How to Find Out What Type of Career is Right for You

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Are you unsure about what career path to take? Choosing the right career is an issue for millions of people around the world. Many individuals settle for the first job opportunity that comes their way and work in a role they dislike for the rest of their career. This is a situation you can avoid by finding out what type of career is right for you. Below are some ways you can do this.

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Assess Your Personality and Suitability to Work in Certain Jobs

First of all, you have to look inwards and assess your own personality. Some people are more sociable than others, while other people are more reserved and like to solve problems on their own. This means different people with different personalities are suited to different types of work.

Before you start any career, it’s vital to have a better understanding of your personality, skills and talents. Completing personality tests, quizzes, interviews, and questionnaires are all effective ways to reach this understanding. You can even take this exercise a step further by using resources like Career Code which reveals more about your personality and what positions would be the most suitable for your type of personality.

List Your Interests and Hobbies

Some people are lucky enough to have a hobby or interest that also allows them to make a living from this activity. This is the perfect situation because your job may not feel like work at all. To get the ball rolling, list all of your hobbies and interests and find out if it’s possible to work in any of these areas.

Work Experience

To really get a feel for a particular job or career, you need to get your feet wet by getting some relevant work experience. You could start by volunteering, starting an internship or working as a freelancer. This initial work experience will be invaluable when you decide what career steps to take next.

Talk to People Who Work in a Specific Industry

The people who work in a particular industry for a long time are probably the best people to talk to about what career path to take. These professionals should be able to tell you about the type of work they do, the different roles you can have and what personal and technical attributes you need. This could save you hours researching an industry or prevent you from starting a job you won’t be suitable for.

Get Advice from a Career Counselor

Professional career counselors can also help you make better career decisions. They have the skills and knowledge required to evaluate you and suggest certain types of careers that may be more suitable for you, than others. Once again, they will start with your personality and skills and work outwards.

For most people, choosing a career is one of the biggest decisions and one of the most difficult decisions they will ever make. Most aspects of your life will depend on the job you do, so it’s vital to take note of each of the points made here.

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Jeremy Kaplan

A 50-something year old lifestyle, career, and education blogger based in Atlanta, Georgia. Years of experience in the office setting working with others and still loving it year-after-year.

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