Choosing your career

by
College Directory Columnist

May 4, 2010

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If your childhood and youth days were similar to mine, let me guess: you were asked millions times what you wanted to do when adult.

This repeated question had different askers: parents, relatives, teachers at school, etc. It was a common question, and the answers could be varied, from anything in the whole world you could imagine to fantastic choices (everyone wants to be a hero). Depending on who was the preferred one, we wanted to be Super-Girl, Superman, Rambo, etc.

Now, the moment has arrived in which you are the asker, and the question is: which is the best career for you. Perhaps for the very first time in your life you have to answer, just for yourself: "What am I going to do with my life?"

Frequently vocation isn't a "clear calling" moving your steps all along your life since childhood, but many vocational experts consider that there are some signals to be aware of.

a) Consider "listening" to sincere and not interested people. If they are praising you for your qualities or talents, what are they telling you about yourself?

b) Sure there are special things you love to do because they give you the most pleasure. Give them a chance. These feelings are suggesting you which are the activities that coincide with your inner drive and motivation.

c) You are the unique, the sole person, the best in the world to know your main skills and your qualifications. You have had a sort of training during your past elementary education and high school days to have this profound knowledge.

d) An ideal aspect to consider is the legacy you want to leave. What in this world do you want to be known for? This is a feeling that will help you to maintain your commitment and direction and to overcome the inconveniences you will find during your higher education studies.

Now you can get advice from personality profiles and vocational assessment tools. They will analyze your personality traits, interests, values and abilities. At the end they will suggest occupations that 'fit' with your individual's inclination.

Finally you may take this advice, always incorporating you personal likes and dislikes into the final analysis, as a route guide to determine which jobs and consequently which careers are the "advisable" for you. Finding the career to fit your vocation is a construction and it may even be a repeated choice along life. It may take time to find the best one for you but it is a stimulating task.