What career shall I choose?

This blog entry is for those that are still studying. By virtue of my profession, I have students that are doing their Form Five asking me this question. My common answer is usually, “Take care of your study now. Think about this only after your exam.” Although I want them to stay focused on what is important but I think I had missed out their intention behind this question. The person is concerned and serious about his future and though he has an exam to worry about, he is more forward-looking by looking beyond the exam. You see, if they decide what career to have, they will then know what kind of course/further study to take.

Thus, asking such a question is a good sign. So, how do I answer now?

Ok, there is really no absolute foolproof guide but the following are some cues that you can follow:-

1)Look within yourself

• Are you an introvert or extrovert? Most people are a mixture of both but one of the traits would stand out more than the other. Be honest about it and accept your personality make-up. A tip: an extrovert will get bored in a desk-bound job and an introvert will be too stressed-out dealing with people 8 hours a day.

• Do you like to think and analyze facts on your own OR do you prefer to hang out with people to talk things through? From here, you are able to gauge whether you should engage in a task /concept oriented or people-oriented job in the future.

• Do you have a special interest or talent in something? For example, some of you may have a gift in playing the piano and you have won some competitions in the past. If that’s the case, a career in music is a great possibility. Bear in mind: Talent and interest have to go hand-in-hand. Talent without interest will make you frustrated in the long run.

2) Look outside yourself

• Check out the job market. What are the jobs that are available? What are the jobs projected to be in demand in the next five to ten years now? If these jobs make a connection with your inclination, go a bit further by talking to people who are already doing the job – take this advice - a huge difference between reading an article about a job and talking to someone who are actually doing it!

Getting it right from young does make a difference – it certainly will spare you from headache and heartache later. But having said that, many who thought they made the right choice at the beginning may end up in a job that they don’t like.

Sometimes we may have read ourselves wrongly, sometimes due to environment influence – the people that we mix with, economic reasons, change of values and priorities in life and etc– all these factors may cause us to re-evaluate our career choices later in life.

But surely it’s a good idea to ask this question as early as possible in life so that you wont’ be spending the next 30 years on something that you were not sure about.

Ok, this is just a quick tip. If you are really serious about this, read more from a book.