When you go to buy a smartphone, you don’t need anyone’s help when choosing which one to get. When you need to find the earrings that look best on you, the mirror becomes your friend. Similarly, when you are trying to decide which film to watch, you choose according to your interests and liking. Then, why is it that when it comes to defining your career, you leave it to the judgment of those around you? After all, no one can know your interests, aspirations, and aptitude better than yourself.
Generation after generation, we have been conditioned to adopt a herd mentality, where the fear of social isolation, of being ‘left out is a sufficient motivation to make decisions based on what others are doing. This predisposition enables you to see yourself as a part of a group, or society and deters you from jeopardizing its safety of it even by thinking, let alone acting. This has been the ways of the people, the ways of societies, and of time itself.
But, today, because of the internet, there is an information explosion that has exposed students to several prospective career options that were seldom considered before. We have now at our disposal the greatest weapon yet to be wielded – awareness. With rising awareness, there is a pressing need for devising a reliable self-help method to help students discover their aptitude, interest, and skills on their own so that they can make informed choices pertaining to their careers.
Why is it important to know your strengths and aptitude to choose the right career path?
When you choose your career on the basis of your interest and aptitude, you remain constantly motivated and develop a love for your domain. Over time, the profession becomes service and the job becomes synonymous with passion. If the students are encouraged to devise their own methods to understand their likings and interests, the pitiable plight of so many unhappy professionals can be avoided.
Everything boils down to how well you understand yourself. Your beliefs thought processes, likings, behaviors, and skills – all play a crucial role when opting for a suitable career. Someone who lacks patience and the ability to give attention-to-details cannot be an ideal candidate for a research profile. Likewise, someone with myopic vision and lone wolf tendencies may never fit the bill for an entrepreneur. But, these traits can seldom be picked through regular interventions like assessments or interviews. They involve self-introspection and analysis. You need to understand yourself, first and foremost, before letting any external factor label you.
Embrace yourself to enable yourself towards a fulfilling career
A self-help method involves spending time with oneself, introspecting, and discovering the nuances of one’s character. Some of the ways that can be done are:
- Try to examine your past choices. For every conscious decision made by you in the past, you would have left behind a trail of your tastes that will help you understand where your mind navigates to, by default. Upon closer inspection, you’ll be able to create a distinct link to your liking and thought process.
- Examine the reason behind your choices and you’ll be surprised to unearth the reality.
- Eliminate all those reasons that are frivolous, such as herd mentality, fear of rejection/isolation, lack of proper knowledge, a hurried attempt, etc., and narrow down to genuine choices on the basis of your interest, skills, aptitude, and behavior.
- Filter your interests on the basis of your aptitude and willingness to pursue career choices on a long-term basis rather than a summer thrill.
- Know your personality and recognize those assets which would help you perform better and utilize your potential to the maximum.
- Investigate thoroughly the course details, such as duration, curriculum, recognition of the University, tie-ups (if any), and teaching faculty.
- Rather than recklessly aborting a plan simply because it doesn’t suit your standards, work around it and hunt for alternatives. Your liking is to the subject, not the campus or classmates.
Ask, if you have a Question. Act, if you have the Answer.
- Reach out to a qualified counselor if need be, who can guide you in determining your interests and strengths.
- Research the career prospects of the subject of your choices, such as its bankability, requirement, remuneration, demand, and job prospects amongst others.
Your career is a reflection of your personality
Your career is a reflection of your personality and character. It is meant to be a mirror of your choices and decisions. Pursuing a field simply because it has more takers or it is ‘trending’ can be a futile attempt from your end at creating a niche for yourself.
To build a fulfilling and successful career, your first step towards it has to be the right one based on self-analysis and understanding and not reviews or opinions given by others. After all, it is not them who will have to live with the decision and face the consequences, but you yourself!