What Career is Right for us?
Nastaran Sadeghi
HR Professional | HRIS I Talent Acquisition | Payroll & Benefits I CPHR Candidate
Before surfing on the internet, relax, drink warm tea or coffee, and free your mind from any emotional and environmental distractions. Then take a piece of paper and write down the answers to the following question:
SKILLS: What are your strengths and weakness?
INTERESTS: What sorts of activities and subjects do you find interesting?
STYLE: What style of work environment are you looking for?
VALUES: What values are important to you in your ideal career?
Everyone is looking for the highest-paying career, but please remember that to be successful in your desired path, you need to have enough potential, like education, experience, competencies, skills, interests, and of course, good connections.
While the salary should not be the only consideration in choosing a career, it is an essential factor in your life that can affect your professional and personal life.
Below are the most lucrative career paths and best-paying jobs based on median salary data from national surveys in 2019.
25. Locomotive Engineer (Average salary of $78,000)
24. Power Line & Cable Worker (Average salary of $80,000)
23. Elevator Mechanic (Average salary of $81,000)
22. Pipefitting Supervisor (Average salary of $81,000)
21. Occupational Therapist (Average salary of $82,000)
20. Head Nurse & Medical Supervisor (Average salary of $83,000)
19. Construction Manager (Average salary of $83,000)
18. Mining & Quarrying Supervisor (Average salary of $83,200)
17. Oil & Gas Drilling Supervisor (Average salary of $85,000)
16. Power Systems Electrician (Average salary of $86,000)
15. Statistician or Actuary (Average salary of $87,000)
14. Police Officer (Average salary of $88,000)
13. Electronics Engineer (average salary of $90,000)
12. Dentist (Average salary of $93,600)
11. Human Resources Manager (Average salary of $94,000)
10. Health Care Manager (Average salary of $95,000)
9. Financial Manager (Average salary of $96,000)
8. Nurse Practitioner (Average salary of $104,000)
7. School Principal & Administrator (Average salary of $100,000)
6. Scientific Research Manager (Average salary of $102,000)
5. Engineering Manager (Average salary of $106,000)
4. Health & Community Service Manager (Average salary of $110,000)
3. Business Executive (Average salary of $110,000)
2. Public Administration Director (Average salary of $110,000)
1. Utility Manager (Average salary of $114,000)
Nine Helpful Advice
You need to understand your potential to know what career is right for you. Before you find out your potential, we can go over some tips. As a helpful guide for figuring out what career is right for us, I would suggest you nine pieces of advice from over a dozen company leaders and career experts who have not only been through the struggle themselves but have guided many people through answering this exact question of ‘what career is right for us?’
The advice ranges from NOT following your “passion,” finding your “sweet spot,” and giving yourself a quiz:
1. Don’t follow passion alone; follow your FIT and future
I will not tell you to track your passion because, all too often, when deciding on a career path, people focus only on their love and the ultimate impact the work will have, which are only part of the story. Satisfaction with your career is about FIT.
To find the career that is the right fit for you, you must first get in touch with your 4 P’s – passion, personality, preferences (for work pace, type of work, work environment, etc.), and principles (to learn more about these things, take self-assessments such as: What is Your Leadership Personality?). Next, learn more about the work you are considering (beyond simply the ultimate impact) with an emphasis on the "day-to-day" experience of "doing the job."
My professional advice is to do your best to find a combination of a career that taps into your passion and one that will be viable in the future.
Clues to finding your passion
Confirm your passion
Will Your Career Be Around in the Future?
Career changers should research careers that they are interested in by going to the Online Occupational Handbook. You can type in the job title that you are interested in and then read an article that gives you information about the projected growth of that field. The article will tell you if the field is expected to grow, stay flat, or decline over the next 10 years. Armed with this information you can make an informed decision about your career choice.
2. Look for the overlap of three things that make up your career “sweet spot.”
When you wonder, “What career is right for me?” it is best to think about the intersection between what you are good at, what organizations need to be done or what the world needs, and what you enjoy doing. The overlap between those three areas is your sweet spot, your career. To help populate this Venn diagram, think about your skills and interests rather than job titles or genres; you might be surprised to see what the things you enjoy doing add up to career-wise, and it’ll expand your search, as similar skills can be applied to a wide variety of careers.
