The moment a young student gives his +2 exams, he sees the whole of his life unravel in front of him; it takes the form of raw, fresh clay that he needs to mould in a way that will give him prosperity, satisfaction, happiness and maybe even recognition. He needs to decide his career amidst the kid of confusion that makes him feel like wanting to take refuge in the Himalayas! His mind is often torn between the popular choices of careers – that seem to display themselves like prostitutes in a red light area – and the run off the mill career options that seem to sing to him a tune that only he is accustomed to listen to. Parents, teachers, counselors and others, who are supposed to guide him to the right path, only end up adding to his confusion. Why is choosing a career path that only one person is to follow, ultimately turn into a harrowing episode for his family and loved ones too? Is it a case of too many cooks spoiling the broth? Perhaps it is, which makes it all the more necessary for you to think for yourself rather than constantly try to make sense of what others say. Here’s how to choose your career.
Choosing A Career
Here’s what you must do to choose the right career path for you:
Throw Notions To The Winds
Many of us, when we begin to seriously think about what one needs to choose as a career, end up getting carried away by all kinds of preconceived notions about which career choice would be ideal for us. We must remember that no career is ‘ideal’ for anybody and that, at the end of the day, it is what people make out of themselves that matters in the long run. Students, teachers as well as parents in a country like India are not open to ideas of trying new avenues like film making, entrepreneurship or travel journalism; many of us are yet to come out of the engineer-doctor-MBA hangover though the figures do look promising for other career options too. Thus, if you are opting for a career that is not the run-of-the-mill type, you will get to hear a lot of preconceived notions about a career like that. If you seem to think that you wish to be a jewellery designer, set aside any preconceived notions that people may feed you with for your choice of career. That will save you a lot of heartburn.
Analyse Yourself
This question isn’t as philosophical as it sounds, it is in fact highly practical – what were you born to do? Ask yourself this question and try to get to know your strengths and weaknesses. It pays to know what you are good at, what you need to improve on and what plan of action you should take for the future. If you realize that you are extremely creative with the pen but get the shiver whenever someone says “mathematics” then you should definitely opt for a more creative profession like Copywriting or writing for magazines rather than going for engineering as the career choice for you.
Counsel Me Right
You could also go to a career counselor for advice on the topic – those people are equipped to figure out where you fit in. Also, they are an excellent source of information when it comes to where to apply for a particular course that you plan to study. Some of them are so experienced and know so much in the field of career counseling that they would even give you a wonderful insight as to where you can study to be a sommelier! Though good ones are not too many in number – in fact, you can count the number of good career counselors on your fingertips – those who are good will definitely be able to give you the right guidance about what you plan to take up as a career.
Hobbies Turned Passions
Many of us realize, though rather late in life, that what we enjoy doing the most is what we should have chosen as a profession; others are the real dreamers who know that they can easily turn their hobby into a profession, even if it may mean that they may have to struggle for the initial years. If you feel you too are happiest taking up your hobby—be it music, dance, acting, photography, painting or even cooking—as a profession, then you are not alone. All you need is the strength and the perseverance to survive the initial years.
