As appealing and enticing as money can be, it should not be the main driver when determining what career path to choose. Picking out your career path is one of the biggest decisions you will make in your adult life, as work is something most people have to do for a huge portion of their lives. In this post, we will be talking about things to consider when deciding what career path to choose.
Passion: What you love
If money was not a factor at all, what would you love to do?
Work was not meant to be a curse but a blessing. When you go to work or think about work, you should not be filled with anguish or anxiety, but excitement and joy. In order to feel this way, you need to love what you do. So, when picking out your career path, think about things that you love to do and that you won’t mind doing every day of your life.
There is something about doing what you love that makes you bring forth your very best, and you do so effortlessly too. It’s called passion. I believe there is potential in everything to grow and produce wealth, whether it is music, medicine, farming, sewing, carpentry, dancing, etc. With dedication, consistency, and perseverance, you can excel in everything you want. Add in a dash of faith and your prosperity is guaranteed!
To do
- List: Make a list of things that you enjoy doing.
- Imagine: Visualize yourself doing these things – 5 years from now, 10 years from now.
- Feel: How do you feel when you consider this future?
- Think: Think about the growth prospects, the expansion, the limitless possibilities.
- Detail: Write down what you see, with as much detail as you can.
Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life.
Mark Twain
Who you are and what outcomes you want for your life
We are often inspired by people around us, people we see on TV, on the internet, etc – what they do, what they wear, what they say, and all that. At times we look at the successful ones and try to emulate them, we listen to them for nuggets of wisdom, tips, tricks, and advice, hoping that they can give us some kind of formula that we can apply to our own lives that will make us more like them.
While there is nothing wrong with being inspired by someone, it is important to realize that we are all different. Just because something worked for the one does not mean it will work for the other, just because it was right for the one does not mean it is right for the other. Dig deep and find out who you are and what is it that you truly want.
Where is God leading you?
What story do you want your life to tell?
Growing up, I was “programmed” to think that unless you were a Doctor, an Engineer, a Lawyer, or a Teacher you could not be successful. This thought really depressed me in my teenage years because even though as a child I wanted to be a Doctor (because that is what I was taught to desire), I quickly realized that was not the right path for me. I eventually fell in love with Physics and Maths and started considering Engineering but after spending some time attending classes meant to prepare me for the Engineering school I wanted to get into, I quickly lost interest. Teaching or becoming a Lawyer were not even options I wanted to consider. This led me to an even greater depression because I felt like I had nowhere else to go, I felt like such a failure. But thank God I did not give up! I dug deep and found out what I wanted: I always loved gaming and computers and knew I wanted to do something related to this. Many people I knew shook their heads when I mentioned these things. Even when I was in University pursuing my IT degree, meetings were held where people told me I was “throwing my life away” because there were “no employment prospects” and “Oh such a shame you chose to waste all that potential you got, you’ve always been a smart kid but now…”.
I definitely am glad I followed my heart against all odds. I dared to take a chance on me. I dug deep and found out who I was and what outcomes I wanted, and in faith, I declared the future I wanted and it came to pass, glory to God!
To do
- Meditate: Spend some time in silence, ask yourself the deep questions – “Who am I?”, “Where am I headed?”, “What stories do I want my life to tell”, “What are the outcomes I desire?”
- Aspire: Aspire to become everything you can be, no limitations, no excuses!
- Pray: Pray for God’s guidance and declare His favor upon your life and upon your every dream and aspiration.
- Stand firm: Hold on to what you believe and don’t be swayed by waves of emotion and unbelief.
Things you’re naturally good at
I am sure you have some things you are just naturally great at, some talents that you just excel in without even needing to be taught. What are they?
I have seen people make careers even out of the “strangest” talents, see? Why do you think that is? It’s because the world is constantly looking for something new, something different, something out of the ordinary. What might be strange to the one might be exactly the breath of fresh air that the other needed.
What is your super-secret or not-so-secret talent?
What are you going to make of it?
I sure am glad to have been born in the age of the internet, where it really does not take that much anymore to get a piece of content broadcast to millions of people around the world. How amazing is it that you can showcase your talent so easily, eh!