?Also, think about the overall work environment of someone in the different careers you are considering. Do you thrive when moving around all day or when you get uninterrupted time at a desk? Do you like a predictable schedule or variety? Do you enjoy interacting with others or working solo on projects? Think about when you have done your best work and felt your best, and use that as a guide to narrow down what type of career might be best for you.
Separately, research helps! If you know someone in a field you are thinking about, ask if they’ll have a short coffee with you (your treat) to discuss the day-to-day duties of the job. Interviewing is another good way to determine what career is right for you. You can learn a lot about jobs by being interviewed for them, and an interview often forces you to boil down your interests and skills, even if it is not a good fit.
In choosing a career, I recommend that individuals find the “sweet spot” between the following elements:
1)???Their “superpowers,” or those skills that come naturally to them, require little mental or physical resources, and they feel compelled to do
2)???Their “superpowers,” which can be monetized
3)???Their core values which will lead to fulfillment when met
4)???Their mission or message
My rationale for looking at one’s “superpowers” or “zone of genius” is that the process of changing careers or building a business requires a lot of time and energy. This ensures that the actual “work” will energize them, rather than drain them.
It is important to figure out what will fulfill these career seekers rather than what has driven them in the past. Determining their core values through assessments or experimentation will help them make career decisions and avoid “shiny object syndrome.”
Aligning your career with your mission (or message) can sustain you when setbacks occur (or when the money is not flowing right away). It may be necessary to take a look at these aspects as one grows and evolves, particularly for those navigating a change in their career.
My best tip is to look for jobs in a different way than everyone else. You should choose a company and a role in that company based on if the activities you will be doing on that job are ones that you 1) enjoy, 2) are good at, and 3) if it’s a job that is available to you.
Finding the right career is like searching for the sweet spot intersection between what you enjoy and what you’re good at, and what the marketplace will pay for you to do. Without a bit from each area, the road to a fulfilling career is longer and harder.
Like many other questions in your professional life, what career is right for me? Can be answered by digging into the questions underneath:
_ Do you like meeting new people or working alone instead?
_ Does your heart pound when someone says let us get creative or when you hear, let us find the bottom line numbers?
_ Is your day all about fresh air and movement, or do you live for the perfect computer workstation and online peers?
_ Could you sell sand in the desert, or are you a blunt and direct communicator?
_ Can you motivate a group to perform, even when circumstances are less than perfect?
_ Do you catch every little mistake and overlooked detail?
_ Are there any jobs advertised like the one you envision?
_ Are there any businesses similar to what you are planning?
_ Do people want what you are offering enough to pay for it?
It is important to take the time to answer all the questions and even bounce your ideas off of a coach or mentor. Some common issues I’ve seen include people who follow their bliss right into financial ruin, those who take a job that eventually makes them sick, or those who are always in demand but only for favours/barter and not pay. Once you answer the core questions, you can compare your answers to available information on selected careers.
3. Ask yourself some honest questions
In career development workshops and one-on-one coaching, I always emphasize that people must be thoughtful and analytical about their job decisions. Too often, people base it on emotion, and when a bad situation arises may jump from one lousy job to another.
First, I recommend people do some soul-searching on what they really want out of their career. This can be introspectively on your own or with a career coach. Here are some questions people should think through and answer:
It is a journey — so be sure to enjoy the ride. If you do not know what career is best for you, do some homework to get the answers. Consider it a scavenger hunt! Pay attention to clues; these will lead you to answers and additional questions. Follow your internal GPS to keep moving forward. Otherwise, you may feel lost or stuck. It is essential to stay the course.
For starters, you can just figure out what brings you joy. If you were told you had to work on a Saturday morning, what job would make you leap out of bed (yes, even on a weekend)? What do you enjoy doing? What have you done as a hobby that you could parlay into a full-time job? Do you like to cook? Interested in science fiction? Love to write blogs?
In the same way, decide what is most important to you.
