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Naila
Student
New Jersey, New Jersey
1
Question
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What is the hardest decision on deciding on a career?
I love to keep myself occupied and learning. #career
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10 answers
Doc Frick
Career Coach and Mentor
1616
Answers
California, CA
Updated
Doc’s Answer
Naila, strategies for choosing a career include personal assessment and formal career aptitude testing. After they have a basic idea of the criteria that they are looking for, aspiring professionals can use online resources to start exploring the possibilities.
FIRST – CHOOSE THREE CAREERS YOUR ARE INTERESTED IN PURSUING
Before you can choose the right career, you must learn about yourself. Your values, interests, soft skills, and aptitudes, in combination with your personality type, make some occupations a good fit for you and others completely inappropriate.
• What are my strengths and interests? Which careers make use of those?
• What would I like to actually be doing everyday?
• What necessary training/schooling would I have to go through for those careers?
• Are there many jobs available in that career? Is it a growing field?
• How much income would I like to make?
By writing your answers down, you commit yourself to considering these questions. You can refer to the answers later, especially when you're feeling lost. You can always make up other questions that are more applicable to your personal situation.
SECOND – MAKE A COMMITMENT TO INTERVIEW YOUR THREE CARER POSSIBILITIES
When choosing a career, students need to evaluate their own strengths and goals, which they can do through personal reflection and formal assessment. Once you have a better idea of what kind of career you might be interested in, you can start exploring careers. Job shadowing is effective for any job in which the seeing is more graphic than the telling, or when the seeing is an important component of the learning. When job shadowing, the individual sees the actual performance of the job in action. But, in job shadowing, the participant also sees and experiences the nuances of how the service is provided or the job performed.
• It allows you to get an insight into the working life of the profession.
• It gives you a different perspective on your work by learning from others’ experiences.
• It expands your network and helps you make professional contacts.
• It informs you about the daily joys/struggles of the profession and its limitations.
THIRD – START DOING MORE IN DEPTH RESEARCH ON YOUR CAREERS
Let the research you did about required education and training be your guide. If you don't have all the details, do some more research. Once you have all the information you need, set your goals. An example of a long-term goal would be completing your education and training. Short-term goals include applying to college, apprenticeships, other training programs, and internships.
• Job duties
• Work environment information
• Educational requirements
• Previous work requirements
• Licensure and certification requirements and options
• Job outlook
• Salary statistics
Finally, after doing all your research, you are probably ready to make your choice. Pick the occupation that you think will bring you the most satisfaction based on all the information you have gathered. Realize that you are allowed do-overs if you change your mind about your choice at any point in your life. Many people change their careers at least a few times.
When you keep in mind that your decision never has to be final, you’ll be freer to make a decision. There isn’t a rule that says once you make a decision you’re stuck with it for life. But for some reason, we often hold this belief, thinking that our decisions have to be huge, lifelong commitments. This causes us to hesitate to make decisions, even stop making them. It’s very difficult to make a decision if you think that once you make a decision, that decision has to be “the right one,” there’s no turning back, and if it’s not “the right decision,” bad things will happen.
Decide on a career before deciding on a job will give you a sense of direction, allowing you to focus your job search and work toward an end goal. Once you've found a career that suits you, you can begin searching for the training, schools or jobs that go along with that line of work. Put together a career action plan, a written document that lays out all the steps you will have to take to reach your goals. Think of it as a road map that will take you from point A to B, then to C and D. Write down all your short- and long-term goals and the steps you will have to take to reach each one. Include any anticipated barriers that could get in the way of achieving your goals—and the ways you can overcome them.
This may sound like a lot of work—and it is. But it's much easier to forge a career path when you know what you want. Taking these steps early will save you a lot of struggle and uncertainty in the long run.
Hope this was Helpful Naila
FIRST – CHOOSE THREE CAREERS YOUR ARE INTERESTED IN PURSUING
Before you can choose the right career, you must learn about yourself. Your values, interests, soft skills, and aptitudes, in combination with your personality type, make some occupations a good fit for you and others completely inappropriate.
