Choosing a Career
When you're making decisions about which career to study for, it helps to ask yourself these questions:
What sort of activities do you enjoy?
Do you like being around people? Do you like being outdoors? Do you like physical activity or quieter, more mentally involving pursuits? Are you good with your hands, or do you get more enjoyment out of thinking your way through challenges?
What sort of things are important to you?
For example, do you want to earn lots of money above anything else? Do you want the kind of job that will impress people? Do you want to be your own boss, or have the flexibility to work from home? Do you want to work for no more than 4 days a week? Do you want your evenings and weekends free? Do you want a career that involves local or overseas travel?
What industries or job sectors are growing?
And which will be hard to get into? You'll get a good idea of this from reading the job vacancies in the newspaper, talking to careers advisors, recruitment specialists and employers.
Why are you changing jobs?
If you're going from one job or career to another, analyse your reasons for changing. What aspects of your previous job did you dislike? Was your dissatisfaction related to your employer, the position you held, or the industry that you worked in?
Options to Consider
If you're looking to change your present career, you should consider these scenarios:
You could do the same job but in a different industry
For example, if you're a sales representative in the hospitality industry, you could become a sales representative for a sporting goods firm.
You could switch to a different job within the same industry
For example, become a human resources consultant within the hospitality industry.
You could do a different job in a different industry
Such as becoming an accounts assistant with the electronics industry.
There are so many options open to you, but it's important you understand what drives you before you make a decision. The questions above will help clarify your thinking, but if you would like further assistance with career issues, feel free to contact your local Career Services office.