If money is high on the list, look for in-demand jobs in industries that offer a lucrative career. If you want to help people and can see yourself in a service-oriented role, check out jobs at non-profits. You will be happiest once you determine what brings you joy and what kinds of careers will most likely provide you with that joy when you consider job prospects, salary, benefits and more.
If you are not sure what you would enjoy, ask people you know if you can shadow them for a day at their job. Find out what they love most about their job, what they like the least. If they could change one thing about it, what would they change? What is their work-life balance like? What about their stress levels? Are they constantly working on deadlines, or is their work more predictable and at a slower pace?
Most important, know that it is OK if you change your mind! The best career path for you right now might not fit you in 10 years. You may outgrow it or change your course — and that is totally fine.
4. Ask people (and experts) who are already “in the field.”
Vocational anticipatory socialization is an individual's process as s/he selects a career.
Unfortunately, many times the career ideal does not match the reality. One way to protect against this and really understand a career is to interview someone already in the field, someone you can count on to give you the job's good, bad, and ugly.
Additionally, when considering career options, be clear if your current skill set matches the career and/or determine what further training you may need. This is important because there is always a risk of the so-called Peter Principle — a person getting promoted to his or her level of *incompetence*. That is, just because you are an outstanding Marketing Rep, does that mean you will be a great Marketing Director? Not necessarily.
Lastly, even with your current skills and interests that are driving your present career aspirations, count on this changing over time and, therefore, leading to ever-changing career interests. Consider, a recent study revealed that millennials jump at least four times in their first decade out of college; as a result, it’s essential to know that in choosing careers, you need to reflect on where you see yourself in five years *every three years!*
The easiest way to discover the right career for you is to listen to the right voices. Nope, not to your inner child or the whispers of your long-hidden passion – you have to listen to career stakeholders – potential clients, former managers and mentors, colleagues, friends, etc. The answer is all around you, and it comes in the form of your brand, i.e. what you are known for. What people say about you when you are not in the room.
Step one – Find your brand:
Could you tell me how you found this? Simple: could you consider why people call you? Are you the data guy, the tech whiz, or the voice of reason who can shift through various opinions to come to an optimal solution? It is essential to look at trend lines as opposed to one-offs. This pattern will give you insight as to what you are good at.
Step two – Consider the gaps:
First, is there a marketing gap? i.e. a difference between what people know about your skillset and what it actually is? For example, I transitioned HR through training so people saw me as an instructor. They needed to learn about my prior career in sales and business management. Sharing that widened my career opportunities and altered my brand. Soon the phone started ringing for different reasons.
Second, is there a gap between your skills and what you want to do?
This comes in two varieties. Sometimes there are elements of our past careers that we would like to let go of, even if we are good at them. And sometimes, we desire to build a brand around something, a skill we’ve yet to acquire. Example: consider a C-suite executive who wants to become a speaker. They may get calls for business consulting, a skill they have but no longer want to pursue – and at the same time, struggle to secure an audience as a speaker, for although they know, they have not proven themselves in that area.
Step three: Craft a plan:
Plenty of assessments can give you insights into what you should do for a living. Some are helpful, but none should decide for you. Listen to yourself and your audience. People usually know what they want to do. The hard part is constantly advancing skills in that area and ensuring people know about it.
You need to understand your potential to know what career is right for you. I will present five career steps to help you know your potential better.
5. Turn your hobby into a career
Finding a career for you requires a bit of self-reflection. It is important to think critically about what it is that you like. Is there anything that excites your or passions that you have? Further, do you have hobbies that could translate to a career somehow? Thinking critically and answering some of these questions can help put you on the right path to discovering the best career for you! You can also start networking and having informational interviews to explore career possibilities. You can find people with careers that seem interesting to you (and hopefully fit in with your responses to the above questions) and reach out to them to learn more about their role, company, and career path.
6. Give yourself an assessment to gain self-awareness
Job fit is the number one reason people excel in their careers. How do you find out the type of jobs that best fit you?
Millennials, in particular, have been taught that they can do anything they want and be successful. The truth is, in an ideal world, that may be true. However, the reality is if you are not willing to do the work required, acquire and master the necessary skills, or complete the job in a manner that helps others, you will be unhappy and unemployed (possibly, unemployable).
