Career search race is here! Let’s refocus from ‘KON THA’ to ‘KONSA HAI.’ Konsa career jo bas tumhare liye hai? Konsa career hai jo tumhari zindagi ko exciting bana de? 

The thought of even choosing a career scares you, right? It happens to almost everyone. And if you are confused, first congratulate yourself because you are a step closer as you started thinking about it. Today, numerous career options are present, so getting confused is fine. Before we start, take deep breaths and clear your blocks of stress or any other pressures. 

Understand that you need to explore a career, not just choose. Your profession would not be just about doing work, but it will be a lifestyle. Be honest and remember that you should invest a good time in this. It can be lengthy but worthy and simple with this steps. It is YOUR career, so DIY!

DIY: Explore a Career for you

Interests and Abilities

The things that you enjoy doing can make your career interesting and satisfying.

To figure out your interests, ask yourself:

• What are the things that keep you active?
• What are your hobbies?
• What would you miss if you no longer do it?
• Which topic takes your interest the most? (something you like researching extremely)

Take a paper and pen, and write your answers concisely and clearly.

Are you a good driver? Do people tell you that you have good driving skills? It is great. Now think about the first time you started learning it, your first drive, your confidence. After days of practising, you made it right. Same goes for skills. The best quality about skills is that you can develop and learn new skills at any stage of life. 

Think about your hard and soft skills.

• Hard skills: Skills you get from formal training, studies, or experience (programming, designing, writing).
• Soft skills: include transferable skills like teamwork, communication, and problem-solving.

Talents, Strengths, and Abilities

Reflect on yourself in search of your talents. Start by looking at your past. Look at the things you did and enjoyed. Look at the times when you really excelled. Ask yourself questions like ‘What am I most proud of that I’ve done? or “When was I so proud that I didn’t care what anyone thought?’

To know your strengths and abilities: keep your mind open and ask people around you. People who understand their strengths have a better grasp of what makes them unique such as flexibility to handle change, kindness, etc. 

Education, Personality, and Values

For some careers, you need qualifications or financial investments, or duration. For example, you may need 8-10 years to pursue doctor training and four years to pursue hotel management training. Note the time you can spend and the money you need to move ahead.

Personality is the way you think, behave and feel. Personality helps you to be more productive and happier in your role. Ask yourself:

• Are you a leader or a follower?
• Do you prefer working in a group or alone?
• Do you like creative or analytical work?
• Do you prefer a competitive culture or a cooperative one?

Values are attributes of the person you want to be. It includes your most important things like integrity, security, work-life balance, etc. Note your values, and reflect on what being successful means to you.

Lifestyle and salary

Salary is not the main factor in choosing your career but a dependable factor for your quality of life. Research it wisely! Your lifestyle is how you desire to live. For example, if you want to be a geologist, your lifestyle will include field visits and travel for on-site work. So choose accordingly to make the best fit career.

Research and Learn about Career Options

Today, a wide range of career options are available. To know about trending careers- tap here. Explore. research and learn. Do not limit yourself to only professions that you are familiar with.  Learn as much as you can about employers within your fields of interest and trends in the industry. 

LinkedIn publishes stats on the most in-demand jobs globally, variety of IT roles have been the highest in-demand for several years now, followed by salespeople and registered nurses. Research your field market more efficiently.

So, by merging all your answers, you might have found a direction to move ahead. Good job!

The Clearer Picture of your Career

So, some last factors that will help more to get a clearer picture:

•  Reality check for each career area you’re exploring.
•  Check its availability, competitive edge, and future scope.
•  Weigh the pros and cons.
•  Check if it matches: who you are and what you want.
•  What knowledge, skills, and experience are required to enter your field.
•  Are you satisfied? If not, research more; you will definitely find what’s in for you!

Note: Many people will guide you, and tell you what to do or choose. Just ask yourself, ‘Who has to do it?. It’s YOU who need to decide so DIY!

What’s next after graduation is a tough question to solve. Few common options are PGP and PGDP programs, masters, internships, jobs, MBA, startups. Still confused? Call on 1800-123-5000-47 to get FREE counselling and guidance from Yangpoo

By Khushi Shah