Choosing Your Perfect Career: 4 Areas You Need to Cover

The right career is something that can be exciting and daunting in equal measure and can boil down to a number of variables. It's always a good idea to find a career that stimulates you in the right way, even if it's not your first choice. So what are the things that you should consider when finding the ideal career? 

There are a variety of factors at play. Many people opt for high-paying careers. Therefore, if the pay is the primary motivator, you can find an abundance of environmental engineering jobs and work in the engineering profession that can give you that monetary reward. You may also want to look at what you value within the profession. For example, being a college lecturer can offer status, but not necessarily the income to go alongside it. But if you are looking for a career, you've got to identify your core values. Rather than thinking about a career that you could do, you need to bear in mind some of the following:

There are many roles in the modern world that demand a lot more of the individual. Great roles that acquire a lot of status in the world, like lawyers or doctors, will demand long and unpredictable working hours as a result. 

Before you pick the right career you've got to understand yourself. We've discussed your values but you also need to think about what your natural aptitudes are. For example, you may have a vision in your head that you want to be in charge of a group of people, in which case what is achievable within your parameters? You may not have a background in leading individuals, but you may have transferable aptitudes that can get you what you want. 

While you may dream about leading an organization, you could still be in charge of people in other less obvious ways, such as being a line manager in an office, but also being in charge of a store. But before you start to apply for the types of roles, you can also get more insight into who you are. A lot of people don't necessarily like the idea of career tests because it shoehorns specific roles upon them, which is why it's better for you to use these career tests to gather information about who you are first. 

Based on your specific personality traits you could find a variety of occupations that cover your skills. It's important to recognize that you may not have pictured yourself in a specific career but the skills you have can make you a perfect fit, meaning that you will do this role effortlessly and potentially get more out of it. 

Career aptitude tests can throw a number of different careers onto the table, and it's at this point where you conduct due diligence and ensure that you thoroughly assess each one. There are great resources online that give details about a specific career, but also what it takes to achieve it. For example, this could involve education or getting extra qualifications but it can also show career progression. 

Choosing the right career is a massive leap because it forces you to decide on something that's going to impact your life for the next few years, if not the rest of your life. Networking is an essential step because it doesn't just give you insight into what it takes to achieve this career, but it also allows you to decide if the people you network with are individuals you are happy to work with. 

Ultimately, a career choice is not just about the role you do, but about the people you interact with on a daily basis. The more people you meet, the more opportunities you will gain, but it can also help you to decide whether these career paths will suit you. Some people like the idea of marketing but they find it impenetrable, either because they've taken too long a career break or they cannot abide the people they work with. To choose the right career, you've got to look beyond the role. The right career could be right around the corner, which is why you should conduct as much work upfront because this could save you a lot of frustration later.