First, use a qualified assessment (used by companies) to determine your thinking style, occupational interest (does not mean you currently have the skills but are willing to acquire them) and core behavioural traits. Do not rely on assessment products that solely provide face validity. These only show you how you want to be seen, not how you are.
Second, with this clarity, focus on the key areas that interest you. This will help you sell yourself. Many readers and participants in workshops have quickly found employment after being unemployed for long periods. They have also used the information to increase their paychecks, receive promotions and be able to sell themselves for other opportunities.
Third, rewrite your resume and network using the brag factors! They work!
Fourth, become a stellar employee. Learn the ho-hum basic skills, particularly soft skills, and build on these skills. Knowing how to input data or find out information is not the same as using it appropriately to make the best decisions and learn from your mistakes [when working towards a fulfilling career]
领英推荐
Self-awareness is of utmost importance in deciding which career is right. Here are top considerations to build self-awareness that allow you to home in on — the right career options:
7. Ask people who know you well
There are two possible questions we can ask to help us determine for ourselves what career is right for us.
First, we can ask about our employment history. Without awareness, many professionals naturally choose a career path for themselves as they work up the ranks in their given profession.
For example, a Junior Designer who became a Graphic Designer and then managed other designers should very obviously pursue a career in design management.
Sometimes individuals need help seeing the forest instead of all of the individual trees. By reviewing their career history, you may identify a pattern that will point the applicant in the right direction.
Second, if the job applicant is relatively inexperienced and needs a solid employment history to mine for patterns, they may require direct advice from people who know them best.
Simply asking a handful of your most close friends or even family, what they think you excel at, may result in at least getting pointed in the right direction. Asking people who know you best is the most surefire way to get an outside perspective on what you excel at, but you may need to realize you excel.
In summary, by either consulting people who know you well or analyzing your career history for trends and patterns, most applicants should get a solid idea of what industry they should be working in and in what capacity.
8. Take a “non-box” approach
Finding a career is a personal process. Develop a list of everything you enjoy doing professionally and personally, and have enjoyed in the past, examine themes, then dive into some non-box research. Talk with people in fields that interest you – but also with people outside of your areas of interest. Talking with people with different perspectives often leads us to think creatively and can lead to ‘a-ha’ moments.
Test out career possibilities. Take a class or talk to people in that career. Test out skills related to that career in your workplace or volunteer organizations such as professional or service organizations. For example, an attorney interested in event planning might help plan an event within their company or volunteer organization.
Lastly, could you step back? Everything is connected – who you are, your life, and your well-being is reflected in your professional self. Remaining resilient help make sound decisions, think clearly, and creatively and maintain the persistence needed to find a career. Step back from this decision at times and engage in healthy, enjoyable activities to keep your mind conditioned.
9. It all boils down to a few questions and factors that apply to you
When we are little, we are constantly asked the question: “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Our answers tend to be very clear-cut careers like “an astronaut,” “a vet,” or “a firefighter.” Even as we grow up, we tend to pursue a particular program of study, expecting to follow a linear path toward our chosen Career.
Some people do have a deep-seated passion, what we might term a ‘calling’, and will pursue that path single-mindedly. Others – in fact, I would argue most of us – are more likely to end up in a particular career accidentally. We may get a first job after our studies because of a personal connection or a chance encounter, or we often follow some expected path more or less on autopilot. Our careers will then evolve organically over time as we progress to different roles, make various lateral moves, get promoted, and so on.
Partly as a result of this ‘accidental’ career choice, I believe a growing number of professionals are beginning to question whether they really are in the right job and to look for more meaning and fulfillment. Indeed, we have evolved beyond the ‘job for life,’ and you’re likely to have different jobs throughout your professional life and other careers.
So now that you have woken up and decided that you want to be more proactive about pursuing the right career path for you – or at least, your next career move – how can you go about finding what that move might be?
Here are four questions I would recommend asking to identify the best career move for you:
1)???What is important to you in a career?
2)???What are you good at?
3)???What do you care about?
4)???What will actually generate an income?
Here I clarify each question:
1) What is important to you in a career?
The best place to start when it comes to deciding on the right career path for you is to decide on what is actually essential to you. Another way of looking at this is how you define ‘success’ regarding a potential career.