• What are my strengths and interests? Which careers make use of those?
• What would I like to actually be doing everyday?
• What necessary training/schooling would I have to go through for those careers?
• Are there many jobs available in that career? Is it a growing field?
• How much income would I like to make?
By writing your answers down, you commit yourself to considering these questions. You can refer to the answers later, especially when you're feeling lost. You can always make up other questions that are more applicable to your personal situation.
SECOND – MAKE A COMMITMENT TO INTERVIEW YOUR THREE CARER POSSIBILITIES
When choosing a career, students need to evaluate their own strengths and goals, which they can do through personal reflection and formal assessment. Once you have a better idea of what kind of career you might be interested in, you can start exploring careers. Job shadowing is effective for any job in which the seeing is more graphic than the telling, or when the seeing is an important component of the learning. When job shadowing, the individual sees the actual performance of the job in action. But, in job shadowing, the participant also sees and experiences the nuances of how the service is provided or the job performed.
• It allows you to get an insight into the working life of the profession.
• It gives you a different perspective on your work by learning from others’ experiences.
• It expands your network and helps you make professional contacts.
• It informs you about the daily joys/struggles of the profession and its limitations.
THIRD – START DOING MORE IN DEPTH RESEARCH ON YOUR CAREERS
Let the research you did about required education and training be your guide. If you don't have all the details, do some more research. Once you have all the information you need, set your goals. An example of a long-term goal would be completing your education and training. Short-term goals include applying to college, apprenticeships, other training programs, and internships.
• Job duties
• Work environment information
• Educational requirements
• Previous work requirements
• Licensure and certification requirements and options
• Job outlook
• Salary statistics
Finally, after doing all your research, you are probably ready to make your choice. Pick the occupation that you think will bring you the most satisfaction based on all the information you have gathered. Realize that you are allowed do-overs if you change your mind about your choice at any point in your life. Many people change their careers at least a few times.
When you keep in mind that your decision never has to be final, you’ll be freer to make a decision. There isn’t a rule that says once you make a decision you’re stuck with it for life. But for some reason, we often hold this belief, thinking that our decisions have to be huge, lifelong commitments. This causes us to hesitate to make decisions, even stop making them. It’s very difficult to make a decision if you think that once you make a decision, that decision has to be “the right one,” there’s no turning back, and if it’s not “the right decision,” bad things will happen.
Decide on a career before deciding on a job will give you a sense of direction, allowing you to focus your job search and work toward an end goal. Once you've found a career that suits you, you can begin searching for the training, schools or jobs that go along with that line of work. Put together a career action plan, a written document that lays out all the steps you will have to take to reach your goals. Think of it as a road map that will take you from point A to B, then to C and D. Write down all your short- and long-term goals and the steps you will have to take to reach each one. Include any anticipated barriers that could get in the way of achieving your goals—and the ways you can overcome them.
This may sound like a lot of work—and it is. But it's much easier to forge a career path when you know what you want. Taking these steps early will save you a lot of struggle and uncertainty in the long run.
Hope this was Helpful Naila
Thank You Rithwik. “The broadest, and maybe the most meaningful definition of volunteering: Doing more than you have to because you want to, in a cause you consider good. ” – Ivan Scheier
Doc Frick
Thank You Ro, for your continued support. Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant. – Robert Louis Stevenson
Doc Frick
Thank You Matt. “At the end of the day it’s not about what you have or even what you’ve accomplished… it’s about who you’ve lifted up, who you’ve made better. It’s about what you’ve given back.” – Denzel Washington
Doc Frick
Matt Deatrick
Product Development and Strategy
4
Answers
Jefferson, NJ
Updated
Matt’s Answer
Understand one thing as completely as you can, and you will begin to see the connections to everything. I cannot specifically advise you, but I will tell you my story (abbreviated)...
