Some Helpful Advice on Choosing the Right Career

Is There a RIGHT Career?

Take a moment to go back to your childhood - for many of us, there were dreams of being a ballerina or a fireman or a police officer and perhaps our parents telling us that we could be anything we wanted to be if we just believed it (or clapped our hands or something).

Now flash forward to your current adult self. Are those dreams a reality? For many of us, our childhood dreams may have been just that or perhaps things in which we were passionate about suddenly were pushed to the side in favor of schooling or work or family commitments. Whatever the reason, our current job may be just something that pays the bills (mostly) and makes sure that we can eat on a daily basis.

Is there such a thing as the right career? In our current economic climate, some of those that had been laid off from their jobs found new meaning in their career - either by switching out right or turning their hobbies into careers. But is there a right career for YOU? Below is some helpful advice on choosing the right career that will give you more than what you may have thought.

Your Career

Many people may confuse job with career. A job is the thing you go to (usually) on a daily basis and that pays you for the work that you do. Some people like their jobs, others do not. A career is something that is passionate to you and something that you enjoy doing, even when it doesn’t pay the bills or gives you those worldly vacations.

Is there a right career? Yes, but it depends on the individual and what they themselves want from their career.

The first thing about choosing a career is knowing what it is that drives you, that makes you passionate. This isn’t how much you will

get paid or what will grant you the most security; this is about doing what you love. For example, a person has a job in an office, perhaps has been there for a few years and may be a part of management. However, their passion is writing. This is a person who can sit for hours thinking up creative stories or writing them; writing would be a career choice for this person.

The next thing about choosing a career is to ignore the negative voice. You know this voice - its the voice that says you’re too young or too old to change careers, that there’s too much work involved. With the current economic climate, this little voice will tell you that you should be grateful that you have a job when so many don’t and haven’t found work. Why would you want to rock the boat? Perhaps this isn’t a little voice inside you; perhaps it is friends or family. These negative voices will stop you from doing what you feel is the right course. DO NOT LET THEM!

To go with the above, is the scary prospect of risk. In life, there is risk and there can be a big risk in switching careers, especially in the midst of one of the worst economic downturns since World War II. Taking a leap of faith is scary and rightly so, but remember that playing it safe doesn’t always garner results either.

Ultimately, choosing the right career is in YOUR hands and needs to be what benefits YOU and allows you to do what YOU want to do. For some people, their current jobs are their careers, but people have walked away from six figure incomes and prominent positions in order to set up their garden shop or to teach, thus finding new careers or bringing those past times and hobbies to life. While you may have naysayers, you will also have supporters.

With the Internet and social networking, you can ask others how they choose their careers and how they made that leap of faith. Even those that walked away from six figure incomes felt as you do - downright scared! You aren’t alone. Just make sure that you are financially prepared and that you face the risk head on.

Image content @ Morgue File