What is the right job for you?

We’ve all thought it: ‘What do I want to do when I grow up?’ We sit and wonder what job we want to do, and what career path is best.

And it is natural to wonder as in most cases, you will work in this field for the rest of your life.

But how can you decide? How can you ensure you work in a career that you will still be passionate about in 30 years’ time?

The truth is – you can’t predict the future. And there may come a time when you consider changing careers. However, as we are about to show you, it is easier than you think to find the right job for you. You just need to consider the following when choosing a career path:

1. Your personality – you should always aim to find a job that will play to your strengths and minimise your weaknesses. That is why it is important to take your personality into account. Start by writing a list about your character traits (both your pros and your cons) and get someone unbiased to review it so you don’t miss anything about yourself that you may be blind to.For instance, are you creative? Do you like to follow set routines and plans? Do you like to organise things in advance, or are you more of a last minute organiser? Do you like crunching numbers, or does the idea of data break you out into a cold sweat? Consider it all, and see which of your character traits are suitable for what type of job.

   If you’re struggling, you can perform a Google search of ‘best career for someone who is x, y and z’ and see which careers get flagged up. You might be pleasantly surprised.

2. What are your hobbies – the saying goes ‘take the things you love doing and make them into a career’ and it is true. If you could spend your days doing your favourite hobby then you’d jump right on board. We suggest making a list of all the things you love to do and start thinking about how you could turn them into a job/ start making a living from them.Now, we appreciate that not all hobbies can be turned into a home business. In this situation, we recommend focusing on particular elements of your hobby. For example, if you love to draw you could explore a career in marketing or as a graphic designer. Similarly, if you love animals you could train to work in a vets or become a dog groomer.
3. Qualifications – what qualifications have you already got? These will influence your job choices, so before you embark on a career, have a quick overview of what qualifications you’ve already got under your belt. Even if you decide to pursue a career in something that you’ve got no training in, a lot of your existing skills are probably transferable.Next, take it a step further and look at which aspects of your education you most enjoyed. Is there one subject that really stood out? Or is there a part of your degree that you really enjoyed doing e.g. you loved giving presentations but hated the report process. With this list, look for jobs that revolve around what you enjoyed most during your studies.
4. Hours/work schedule – what hours do you want to work? Whilst most jobs tend to be 9am-5pm, there are plenty which follow different work patterns. This can give you the flexibility to choose a career that moulds to your personality and working preferences e.g. working nights, unorthodox hours or having days off midweek instead of at the weekend.
5. Career test – if you’re really struggling to find your career niche, then you could try doing a career test. These aren’t fool proof, but they can help you to narrow down your choices and highlight areas you’ve never previously considered.All they basically do is look at your personality and help you to assess your unique personal attributes and where they could fit within different work environments.
6. Self-reflection – you’ve probably been told your entire life to trust your gut and to follow your instinct, but this is easier said than done. So whilst a little self-reflection isn’t bad and won’t do you any harm; it won’t always work when thinking about your career.
7. Experiment – sometimes the best way to see if a job is right for you is to try them on for size and see how you respond. Not only will this give you valuable work experience; it will also give you an idea of how you’d feel doing it long term. We suggest taking some online courses and enrolling into work experience/internship schemes.
8. Online course – like we mentioned above, taking some online courses on subjects that interest you, will help to open your eyes to what working in this area might feel like. At the same time, they will provide you with valuable skills and training. Just make sure you choose an online course provider who can provide you with the best options.

The reality is, jobs are a big commitment, so it is important that you are 100% happy in them. If your job fills you with dread, then it might not be the right career for you.

So instead of working for a paycheque, why not explore a career doing something you love? Something that meshes well with your personality, hobbies and existing education. Do that, and you can build a career that will bring you real happiness. Visit our site now for more details on our range of courses.