It is worth noting that just because you have a talent it does not mean you MUST make it into your career, do so only if that’s what you want.
Consider
- What are some of your natural talents?
- Which of them intersect with things you are passionate about?
- How can you edify the world with your gifts?
- There are many people out there who need exactly what you have to offer – individuals, companies, businesses, etc.
Things you are willing to learn
Just because you are not naturally good at something does not mean you are disqualified from learning. Learning itself is a skill we all need to excel at.
Before we dive deeper into this point, say this: “I have the ability to learn anything I want to, I can achieve anything I want to. I can do all things through Christ who gives me the strength. Nothing shall be impossible for me”.
When choosing the right career path for you, you need to consider what things you are willing to learn. As someone who does computer programming, there have been numerous times I refused to apply for jobs that mentioned programming languages like COBOL because that’s just one of those languages I am just not willing to learn at this time, not because there is anything wrong with the language (not that I would know anyways) but just because it does not align with where I am headed and what I like to do.
I said it before and I will say it again, work is not meant to make you make you anxious, you deserve to love what you do and do what you love.
If you lack a skill necessary to excel at a role you want, learn it. If you don’t want to, then don’t do it, find something else that aligns well with what you love, what you know, and what you are willing to learn.
Note
- Learning can take many forms: taking classes (e.g. school, eLearning, self-paced learning), learning by doing, apprenticeships, etc. Do what works for you.
- We all learn at different paces, don’t be too quick to throw away the towel if things are not going exactly as you anticipated. Be patient with yourself.
To do
- Create a list of the career options you are considering.
- Research what it takes to excel in these different roles (you can check different job listings to see the recurring requirements).
- Outline which of the requirements and skills you already possess.
- Work on acquiring the skills and other requirements you are missing.
- Network with people in the industries, companies, or roles you are targeting, with the objective of learning and building meaningful relationships.
People
It is no secret that most work involves interactions with people – coworkers, supervisors, managers, employees, clients, customers, partners, etc. When choosing a career path or a job, it is important to think about the people you will be interacting with (working with, working for, and catering to).
The truth is that most adults spend more time surrounded by their colleagues (collective term for people you work with) than with their own families and as such, it is important to be wise about these decisions. Good colleagues can make your time at work such a blast and bad colleagues can cause you so much stress you get nightmares and panic attacks. I know it is not always easy to spot the red flags before getting into the workspace but at times there are clues to look out for.
Here is an example: think about the music industry. If you go into the Classic music genre you can have a generic idea of what to expect, the general vibe of the industry, the people you may work with, and the audience. Same with other genres of music (e.g. rock, rap, etc.), they have their own personalities and their own people, and while not everyone is the same, you usually can get at least an idea of what to expect.
I appreciate platforms like Glassdoors that let people submit reviews about different companies so that prospective employees can have some valuable insights to guide their decision-making.
In addition to thinking about people you will interact with at work, you also need to think about the people in your life (family, friends, etc) and the potential impact your choices will have on them. As someone who’s watched several movies that had Hitman characters, I know for a fact that I won’t want to consider that career path because there always seems to be a risk to one’s loved ones 😅.
Your time and priorities
Time is one of the most valuable assets we possess and we owe it to ourselves to make the best use of it.
What are those things that are most important for you? Where do your priorities lie?
Consider this:
For the person working an average of 8 hours a day,
that's 1/3 of your day spent at work.
If you sleep 8 hours a day,
that's 2/3 of your day gone between work and sleep.
Factor in commute times (average of ~1 hour according to a 2022 census) and time to get ready (~30 minutes)
and you have about 6h30 minutes left.
If you work from 9-5,
then those 6hours + 30 minutes fall in the evening.
Between most places closing, bed times, dinner, chores etc,
you see that you get to spend barely a few hours with your loved ones/ doing your own things.All this to say identify your priorities and allocate your time wisely. Devote your time to things that matter to you. Don’t spend your time working at a career/job that makes you unhappy, find something that you truly enjoy. Strive to work at a place where you feel valued and with people who cherish you and appreciate what you have to offer.
Work is not a duty to be endured, it is a blessing to be enjoyed.
