7 Important Questions to Ask Yourself When Choosing a Career

Choices, Choices, Choices

Choosing a career has a huge impact on your future. When researching and pursuing potential fields, you have to keep in mind how it will affect you in the long-run, namely your quality of life, health, family obligations and retirement. Before you embark on a profession, consider the following seven questions:

1. What are your interests?

Your personal interests, namely your hobbies and recreational activities, form an essential part of choosing a career. Perhaps the profession in mind incorporates elements of these interests, allowing you to apply your best at every turn. Subsequently, embarking on this profession will boost your long-term happiness, productivity and self-confidence levels. For example, if you enjoy gaming, this may translate to a potential career in graphics design, software design or technology. 

2. What are your skills?

All jobs require different skills. As such, specific positions will require someone to possess the appropriate skillset. These can be a combination of hard skills (skills gained either through training, school and/or work experience) or soft skills (non-technical/interpersonal skills gained from life experiences). Draw on your past and present experiences to see if your skills align with these requirements.

3. Should I educate/train myself more?

Some job positions require advanced education and/or training, either before you can enroll for these positions or during the course of your career. For example, as a retail manager, you may be required to have or pursue a certification in retail analytics, or if you’re an office administrator, you may need to earn certifications in Microsoft Excel and Word. Perhaps the position requires that you have strong communication skills, which means undergoing a communication course.

Consider which of these skills are worth pursuing and developing, and where you can learn them (at night-school, online, etc). Also, take into account how much time and money learning these skills will require.

4. Do I prefer working indoors, outdoors or remotely?

All companies have different guidelines regarding their working structure. Many require that their employees work in an office, some have implemented “work-from-home” remote policies, and others have established a hybrid model (a combination of working in-office and remotely).

Your environment has an impact on how you work. For example, working remotely may work better for you if you have a strong sense of self-discipline, although you may feel a disconnect from your colleagues who aren’t occupying the same space as you.

Working indoors, specifically in an office environment, means exercising your communication skills and bouncing ideas off your co-workers, although you may feel stifled by the overall atmosphere of being cooped up inside. Working outdoors can increase your overall health, although extreme weather conditions can extremely hinder your output.

Assess and take into consideration these varying working environments as you research different careers – the one that suits you best will help determine your career choice.

5. Do I work better individually or in a team?

Many careers out there will require you working in a team, while others may require that you work independently. Working in a team – where responsibilities are shared, ideas can be discussed and tweaked, and problem-solving is made easier – can increase your efficiency and productivity levels, but there’s always the risk of butting heads with colleagues or picking up the slack if someone doesn’t pull their weight.

Working independently – such as being a freelance contractor – allows for you to be your own boss, to work at your own pace, and remain focused without outside interference. However, time mismanagement, loneliness and being solely accountable for the task or project at hand are notable downsides.

6. How important is work-life balance?

It’s important to establish a balance between your professional and personal life so as to prevent these from bleeding into each other. If you spend too much time working, you’re at risk of stress and burnout; on the other side of the coin, prioritising your personal life may compromise your career advancement.

Also ask yourself the following questions: do you see a career merely as a form of income, an activity that allows you to do what you love and motivates you to give you everything you’ve got, or both? How much time do you want to dedicate to advancing your career versus the time you dedicate to leisurely pursuits? Once you have an idea of what balance you want to achieve, you will be able to make the right move in the direction of your dream career.

7. How much money do I want to make?

Earning an income may or may not largely form part of your decision when choosing a job. For example, a career in the medical field may be financially rewarding, but you won’t be able to enjoy it very much if you don’t have a passion for it (do you enjoy helping others, do you want to make a difference in someone’s life, etc?). You may prefer a low-risk job, but the salary that comes with it may be below your expectations; on the other hand, a high-risk job may provide a more-than-satisfactory income.

Ultimately, the money you earn affects your quality of life. Find a career that suits your monetary needs and protects your wellbeing, both in the present and the future.