Career Discovery - Pinpoint Your Ideal Career


Determine your ideal career--one that"s in alignment with
your values, passions, and talents--and discover the work
you were born to do

Career discovery is the process by which a person identifies
their ideal career path, thus saving themselves a lot of
time (and money) by not pursuing career choices that they
will ultimately find unfulfilling.  To find your true
calling, you need to dig around and find the things that are
important to you--now, and in the future.

Career discovery is an important process, and one of those
skills they don"t really teach in high school or college.
Career counselors in school mainly focus on accessing your
skills and trying to match them up with the appropriate
career field. This can work fine for some people, but others
find that their values and beliefs change over time, and
they discover that what they thought they wanted in a career
when they were 20 isn"t necessarily what they want when
they"re 40.

To find a career that fits your core beliefs, values, and
skills, you really need to do an in-depth evaluation of
yourself. What do you find fulfilling in life? What are
your priorities?   What"s your "life purpose?" What
motivates and interests you? What skills, knowledge and
abilities to you posses? And what could you get excited
about learning in the future?

Some other important considerations:

·Do you work well alone, or do you need the energy and
interaction of a group of co-workers?

·Are you comfortable with the financial ups and downs that
can come with self-employment, or do you need the security
of a steady paycheck?

·Do you enjoy working long hours, or would you rather be in a
career that allows you a lot of free time to spend with your
family and friends?

·Do you like to commute long distances, or would you prefer a
job close to home?

·Would you enjoy working outdoors, or are you an office rat
who needs to be surrounded by four walls in order to be
productive?

·Do you really want a new career, or could you make your
present career acceptable with a few adjustments?

Until you can answer most of these questions satisfactorily,
I wouldn"t recommend finalizing your career plans. Life is
short, as the old saying goes, and you don"t want to waste
several years traveling down a career path only to discover
that you"ve made the wrong choice.

So do your homework, take a look inside your soul, and
discover your true calling in life. Only then should you
move onto the process of formulating a new career strategy.