Grew up in Silicon Valley in the 1980s during the PC Boom
My friends and I built PC's together, hosted TREX boards on modem pools in our garages before the "world wide web"
We learned basic code in school on Apple 2e machines by 7th grade (and never used basic again)
Spent hours and hours and hours of "wasted" time on Atari, Texas Instruments TI4a computer (sold by Radio Shack), and later on custom built computers
I graduated high school and spent 3 years trying to be a rock star (made enough money to live, but that's about it)
Worked side jobs in coffee shops, several were start up new businesses and I learned how to use creativity and apply it to real world problems
Gave up at 22 on the band and enrolled in school as a music major
Figured out I did not want to turn music into a profession (my love for music was actually ruined as I learned more about it)
I had helped start 2 more cafes during my general ed with owners who knew very little, and they were both incredibly successful
So I started to figure out that I was good at creating something where there was nothing and helping others, both of which I enjoyed immensely
I switched to ECON major because I didn't want to be boxed into accounting or finance and ECON allowed for creativity within a business framework. I also looked up that fact that, at the time, something like 70% of all CEO's of fortune 500 had ECON undergrads
I graduated in ECON at top of class and started working in Telecom
I have been Director, VP, SVP and everything in between for traditional telcos, service providers, Fortune 500 co's to now bankrupt startups.
What I knew and learned more deeply than anything else was how to learn, stay teachable, and be persistent as heck.
I am now at a point that I choose what I want to do because it interests me and employers want me to do it. I am now learning everything there is to know about AI, ML, and DL and applying that against product strategy and development. I didn't start here, and never would have been able to predict it. But I am happy and I believe it is because I stayed open to possibility and pursued challenges and lessons beyond my current state. I hope I always will, and that you will too.
Grew up in Silicon Valley in the 1980s during the PC Boom
My friends and I built PC's together, hosted TREX boards on modem pools in our garages before the "world wide web"
We learned basic code in school on Apple 2e machines by 7th grade (and never used basic again)
Spent hours and hours and hours of "wasted" time on Atari, Texas Instruments TI4a computer (sold by Radio Shack), and later on custom built computers
I graduated high school and spent 3 years trying to be a rock star (made enough money to live, but that's about it)
Worked side jobs in coffee shops, several were start up new businesses and I learned how to use creativity and apply it to real world problems
Gave up at 22 on the band and enrolled in school as a music major
Figured out I did not want to turn music into a profession (my love for music was actually ruined as I learned more about it)
I had helped start 2 more cafes during my general ed with owners who knew very little, and they were both incredibly successful
So I started to figure out that I was good at creating something where there was nothing and helping others, both of which I enjoyed immensely
I switched to ECON major because I didn't want to be boxed into accounting or finance and ECON allowed for creativity within a business framework. I also looked up that fact that, at the time, something like 70% of all CEO's of fortune 500 had ECON undergrads
I graduated in ECON at top of class and started working in Telecom
I have been Director, VP, SVP and everything in between for traditional telcos, service providers, Fortune 500 co's to now bankrupt startups.
What I knew and learned more deeply than anything else was how to learn, stay teachable, and be persistent as heck.
I am now at a point that I choose what I want to do because it interests me and employers want me to do it. I am now learning everything there is to know about AI, ML, and DL and applying that against product strategy and development. I didn't start here, and never would have been able to predict it. But I am happy and I believe it is because I stayed open to possibility and pursued challenges and lessons beyond my current state. I hope I always will, and that you will too.
That was an amazing Journey and Im so glad you were able to go through with it. It's so reassuring to see someones passion come to life and pursue it. I wish you the best of luck with your future career.
Naila
Hannah Aspenson
Human Resources
1
Answer
Destin, Florida
Updated
Hannah’s Answer
There are so many challenges you face when trying to choose a career. I think this is such a common struggle that brings a lot of anxiety. Along with all of the suggestions and personal experiences in this thread, I really do think that if you're still struggling to decide, it would be in your best interest to go to a community college to take some generals. This will give you some time to discover new things, maybe experience things you hadn't before, but also save you some money while you explore. The worst thing to do is go into a University and then keep changing your major. I did this about 6 times and I'm paying for it now with student loans! Just take your time and make smart, financial decisions! Don't rush! You have plenty of time to figure it out!
Thank you Hannah. Hearing that someone has gone through a major change about 6 times is very relieving to know am not alone.
Naila
Ro L
Career Services
57
Answers
Los Angeles, California
Updated
Ro’s Answer
The hardest decision I made was to either pursue a career that I liked, or one that would provide economic security. I went with the former and I don't regret it. I hope that you will be able to pursue a career you like AND can earn a great living.
Find out what you like to do, become the best at it, and then GO FOR IT.
Find out what you like to do, become the best at it, and then GO FOR IT.
Jason Wong
Sr Coordinator
54
Answers
Dallas, Texas
Updated
Jason’s Answer
The hardest part would be trying to find something you're passionate about, but at the same time maintaining a work-life balance and financial obligations (Happiness unfortunately can't pay bills). A lot of people don't know what they want to do, and that's fine. I personally recommend doing research on what industries you might be interested in. Do you like animals? Do you like to help people? Figure out what makes you tick and go from there.
If you don't really have a preference, I would suggest working with a temp agency, that way you can get your foot in the door and get experience in different career paths. If you don't like it, you don't have to stay there forever. Put in your 2 weeks notice and see if they can place you elsewhere. It's like "trying before buying".
Talk to your family and friends
If you don't really have a preference, I would suggest working with a temp agency, that way you can get your foot in the door and get experience in different career paths. If you don't like it, you don't have to stay there forever. Put in your 2 weeks notice and see if they can place you elsewhere. It's like "trying before buying".
Jason recommends the following next steps:
I loved this a lot. Thank you Jason.
Naila
Youssef Bahaji
4
Answers
Updated
Youssef’s Answer
Figuring it out is the hardest part. Don't get stuck in the mentality of "I have to do something that I like to do" only, because there are so many fields and routes out there that you may not find out that you can excel at unless you start it and learn it from scratch...
Be open minded with your career and different fields...
Be open minded with your career and different fields...
This was a perfect answer and an inspirational answer as well. Thank you.
Naila
Fiona Meow
Legal Counsel
123
Answers
Hong Kong
Updated
Fiona’s Answer
You have to balance (i) what you are good at; (ii) what your interests are; and (iii) what your expectation for salaries are.
David Browne
Software Development Intern
23
Answers
Dublin, County Dublin
Updated
David’s Answer
The hardest thing about choosing a career is deciding what you are happy to be doing everyday. For me it was coding. This meant I could do something that I loved everyday and it does not feel like work
Eliandra Vargas Machado
Product Support
4
Answers
São Leopoldo, State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
Updated
Eliandra’s Answer
It is by knowing yourself and your personality, that you will be able to go in search of a profession that makes you happy. The hardest decision is to think and decide how far you go for your dreams.
The truth is that we can only know what we really want by starting, it may be that you start with something and don't feel that it is good for you, and okay, we are constantly evolving, and you can change the direction whenever you want.
The truth is that we can only know what we really want by starting, it may be that you start with something and don't feel that it is good for you, and okay, we are constantly evolving, and you can change the direction whenever you want.
Chaz Cirame
Consulting
1
Answer
Alexandria, Virginia
Updated
Chaz’s Answer
There is a lot of pressure on students to have this figured out. I am spent most of my 20s figuring out what I didn't want to do. Try a lot of things, take some (calculated) risk. I have my life planned all out a 21, almost none of those plans came true and in retrospect, I am grateful for it.
I appreciate the reassurance. There is a lot of pressure growing up and having to decide on a life long career at such a young age. Glad to know someone understands as well.
Naila