How to Decide a Career Path

Whether you just graduated high school or you're struggling to find a career that keeps you satisfied, there's no doubt that deciding on a career path is one of the most important decisions you'll ever make. However, making up your mind is difficult when there are so many enticing options that you could take. Even something that seems adventurous and fulfilling could turn out to be a nightmare job. So, how do you decide on the path that makes you smile every day when you go into work? The following looks like the scientific formula for conducting an experiment, and indeed it is. A job is an experiment, the problem is predicting the outcome that supports your initial research. Here are a few ways you can narrow the list down and pinpoint the career that is perfect for you:

1. Identify the Project.
Your first step to deciding on the right career path is to identify what you're trying to accomplish. This means putting your goals in writing, putting a timeframe to them, and signing the paper. By scheduling a timeframe, you're allowing yourself to structure the job search process. Signing is just a way to commit yourself to the process.

2. Know Yourself Inside and Out.
Take a sheet of paper out and immediately start jotting down your interests, skills, abilities, and passions. What are you good at? Is there any talent you have? What are some things that interest you? Are you passionate about anything? The list can be as long as you want it. In fact, the longer, the better.

3. Research Options.
Once you've made a list of your interests and skills, organize the list by degree of interest. Take the list and divide it in half: one list is things you're most interested in and the other list is not quite as interesting. Research the first list. Beside each item, list what type of occupation, opportunity, or career you could have by pursuing this particular subject. Also, research and list the type of education or experience that's necessary to pursue this field.

4. Evaluate Your Options.
This is the biggest step. This is the step where the majority of your list will be eliminated and narrowed down to just a few fields. Start off by evaluating the list and identifying the advantages and disadvantages of each career you're considering. For instance, if some of the occupations require you to travel and you don't want to be away from your family then you may want to dismiss it as a possibility. If some require you to work eighty hour weeks and you want to start a family then it's probably not the best fit for you.

Choose something that makes you feel right. If your eye keeps wondering to a particular career then I would do more research on that one. Talk to others about the career choice and ask for their input. Be open to criticism. Also, research the different salaries with the career options. Let's face it, you're in this for money too, so let that be another deciding factor.

5. Choose One of the Options.
Normally, the hardest step in deciding what career path to take is the actual decision. You're never sure if you made the right choice and you'll always question whether there was something else out there that better suits you. The good news is that if you've already performed Steps 1 through 4 then you're ahead of the game. The decision is narrowed down to just a few career options. There are a few things that you can take into consideration to help with the decision. How high up were some of the career choices on your original list? The higher you listed them, the more passionate you are about them. Could you see yourself working this particular career twenty years down the road or is this just something you're temporarily interested in? In each career, it's also important to keep in mind how much potential you have to climb the corporate ladder and grow within the company. You don't want to be stuck in one spot the rest of your life.

6. Develop a Plan.
Once you've made the hard decision, you must set up a plan in motion and implement it. Most importantly, this includes your time frame. Write your goals and time frame down on paper. Most of the time when you write your goals down then you intend to stick by them. For instance, by next Spring you want to be working at this particular career at a salary of $45,000 per year. If you're a recent high school graduate, plan out what courses for the major are necessary in order to graduate and pursue the field.

Plan how you intend to get the job. For example, send out ten resumes every day for two months and prepare for a minimum of two interviews every week. This is a great way to track the numbers and keep a numbered log of your progress. Your plan and goals should be long and short term. The short term is the actual process of obtaining the position while long term will analyze where you are in ten years and whether or not you're meeting or exceeding your personal and company goals.

Good luck with the job searching!