After a certain age, many of us run out of the luxury to say we don’t know what we want to do for the rest of our lives. People expect us to know what career we want to pursue or even expect us to be on the right path by a specific age. It is however not unusual to not know what careers we want to pursue or how to get there. Whether you are struggling to decide on a career, looking to switch from your current one, or starting out afresh; read on to discover some key ways to finding the right career for you and how to succeed at it;
Discover Your Interests
There is a very valid cliche that you stand a chance of succeeding at a career when you love what you do. You can only love what you do when you find it interesting. Make a list of all the things that you are passionate about and narrow it down to your most favourite.
Sometimes these interests are not exactly your hobbies, they could also be careers you idolize and secretly wish to pursue.
For instance ; if your interests are writing and cooking, yet you fancy a career as a pilot, that too is an interest. You may not know how to fly yet, but you are likely to succeed at it because you genuinely fancy it.
Define Your Goals
Once you settle on an interest, make a list of what goals you want to achieve. Do you imagine yourself progressing all the way to the peak of your desired career? Or do you wish to do just enough and be able to have time for other areas of your life?
To ensure your goals are achievable, consider your plans in other aspects of your life. Do you wish to move overseas, have a family, etc.? All these will go a long way in informing what career you can have, how likely you are to succeed at it and how further up you can go on that ladder.
Consider Additional Skills and Qualifications You’ll need
Once your goals are clearly defined, it is time to have a reality check. Do you have what it takes to land a job in your prospective career field or do you need to get certain skills and qualifications?
If you have what it takes, jump right in. If not, it might be time to get to work.
Dedicate Time and Resources to the Journey
Assuming you realized you didn’t have the right skills and qualifications needed, you will need the patience to put in time and resources.
Take relevant courses, get a degree if that is what is required. Bury your head and learn whatever you need to make yourself fit for the job.
Some people make the mistake of concluding that they do not have enough time or that it’s too late. It’s never too late to start your dream career. Time will pass anyway, so why not start now?
Explore the Job Market
Once you are fully organized, it is time to explore the job market. If you are new to the career field, you might have to start from scratch. Look for entry level roles, internships or volunteer opportunities to gather experience. This will make it easier for you to climb up gradually.
Sometimes you might have to move out of your familiar jurisdiction to find a job. Keep exploring till you find what you are looking for.
Don’t give up after a couple of tries. It is always hard to get in, but not impossible. Keep applying to open positions till you get a job.
Reach out to People in Your Desired Field
The easiest way to succeed at a new career is to get closer to those who have been there for long. You can learn more from people than any course will ever teach you. These people are also capable of directing you on what steps to take to get a job in the field. They can even alert you when there are vacancies in that field.
Keep networking until you make it to where you want to be.
Reroute as Many Times as Needed
Sometimes you could go through all these steps, get into the chosen career and realize it is not the one for you – don’t beat yourself up. It is very normal.
Finding the right career is sometimes a game of trial and error. Keep on strategizing until you find what works for you best.
As long as you are alive, don’t settle till you find what exactly you want.
