5 answers
Jaelin
Student
Carlisle, Pennsylvania
1
Question
Asked
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What makes choosing a career so important?
im a 10th grader
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5 answers
Edwin Anthony Joseph
Principal IT-Cloud Architect
10
Answers
Pune, Maharashtra, India
Updated
Edwin Anthony’s Answer
Hey there, Jaelin!
Life's Big Slice: Let's face it, your career takes up a big chunk of your life. Once you take away the hours spent sleeping, your job pretty much fills up half of your awake time. So, if you're not too keen on your job, or just feel "meh" about it, that's a lot of your life spent in a less-than-happy state. That's why it's so important to find a career that really lights your fire - it has a huge impact on your overall happiness.
Work-Life Ripple Effect: Your job isn't just something that stays at the office. It seeps into your personal life too. If your job's a drag, it can lead to not-so-great habits like comfort eating, hitting the bottle, or even feeling down. But if you love what you do, it can give you a real boost and make your whole life feel brighter.
Who You Are: When you meet someone new, one of the first things they ask is, "What do you do?" They're not just asking about your paycheck or your daily grind – they're really asking about your life. Your career is a big part of who you are. When you have a job that matches your values and passions, you can answer that question with pride.
Life's Purpose: Finding a purpose in life that matches your skills and brings you joy makes life so much more rewarding.
Life's Big Slice: Let's face it, your career takes up a big chunk of your life. Once you take away the hours spent sleeping, your job pretty much fills up half of your awake time. So, if you're not too keen on your job, or just feel "meh" about it, that's a lot of your life spent in a less-than-happy state. That's why it's so important to find a career that really lights your fire - it has a huge impact on your overall happiness.
Work-Life Ripple Effect: Your job isn't just something that stays at the office. It seeps into your personal life too. If your job's a drag, it can lead to not-so-great habits like comfort eating, hitting the bottle, or even feeling down. But if you love what you do, it can give you a real boost and make your whole life feel brighter.
Who You Are: When you meet someone new, one of the first things they ask is, "What do you do?" They're not just asking about your paycheck or your daily grind – they're really asking about your life. Your career is a big part of who you are. When you have a job that matches your values and passions, you can answer that question with pride.
Life's Purpose: Finding a purpose in life that matches your skills and brings you joy makes life so much more rewarding.
Ana Carina Pena
BA International Business
7
Answers
Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico
Updated
Ana Carina’s Answer
Hi Jaelin,
Wishing you well. This is a crucial phase in your life, not just from a professional standpoint.
This is the path you're going to commit your whole life to. It's true that your career will encompass both relevant and irrelevant aspects, as immediate specialization isn't a given. Here are some key steps to consider:
1. Connect with individuals in the career you're considering.
2. Choose a university equipped with the necessary resources for foundational knowledge.
3. Investigate job availability.
4. Research market salaries.
5. Explore job offers.
6. Determine if this career truly ignites your passion.
Wishing you well. This is a crucial phase in your life, not just from a professional standpoint.
This is the path you're going to commit your whole life to. It's true that your career will encompass both relevant and irrelevant aspects, as immediate specialization isn't a given. Here are some key steps to consider:
1. Connect with individuals in the career you're considering.
2. Choose a university equipped with the necessary resources for foundational knowledge.
3. Investigate job availability.
4. Research market salaries.
5. Explore job offers.
6. Determine if this career truly ignites your passion.
Kevin Louie
Sr. Director, Operations & Analytics, Twilio.org
5
Answers
San Francisco, California
Updated
Kevin’s Answer
Hi Jaelin,
I have a couple responses to this. The first response will respond to your question directly but my second response will open up the topic about careers a bit more - hoping it makes it less daunting to "choose a career".
1) Choosing a career is important because it forces you to think a few steps down the road and choose jobs with growth potential. For example, you could have a job that pays $25/hr with limited growth potential or you could pick a job that pays $25/hr and has healthy runway for you to level up your skills, take on new challenges, and be financially recognized for your ability to take on new challenges (AKA raises/promotions). So by "choosing a career", you're forcing yourself to pick jobs that grow your skills and be increasingly impactful - even if you're not going to stay in the career.
2) As for "choosing a career", it sounds like it's a one-way street when in reality, a person can actually choose multiple careers over the course of their work. I personally started my career in Banking/Sales and eventually left for Tech/IT. I eventually left the IT career and moved into a career in Business Operations. In every one of these moves, I never "abandoned" the previous career. If anything, the skills and accomplishments I attained in the previous career enabled me to get foot into the next career - oftentimes I even offered unique point of view because I came from a different discipline. For example, my banking/sales background gave me strong client-facing skills that enabled me to go into technology consulting with a focus on Finance clients. My Tech/IT background gave me strong data and critical thinking abilities that enabled me to go into Business Operations. All this to say, you may choose many careers over the course of your life and every time you do, you take all your experience with you into the next journey. What's important isn't what career you choose but to make sure you're learning and growing with everything you do.
