How to Choose a Career Path

An essential step to choosing a career is getting to know yourself and what your lifelong goals are. A helpful method would be to ask yourself the following:

• Interest-based questions: e.g., Do you want to work on-site, remote, or hybrid?
• Value-based questions: e.g., What are your priorities?
• Trait-based questions: e.g., What are your strengths?

Every person has unique interests and skillsets, which is why when picking a career, you must consider your skills and interests to find the right career path for you.

Knowing your interests helps you find out what you like doing tirelessly, what your strengths are, what an ideal work environment would be for you, etc.

Though general workforce skills (organization, effective communication, creativity, problem-solving, and computer skills) are necessary for most occupations, you can utilize the skills you possess to find a career that is most compatible for you.

An essential step toward choosing the right career is creating a clear vision of your future by combining your motivations with your long-term goals. Your motivations should include a list of criteria for an ideal job for you, such as salary, benefits, flexibility, autonomy, career growth, etc. In addition, you should also compile a list of long-term goals for your professional and personal life and how to achieve them.

Changing your career or advancing in it may require additional education in said field. However, continuing education can mean investing more time and resources, higher expenses, less free time, and added challenges to maintain a healthy work-life balance. Therefore, you should consider if continuing your education is worthwhile for your career and if you can afford it financially and personally.

To get a new perspective on how to pick a career, you can also try seeking advice from professionals trained to help people on finding which profession suits them best, like career coaches or career guidance counselor at the various high schools or Student Support Service Division

Self-assessment and research are crucial elements for picking the right career. They help you find out where you stand and how compatible you are with an occupation.

Taking tests to prepare for self-assessment is vital to choosing a career and later finding a job in the said career.

• Personality tests: tests like MBTI, 16PF, and NEO-PI can help you find which occupation is similar to your traits and strengths.
• Career aptitude tests: these tests help you find occupations that suit your skills and interests. You can use the 123 Aptitude Test and CareerExplorer as free tools for self-assessment.
• Job skills tests: they help verify you possess the skills on the resume. You can use TestDome for various tests for different occupations.
• Students who will be pursuing their study in the Netherland should also review:
  https://www.studiekeuze123.nl/

Another helpful way of self-assessing and getting to know yourself is to volunteer. Volunteering also benefits you by:

• Helping you learn more about what your strengths are, where to improve, and how to develop people skills.
• Developing new skills necessary to the workforce, like organization, communication, and teamwork skills.
• Teaching you how to apply for jobs and practicing interviewing by applying for volunteering open spots.
• Expanding your network and providing references.
• Building confidence in your skills and strengths and achieving your goals.

So, you should try volunteering in your local community centers, food banks, animal shelters, and retirement and nursing homes, not only to gain a fresh perspective but to build connections and a warm community as well.