan if you meet the requirements but is the liability worthy of the projected returns in the future. All these aspects need to be taken into consideration before you make a decision that will define you as a person in the near future. Outline a career budget as you surely don’t want to find yourself in debt while doing a course, as eventually, it could diminish your interest towards it all together.

Thus, find a common ground by asking yourself all the aforementioned questions and you will definitely get a few solid options, if not the perfect career that is tailor-made for you.

However, figuring out what interests you is only half the battle. As Ralph Waldo Emerson puts it “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest achievement”. There will be many distractions along the way. They come in different forms and it’s difficult to recognize them – the so-called prestigious jobs, tendency to imitate the mass and jobs that promise high salaries are just a few to name. Sticking to the path despite all the distractions is more challenging than what you may think.

This can’t be achieved without a decorous blueprint.

Roadmap To The Future:

After all the soul-searching and introspection, now is the perfect time to create the roadmap for success. Wait, what’s success? What success means to me might not mean the same to you. Everybody has got their own definition of success. What’s yours?

It could be a materialistic quantification of success like having a big house, a fleet of cars and the braggadocios popularity amongst your peers. It could be a matter of self-satisfaction wherein you aren’t thinking about the monetary gains but are just happy doing what you love. All said and done, it differs from person to person.

First and foremost, where do you see yourself in the next five years? Let’s go beyond and say twenty years? What about life after retirement? Yes, you need to know what you want from yourself at those different junctures in your life.

Once you know what you expect, you need to compare it with the list of career preferences you jolted down after the round of self-examination. Which career gives you what you aspire to have at various stages in the future? This is where you research about the future scope of the different careers and accordingly create a full-proof plan.

It would involve everything – right from your education, the expenditure, your first job to how you see your career progress until you reach your eventual goal. Goal-setting is an important facet here as you have to create a set of short-term goals that will eventually take you to your end goal. Your end goal will depend, as cited above, on your perception of success and your vision of the future.

Once you have finalized on your career choice, goals, and have evaluated all the logistical conditions, create a well-mapped design, muster up some courage and just execute it to the best of your ability!

If you ever get distracted, just take a look at your roadmap and you will automatically be steered back into the path that ultimately fulfills your ambitions.

A Summary:

Ask and you shall know yourself.
Analyze your skills, personality, likes, dislikes and passions. Everything about you!
Don’t be hasty; take your time, but not too much that you start balding!
Note down a list of careers that suit you.
Research… Research and then do some more research.
Check your finances.
Set future goals and chalk out a plan.
Make a decision and trust yourself.
Don’t worry, if you don’t like your career, just self-introspect and find something that makes you feel better.
Last but not the least; don’t forget to take advice from friends or professionals whenever in doubt.

The highly motivated bunch would have no problems in coming to a conclusion if the above steps are followed diligently. Heck, they may not even need these as they may have already decided what to do. But there are many who may still be muddled and confused despite a comprehensive observation of oneself. The following exercise will act as the catalyst for transformation.

Although this exercise might seem intimidating, it is very powerful and perhaps that is all you need to get you started.

The Buried Alive Exercise:

(Excerpts from the book “The Pilgrimage” by Paulo Coelho, slightly modified to suit the context)

Imagine all your unfulfilled dreams are being buried alive along with your dead body. Imagine your coffin being closed, and the screws are being turned. You are immobile, but your desires and dreams are alive. You want to tell your family you love them, but not a word comes out of your mouth. No one is able to see you’re still alive and that you had not yet accomplished all that wanted to do in this world. You are desperately trying to open your eyes, to give a sign, to beat on the lid of the coffin, but can’t move a muscle.

Suddenly, you realize it’s too late to do anything. You remember the number of times you failed to do what you wanted to do, thinking you could always do it later. You feel very sorry for yourself not only because you’re being buried alive but also because you had been afraid to live. But, you’re too late to go back and show the courage you should have had.

Come back to reality now. How does it feel to be alive? Think of it as a second chance to live your dreams. If you are happy with where you are in life, continue what you’re doing. If you think your life would be better if you did things differently, don’t be scared to change the course of your life. Why be fearful of saying no to someone or leaving something undone when the most important thing of all is to enjoy life fully?

You just got buried alive and if you’re still not sure what to do, then I guess you are just downright lazy. Jokes apart, the choice was and will always be in your hands, so take your time and make it count.

Now that you know how to go about choosing a right career path for a greater life (professional, not personal), check out other blog posts to know how to pursue a career. I’ll link the popular ones below for you. If you have any doubts or any concerns about the post or the methods mentioned, feel free to reach out using comments, we’ll try to help you out.

If you have other careers in mind, make sure you check out this page for a list of blog posts on various careers.

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