Things You Should Consider Before Pursuing a Career

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There are so many options for a career and so little time to figure out what you are going to do for the rest of your life. A college education is not a joke. If your graduation is coming near, you know you have to make a choice. You don’t want to spend thousands and let it waste.

Assess your skills and interests

Some of us would probably ponder about this for a very long time. You may have absolutely no idea what your preferred career would be. Choosing one can be life-changing and it may be a little difficult to change to another career. I know a lot of people who regretted their decision and it took years before they can finally achieve their dream job.

To avoid trouble, you must think about it as if your life depends on it. Because your life ACTUALLY depends on it.

Ask yourself. What are your interests? What are the things that fascinate you? Do you like sports? or maybe you have a hobby of sketching things or doodling?

Find the things that you enjoy. Think about the things that you are good at, analyze your skills and write them down.

Are you more logical or creative? Good at math? Ever thought of being a math professor or an engineer?

Persuasive? Perhaps, a career in business and marketing?

Are you a good listener and adviser? Ever thought of pursuing a career in psychology?

List down the jobs you find interesting. Figure out your strengths and see which of your skills can match a potential career. Try taking skill assessment exams to find out your possible career options

Pick the career you are going to pursue wisely 

My greatest regret is not thinking about this matter seriously. Although, I wasn’t one of the slackers who are more like go with the flow. I knew what I love doing and other people told me about my potentials. I was a campus writer during high school and won many awards and certificates in writing contests.

I love writing, it is my first love, my passion and I would have taken it seriously.  However, I was discouraged about pursuing a career in writing. Most people told me that it is hard to get a decent paying job in writing and chances of becoming an actual writer is incredibly slim.

So I took the practical path. In my case, I took IT since it is one of the most well-paid fields in my country and I have mentors to guide me. It was really a popular choice of career. But most slackers or trend followers would probably not survive it or let alone get an actual job that will let you earn a  six figure salary if you don’t take it seriously.

My point is, you need to be able to find a career that is practical, something that enables you to afford the basic necessities in life (food, shelter, clothing, paying bills)  but something you enjoy doing as well. Ever heard of the phrase “do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life” (because they are probably not hiring lol!).

Being stuck in a job that you hate will drain you and make you feel horrible each day. Though I didn’t really regret my choice of career. I learned to love and thrive in it.

As for my passions, I never actually stopped doing it. I found a way to turn my passions into profit through blogging, freelance writing and ghost-writing. It’s the best of both worlds for me.

In some cases, it can be difficult to pursue another career and those dreams will suddenly fade away. Don’t let it happen.

Don’t let others discourage you from following your dreams

So what if they think that your degree is useless and a waste of time? I get that many people think that bachelor of arts degree are pretty useless. But if you are genuinely interested in it, then you should take it (Unless your parents said no and they are actually the ones paying for your college tuition fees).

Chances of having an actual career related to it that pays well may be a little harder than you thought it would be but guess what? So does in every other field. Do you think after finishing college everybody will automatically land in jobs?

And so there are people who are saying you can’t make it? That you’d have no future in this field? Best not to let it break you and prove them wrong.

Want to be an artist and develop your skills but people thinks it is a waste of time? (They are probably just jealous because they suck at drawing and creativity). You should follow your dreams. Do what you love if it is truly what you want then nothing should stop you but remember what I also said about being practical as you do not want to starve at the end of the day.

Get organized and prioritize

This is the time where we should be a little more serious. Balance your time and stop slacking. You’ll never know how much time you have left. Invest in something that will actually be fruitful for your future career. Find time to study (I know sometimes it can be a little difficult to do and I know that there are times where we feel lazy but you should consider this.) and start developing the skills necessary for your field.

It doesn’t have to be long, maybe one to two hours a day?

At school, I know that most of us have mastered the art of procrastination. We usually prefer to get things done during the last minute because we can’t stop scrolling on facebook or Instagram or we can’t stop binge-watching on Netflix. I mean, sure while you are out there relaxing and watching your favorite shows but I know deep down, your conscience is calling you whispering responsibilities…

We need to learn how to prioritize things. Get a planner and list down all the things you need to do to make sure you won’t forget about them. Isn’t it better to relax after you’re done with all the projects you need to do? Just think about it, if you do them right away then more time for you to do nothing and just lie on your bed.

Get a life experience

We all know that they don’t teach everything in school. There are some things that you need to learn by yourself. I wish I should have go out more, experiment and live a little and I probably won’t end up lonely and clueless all the time.

Maybe try and get a job that kids usually have like working at customer service, fast food or other retail jobs. I personally believe that every kid should learn a little bit more about responsibility. It teaches a person many valuable life-skills such as handling your own money and knowing how to budget them.

You will also learn how to work with a team and how to work under pressure without losing your mind, deal with customers (Especially the rude ones. You will learn how to swallow your anger and pride and smile and be nice even if you want to bash their skulls). These skills would eventually help us when we actually enter the real world.

Or if your schedule does not allow both school and work. During your internship period, work for a reputable company that will help you grow. Perhaps an industry that is closest to where you see your future self will be working. It will be the closest thing that you will get to an actual job before you enter the real world.

Getting experience is the time to make mistakes,  the time to learn from it and take all these valuable lessons to the heart.

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