Making A Choice for Right Career Fit: Dr A K Puri

Choosing a career for life involves decisions that are to be based on realities of life rather than wishful thinking.

In India the career lines get somewhat established at the time of stream choices at the High School entry level. As a student enters eleventh standard she has to choose one out of Science, Commerce or Arts streams for further studies. At an average age of about fifteen years each student is required to freeze the related career options within each stream that is to be taken up post senior secondary studies. The science stream entitles a student to pursue courses at graduate level as higher studies in Engineering, Healthcare, Pure Sciences, Information Technology and the likes. Commerce stream allows students to take up courses in Business, Accounts and Economics. Arts stream is the entry point for higher studies in History, Political Science, Languages and liberal/ performing arts.

The irony of this system is that while science stream students can switch to take up courses in higher studies of commerce or arts stream; commerce students can take up courses in higher studies of arts stream; arts students are denied this privilege of studying courses in commerce and science and commerce students are not permitted to take up courses of higher studies in Science.

At this juncture of life most of the students are clueless about careers and the prospects these streams will offer in future. This may result in the streams getting chosen either by herd mentality of students -largely driven by following the favorite buddies or parents making choices that may at times be manifestation of latent unfulfilled ambitions of their own lives.

It’s time we treat you as adults and help you make a rational choice for your career!

We’ll be focusing on important factors you should think about when you’re choosing your course of study. By keeping these factors in mind, you’re more likely to go into a career path that you enjoy, and experience success along the way.

Determine How Much Do You Want to Earn?

When you’re looking at different career options, you should consider the earning potential for each one. You can weigh things like salary and benefits against your passion for that particular career path.

Perhaps doing something you love is more important to you than a high level of income devoid of any excitement in life. For leading a comfortable life, however a knowledge of level of income required and finding a career that will match the financial requirements is critical. An easy way to find it out is to know what is your family’s average monthly household expense now. Adjust it for the future inflation to know how much you will require to earn to run your family as you become bread earner in future.

List Your Interests Think about the things that genuinely interest you when it comes to a work environment. An excellent place to start is by making a list of the things you do well. How could they be applied to a career? If not sure with you answers ask your parents, teachers and friends for a review of your list.

Discover Your Attitude to Life We all have different attitudes toward work and get driven by a range of motivations for the outcome of our fruits of labour in job situations. How one feels about a job carries forward to the home life. If you’re contented at work, your family life will most likely be better. There is a need to know your temperament and match it with the same as job requirement

For a self-motivated person with a positive attitude about hard work, a leadership position in any job may be highly rewarding. How one responds to new challenges defines growth in life. A habit to pick up one challenge at a time and excel to confront it is the sure path to high street of achievement. This attitude to work life may help you realize the job and segment of activity which is the right fit for you.

Picking up a career that does not match your degree of attitude and determination to face or avoid challenge can make you unhappy and frustrated in life. And, it won’t likely be a job that you stay in for too long. Attitude is essential when it comes to the work environment.

Identify Sunrise Sectors for Jobs There are many job industries today that didn’t exist ten years ago. There are thousands of jobs within those industries that are still barely being tapped into. Most of this is due to advancements in technology. Taking a step into these ‘new worlds’ can be exciting.

Before you select a career, you need to determine whether you’re comfortable working with advancing, ever-changing technology. If it’s a large part of a career path, you’ll have to immerse yourself in it. Some people are quick to embrace these changes, but not everyone. Others feel more comfortable utilizing with the skills they already know. Technology will continue to change and grow – will you be a pioneer with each new step, or would you prefer a career that relies on the technology you’re already familiar with?

One of the best places to start looking for a new career path is focusing on opportunities where the demand is high. It may be frustrating to pursue a path with limited number of job options. You may end up in a sector where you have to spend years slowly working your way up from the bottom of the pile. A large demand for recruitment, even at the lower levels opens up opportunities for growth at all levels. Make a list of sectors of industry and business which are likely to require a large manpower in future. It could be of innovative technology, upcoming entrepreneurial enterprises or game changing business practices at their nascent stage.

Online trade, digital payment platforms, healthcare services, use of artificial intelligence, cyber security and digital marketing are some of the opportunities showing promise of a spurt in manpower demand as examples of sunrise sectors.

However, certain industries seem to stand the test of time better than others. Medicine and technology are always the future. There are many careers experiencing steady growth. As long as you do your research and ensure that the industry you’re looking at has job vacancies, you’ll definitely be on the right track.

Go with Your Passion An interest and a passion for something are entirely different things. Some of the most successful people in the world have a real passion for what they do. You may have interests that don’t necessarily line up with these passions, so it’s important to differentiate the two.

What are you passionate about? Make a list of several of your passions to start narrowing down. Chances are, a few of them will be as practical as they are passion-filled. Finding the right combination of what you love and what is a feasible career can make the entire experience much easier.

Keep in mind that passion doesn’t always guarantee financial success. You have to decide what might be more important to you. You may be interested in more lucrative jobs. You may even have the right skillset for them. But, if they don’t fulfill your passions, you may find yourself always wanting more. Having a career that you’re passionate about typically equals long-term success and fulfillment.

Focus on Your Idea of Success Your definition of success is crucial to the type of career you choose. Some jobs will reward you with a hefty paycheck. Others will give you the opportunity to help people. Some professions will even be a combination of things.

One person’s definition of success may not be the same as others. While a good salary is nice, if it does not help make one feel successful, you are likely to feel as though something is missing from your life. That can leave you feeling frustrated and disappointed.

Before you choose a career, make a list of the things you feel you would need in a job to make you feel successful. The answers can be very many. We tend to define success with numbers. On a personal level, it can be very subjective considerations, though. Some persons may get the satisfaction in life through serving others selflessly. For some, it could be spreading happiness among the have nots that can be the driving force of life.

“Seek advice by Talking to Others Talk to someone who has already been through the same course of study you are targeting to pursue. There’s a good chance you’ll get very specific information about the career under consideration. Plus, they’ll be able to give you an inside view of what you can expect.”

There are a lot of things to consider when you’re making such a big choice for your life. Thankfully, the more time and thought you give these factors now, the easier your ultimate choice can be. It can pay off even more once you’ve completed your course of study!

Once you have a basic idea about a career that interests you, create a roadmap. Make a plan of action that has the potential to convert your dreams into reality.

Wish you a happy journey of work life!