You should carefully consider your values, interests, and personality before you make a decision about a career. After doing that, make a list with the careers you enjoy. Next, do informational interviews. It is important to avoid careers with many downsides, or which are very different from what you want.
Assessment of your values and interests
The first step in choosing a career is to identify your values, interests, and personality. You will be able identify what you are good at and what your most important values. These interests will help you decide which tasks are most satisfying.
Many tools are available to help you discover your interests and determine which occupations are best for them. Some of these tools are practical, like interest inventories. Although these tools do not provide an exact indicator of your career choices, they can be useful in identifying the best options.
You can create a mini-list to help you choose the career you want.
A mini-list of possible occupations can help you choose a career. This will help you narrow down your options and eliminate occupations you don’t enjoy or don’t fit with your interests. You should also eliminate any occupations that offer poor job prospects, or require you to have training or education.
Once you have narrowed your choices, it's time to think about your values and personal preferences. Do you value financial security? If so consider a career where you can work flexible hours while earning a great salary. Or are you someone who values work-life harmony? Consider your personality type if you aren't sure. If you have a strong work ethic and like to take initiative, consider a career that involves leading others.
To narrow down your options, use informational interviews
Informational interviews can be a great way for you to learn more about a specific industry or job. While they do not always lead to a job, they can be invaluable tools in narrowing down your career options. The first step in using informational interviews is preparing a set of questions that you would like to ask. Arrive at the interview 15 minutes before your scheduled time. Take a piece of paper and pen to the interview. 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.
Prepare thoughtful questions for the person you are interviewing if you know them. While it might seem awkward initially, you can improve your skills with practice. It's much easier to be comfortable answering questions that go deeper into the subject matter if you plan ahead.
Avoid careers with large negatives
When you're making a career decision, you should consider as many options as possible. You should consider if the potential downsides are too great to be true. Besides, you can't make a huge impact on the future of the field if you have a Plan Z career.