5 Tips To Help You Choose Your Career

Choosing a career is one of those momentous decisions that can change the course of your life. Such an important decision deserves considerable time and introspection. Ample information and self-examination can help you choose a satisfying career that you will enjoy for years to come.

1. An honest evaluation of your work style will help you decide whether a career where you work independently is right for you. If you're naturally a daydreamer or a procrastinator, you may do well in a career where a supervisor help you stay on task.

2. Think of ways to transform activities that come naturally to you into a career. Working with wood, playing an instrument or trying different hair styles can lead to careers as a custom furniture marker, a musician or a hair stylist. Doing what you love can lead to a rewarding career.

3. One of your goals should be to choose a career where you can earn enough money to meet your financial goals. If you want to own a vacation home on every continent and fly to these homes on your private jet, a career as a retail clerk will probably not help you achieve your goals

4. You'll spend one-third of your life with the people you work with, so choose a career that's a good social fit. If you're a loner who doesn't enjoy social interaction, you may be well-suited to a career where you work independently or work from home. If you love to meet new people, you may find a career in sales fulfilling, where you work with the public.

5. A 15-minute informational interview with someone who has a job you think you want can help cement your career choice. Many people will be happy to meet briefly with you to talk about the pros and cons of what they do and tell you whether they would make the same career choice if they could turn back time and choose differently. Start and end the meeting on time, ask probing questions and listen carefully to the answers.