How to find the right career for you

How to Find the Right Career

Q: Should I choose a career because of job outlook—even if I think I’ll hate the work?

A: What’s hot and what’s not predictions of supply and demand, outlook, or descriptions of futuristic careers are not reliable, nor realistic. But, inter-networking and interpersonal networking will provide data needed to set career field and job function goals.

• If you can describe a job, you might someday get that job.

• If you’ve met someone with a job you would like, you can someday get that job.

• The more people you meet in career fields of interest, the more likely you will succeed in those fields.

These three statements provide realistic and time-tested approaches to how to find the right career (and what career to choose) and goal articulation. Today, learning about career fields, jobs and educational requirements, is a point and click away.

If you’re wondering how to find the right career for you, enter any career-related phrase, including those you hear about in “top fields” and “future careers” articles, into Google, Yahoo, Bing or Ask. As you read downward, look inward and think about values, interests and personality traits—not about outlook. Soon, you will be able to state: “The more I read about [insert three fields], the more I want to meet someone in these fields.”

Soon after inter-networking, conduct interpersonal networking. This involves e-mail communiqués, reviews of profiles on career websites, as well as in person or phone interactions.

Networking via “information conversations” is how you learn about career and educational biographies. The last question you should always ask is: “Can you suggest two or three persons I can talk to about their backgrounds?”

Once you have role models, you can follow in their metaphorical footsteps and the path becomes so much clearer. While you should envision weeks, months and years ahead, don’t try to control the future. Take steps that involve continued cyber sleuthing, networking for information and inquiry to potential internship sites or formal application for hire.

Introspection and information yield goal clarification! Soon, you will know what career to choose!

Through books, articles and counseling, Burt Nadler, a career services professional, inspires high school students, college students and others to clarify, articulate and, step by step, to attain career, academic and personal goals.