I hope this helps.
I have a couple responses to this. The first response will respond to your question directly but my second response will open up the topic about careers a bit more - hoping it makes it less daunting to "choose a career".
1) Choosing a career is important because it forces you to think a few steps down the road and choose jobs with growth potential. For example, you could have a job that pays $25/hr with limited growth potential or you could pick a job that pays $25/hr and has healthy runway for you to level up your skills, take on new challenges, and be financially recognized for your ability to take on new challenges (AKA raises/promotions). So by "choosing a career", you're forcing yourself to pick jobs that grow your skills and be increasingly impactful - even if you're not going to stay in the career.
2) As for "choosing a career", it sounds like it's a one-way street when in reality, a person can actually choose multiple careers over the course of their work. I personally started my career in Banking/Sales and eventually left for Tech/IT. I eventually left the IT career and moved into a career in Business Operations. In every one of these moves, I never "abandoned" the previous career. If anything, the skills and accomplishments I attained in the previous career enabled me to get foot into the next career - oftentimes I even offered unique point of view because I came from a different discipline. For example, my banking/sales background gave me strong client-facing skills that enabled me to go into technology consulting with a focus on Finance clients. My Tech/IT background gave me strong data and critical thinking abilities that enabled me to go into Business Operations. All this to say, you may choose many careers over the course of your life and every time you do, you take all your experience with you into the next journey. What's important isn't what career you choose but to make sure you're learning and growing with everything you do.
I hope this helps.
Rebecca Tang
Banking
1860
Answers
Hong Kong
Updated
Rebecca’s Answer
Thank you for your question. This is a very good question. A career is a way to demonstrate your capabilities, make contributions to the society and earn your living. That's why you have to find a career you have interest.
Below are my suggestions:
1. Think about what you have interest, eg your hobbies, favourite subjects, etc
and identify the related careers
Eg if you like music, would you like to be a musician, singer, musical artist, music composer, music producer, etc
If you have interest in maths, would you like to be an accountant, engineer, banker, financial analyst, maths teacher, etc
2. Find out more on these careers and determine what you have interest
3. Speak to someone who are working in these careers. Seek guidance from your mentor, school career counselor, your parents, etc
4. Shortlist 2-2 careers you would like to pursue
5. Explore the entry criteria of relevant subjects in colleges
Hope this helps! Good Luck!
May Almighty God bless you!
Below are my suggestions:
1. Think about what you have interest, eg your hobbies, favourite subjects, etc
and identify the related careers
Eg if you like music, would you like to be a musician, singer, musical artist, music composer, music producer, etc
If you have interest in maths, would you like to be an accountant, engineer, banker, financial analyst, maths teacher, etc
2. Find out more on these careers and determine what you have interest
3. Speak to someone who are working in these careers. Seek guidance from your mentor, school career counselor, your parents, etc
4. Shortlist 2-2 careers you would like to pursue
5. Explore the entry criteria of relevant subjects in colleges
Hope this helps! Good Luck!
May Almighty God bless you!
Kamalesh Singh, MS IE, SSBB
Strategic Sourcing Manager
2
Answers
Houston, Texas
Updated
Kamalesh Singh,’s Answer
Hello, this is a great question to put a good thought into and make your choices carefully. To summarise, having a clear career choice will help you in the following manner:
- It creates a foundation for future growth
- Choosing a career gives direction and helps you set a goal in your life
- It helps you be motivated to keep going and achieve success in your life
- Having a career plan is essential because you can't do everything simultaneously; you need to focus on one particular career path and build on it.
- It makes you want to learn new things; you tend to put more focused thought into pursuing it further and being successful
Look into the subjects/activities that interests you - be it technical, sports, arts, political issues etc.
Talk to career counselor if you have an easy access to them or share your thoughts with parents or teachers and seek their input
Once you have learned more about your interests, try to compare all the input you have received and see which one excites you more
Reach out to subject matter experts to the one that is on top of your list for further guidance
- It creates a foundation for future growth
- Choosing a career gives direction and helps you set a goal in your life
- It helps you be motivated to keep going and achieve success in your life
- Having a career plan is essential because you can't do everything simultaneously; you need to focus on one particular career path and build on it.
- It makes you want to learn new things; you tend to put more focused thought into pursuing it further and being successful
Kamalesh Singh, recommends the following next steps: