How to determine what career you should choose?

Hi Dominique,

Great question...a lot of people struggle with this one...and many end up chasing a job with the highest pay...which usually doesn't end up working out all that well.

While getting a large paycheck can be nice, if that's the only reason you take a job, where you aren't very excited about the work you're doing...it will probably be very hard to get motivated every day and the hours will drag on at the office.

If you choose to pursue work that interests you, first and foremost (which may result in less pay initially), your enthusiasm will help you be more successful in the field, which in turn will help you make more money...though it may take some time.

To the second part of your comment, about pursuing a job based on the number of hours required, I'd go back again to encouraging you to focus on finding work that excites you...then you really won't be as focused on how many hours are required.

Good luck to you!

Hope this helps.

Geoff

I also believe the first step to choosing a career is to consider a field in which you have an interest. The pay won't mean much and the hours won't be manageable if you are stuck doing something that you don't find interesting or doesn't challenge you. That said, you also need to reasonable and consider a profession that will cover your personal expenses (lodging, student loan debt, utilities, groceries, etc.) as well as help you achieve personal goals (maybe you aspire to own a home one day or take a European trip). Sometimes the careers or jobs we think we'd enjoy most don't offer a salary that aligns with our personal goals. Keep this in mind. Finally, as for the work hours, if you like what you do, this won't be as much of an issue. But as you consider careers and jobs, it is completely acceptable to ask about hour expectations as well as salary and how these may or may not progress over time.