In answering this question, strip away what your parents believe, what your teachers told you, and what your friends and colleagues are doing. Go back to basics and define what is important to YOU. Essentially, you are creating the criteria for your dream job here. You’ll want to consider things like location, schedule, the type of work, how much money you want to earn, the kind of people you’re working with, the level of autonomy, how much learning you want to have on the job…
For example, is it essential to be able to have a flexible work arrangement so that you can spend time with your young family? Do you want to be able to work independently or express your creativity freely? Is it your dream to travel extensively with work or between jobs? As you list these criteria, think carefully about which of these are non-negotiable and which are ‘nice to have’ but not essential.
2) What are you good at?
Now it’s all very well to say that success for me is becoming a prima ballerina in the Bolshoi Ballet, but if I haven’t danced since I was 12 years old and I can’t even touch my toes, that’s probably not going to be a viable career choice for me at this stage of my life. So once you’ve defined the criteria for your ideal job, you’ll also need to ask: “What am I good at?”
Think beyond the evident skills that are specific to your current role and consider broader skills that can be transferred to different situations. You can include the skills you have developed in previous jobs, hobbies, and activities in your spare time. For example, you may have experience managing complex projects under tight deadlines or managing social media networks like Facebook and Twitter.
It is not just a question of hard skills; you should also consider your strengths and talents. I have a friend, for example, who is a creative and innovative problem solver, always finding an ingenious and unexpected solution. With such a profile, she is probably not well suited to a large traditional company where it is important to play by the rules and follow standard processes; instead, she’ll likely thrive in a more flexible environment, such as in a startup where agility and resourcefulness are skills that are much sought after.
3) What do you care about?
This question gets to the very heart of why many of us feel unfulfilled in our jobs. We may be good at what we are doing, and it may tick many of our boxes regarding working arrangements and benefits, but if we fundamentally don’t care about our work, we will feel unsatisfied. We are also not going to be giving our best to the company.
My own choice to leave my full-time job three years ago was related to this question, as I asked myself: “Do I really care about selling ‘smelly water’ (as someone, I forget who, once called the luxury perfume that I was selling)?” I came from a background of studying African development. I wanted to work in an international organization, so my actual employment in consumer goods marketing was constantly at odds with my initial career goals. This is an area that I’m still working on, in fact, reconciling my skills and experience from a particular sector with the values I have and a more extensive ‘mission’ or purpose.
So what do you care about? This can be what we might class as a classic ‘good cause’ – for example, taking care of the environment, protecting animal rights, providing support for the homeless – but it does not have to be. You might be passionate about making life easier for families with better products in the home, bringing innovation to a traditional industry, or building a community of like-minded people, or you might care about promoting music and art or cultivating beauty and fashion. The point is that this is a very personal choice, and you should make it without any sense of guilt or comparing it to what other people are doing.
4) What will actually generate an income?
Ah, money. I just wanted to let you know that I have intentionally left this point for last. Having a secure and stable income is one of the main reasons cited why we should stay in our jobs, even if we are unhappy, and it’s one of the main criteria for most of us when making career decisions. “It’s all very well to follow your passion,” they’ll say, “but how will you pay your bills?”
Many of my clients need help with what they *really* want to do and what they think will make them the most money. Often, money is not even an essential value for them; they have explicitly said that they are not desperate for an immediate income when starting their business or that they do not need to earn a considerable salary. And yet they will often lean towards making a commercial decision as to the choice that will generate the biggest income rather than the one that best fits their values and preferences.
There is an underlying belief that doing what you love will never pay. As I wrote last week, however, could not it also be argued that doing what you love will mean working harder and producing better outputs than being unhappy and unmotivated at work?
Whatever you believe in this regard, money is a consideration, and you must consider how you will earn your income. If you are looking for a new job, what types of companies will value people with your skills, strengths, and experience? Which industries might you be best suited for, and which types of roles? If you are thinking of working freelance, as a consultant, or starting a business: Who will be the clients that buy your services? Whose problem are you solving? Is your idea actually a viable business proposition?
