When deciding on a career you want, take the time and reflect on your personality, interests, values, and preferences. Once you've done that, you should try to make a mini-list of careers that you think you'd enjoy, and then narrow down your list by conducting informational interviews. Last, avoid careers that have many negative aspects or are too far from your desired outcome.
Assessing your personality, values, and interests
The first step in choosing a career is to identify your values, interests, and personality. You'll be able to identify your strengths and most valued skills. These interests will help you decide which tasks are most satisfying.
There are many tools available to help you find out what your interests are and which occupations match them. Some are more practical than others, like interest inventories. These tools may not be a perfect indicator, but they can help you identify your best career options.
Create a list of possible careers that you would love
It's a good idea to make a list of the occupations that you are interested in before making a decision on a career. This can help narrow down your options by eliminating any occupations you do not want or that you aren't interested in. It's also important to remove occupations that don’t offer great job prospects or require you have the training or education.
Once you've narrowed down your choices you can start to look at your values, and your preferences. Do you value financial security? If so consider a career where you can work flexible hours while earning a great salary. Are you interested in work-life integration? Do you have a personality type? If you have a strong work ethic, and are willing to take on responsibility, you may be interested in a job that requires leading others.
To narrow down your options, use informational interviews
Informational interviews are a great method to learn about specific industries or roles. Although they may not lead to a job immediately, they can help narrow down your options for career advancement. You should prepare a list questions to ask during informational interviews. You should also arrive at the interview at least 15 minutes early. Make sure to bring a pen, paper and a list of questions. It is important to ask as many questions and to try to learn as much as possible about the person's career path and future plans.
Do your research on the person you are interviewing and prepare thoughtful questions. Even though you may feel awkward at the beginning, it's important to practice. Preparing in advance will make you more comfortable answering questions about the subject.
Avoid careers with large negatives
You should look at as many options as you can when making a career choice. If you find the downsides too overwhelming, it is best to eliminate that option. If you are pursuing a Plan Z career, you won't be able to make a significant impact on the field's future.