It can be challenging for job seekers to determine if a career path is right. Maybe you have tried several jobs already and not found one that ‘clicked.’ If that is the case, take a look at a few key factors to determine what career is right for you.
Interactions
The amount of contact you have with coworkers, customers and the public at large can be a significant factor in deciding if a career is a good fit for you. If you are a ‘people person,’ then sitting in a cubicle all day managing data will not be satisfying long-term. On the other hand, if you prefer to concentrate on details and not deal with many people, ensure you are not taking on a customer service role – you will burn out in a few months.
Growth potential
When looking at a career, focus on more than the short term. Yes, you need a job now, but make sure you are looking for a position with potential advancement. Look at job descriptions for your dream job – the one you hope to have someday and retire from. What kind of qualifications and experience does it require? Will the jobs you are looking at fulfill those requirements?
Research
One of the most effective ways to tell if a career is right for you is to talk with people in that career. It is easier than ever to find people willing to give you advice and input about their jobs – discover influencers on LinkedIn, Twitter, blogs, or through old-fashioned face-to-face networking.
Many websites provide online testing to determine which career path is better for you. However, you can find out what career path matches your values, qualifications, education, and background. What I can do is give you five steps to clarify your potential according to what you want from your professional life. Then you can make your decision.
Here are these five steps:
Step 1 - Skills
Rate your skill level for the following attributes from 1 to 5 (from the lowest to the highest):
Logic: reasoning and problem-solving
Management: planning, proper use of time and resources
People: interaction with others, ability to train and counsel
Mechanical: working with tools and equipment
Communication: listening, speaking and working with others
Judgment: making clear, decisive decisions
Attention: focus on the problem at hand
Thinking: working with new ideas and creative thinking
Physical: strength, agility, and dexterity
Senses: eyesight and hearing
Step 2 - Interests
Rate your interest level in the following subjects and activities from 1 to 5:
Art: painting, drawing, and sculpture
Business: economics, finance, and marketing
Law: legal and criminal justice
Computers: programming and information technology
Science: math, physics, and technology
Medical: biology and healthcare
Culinary: Food and drinks
Construction: working with your hands
Office: working in an office environment
Outdoors: working outside of an office
Step 3 - Work Style
Rate how closely each style of work matches your personality from 1 to 5:
Attention to Detail: careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks
Integrity: Being honest and ethical
Initiative: taking on responsibilities and challenges
Dependability: reliable, responsible, and dependable
Persistence: not giving up in the face of obstacles
Cooperation: being pleasant with others and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude
Achievement: maintaining personally challenging goals and exerting effort towards achieving them
Adaptability: open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace
Leadership: willingness to lead, take charge, and offer opinions and direction
Analytical Thinking: analyzing information and using logic to address issues and problems
Independence: completing tasks with little or no supervision
Stress Tolerance: accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high-stress situations
Innovation: using creativity and alternative thinking to develop new ideas
Self-Control: keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behaviour
Concern for Others: being sensitive to others' needs and feelings
Sociability: preferring to work with others rather than alone
Step 4 - Values
Rate how important each of these values is to you in your ideal career from 1 to 5:
Support: management that stands behind employees
Working Conditions: job security and good working conditions
Achievement: results-oriented and allows employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment
Independence: employees allowed to work on their own and make decisions
Recognition: potential for advancement and a role in leadership
Relationships: employees provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment
Step 5 - Requirements
Answer the following questions:
1. What is the minimum salary you seek in a career?
2. What sort of educational requirements are you looking for in a career? The answers could be A) Doesn’t matter,?B) High school or less, C) Some college or continuing studies, D) Bachelor’s degree or Associate degree, and E) Master’s degree or higher
3. What sort of projected job market growth are you seeking in a career? The answers could be A) Doesn’t matter, B) No change or better, C) Average growth or better, and D) Faster than average growth.
After all the above steps are DONE, you can find out what kind of characteristics you have, what your desired path would be, what field (s) you are matched with or interested in, and what you need to improve according to get your chosen career.
- Nastaran Sadeghi, HR Professional
Mechanical Project Manager / Estimator
5 年Great advices, thanks.
Full Stack Developer
5 年I liked your approach to the topic. Thanks