Introduction

There are different kinds of choices. Choosing a toothpaste is not a big deal, some stores may even allow a person to return if one is dissatisfied. Clearly, some choices are more important than others, for instance, choosing a major or choosing a future career. Having the option of choosing from more than fifty-three majors or countless career options appears good on paper, but then a decision has to be made. How will the individual make that decision?

This paper is going to demonstrate that in choosing a future career, a young person needs to consider a myriad of factors not only a major to pursue in college but also personal passion, talents and abilities, personality traits and so many other factors besides a major. It will portray that a major in college can simply act as a stepping stone to a completely different career path and not necessarily to the career choices directly related to that major. The paper will also demonstrate that in deciding on a future career path to follow a person needs to make a conscious decision to make a decision about the career path to follow, and not simply rely on wanting to decide.

Choosing a Career

Deciding on a future career can be difficult. The first thing a person ought to consider when deciding on a future career is why he or she is attending college in the first place. Most people attend college to get a degree to get a job. Deciding on a career, for most people, is directly correlated to the major they want to pursue in college; however, this is not always the case, this notwithstanding, it can place a great deal of pressure on the decision.

According to Favreau(2013), deciding on a career can be simplified into three basic problems. She adds that through conquering these problems an individual will dramatically boost his or her chances of finding the right job. She highlights these three basic problems as: failure of an individual to have enough information; a person not knowing what he or she wants; and the inability of an individual to make a decision.

In choosing a career path, what this author meant was that a young person in deciding a future career needs to be informed or be aware of the available career choices as this will allow her to know the career that combines what she is good at, what she loves and what is in demand. It also means that an individual needs to match himself with a prospective career, taking into consideration personal values, personality and interest. This involves asking oneself questions such as: is this career interesting? Does the job description involve work that I am good at? And does this world need this career? If the response is to the positive, then that career choice is a plausible career option. Choosing a future career option also involves making a decision to decide on a career path, whether it is the right or wrong choicenotwithstanding.

The author of Insight, Klein(2013, pp. 193-214), presented a model that would assist an individual in deciding on a future career at a time of indecision. From his book, a reader understands a number of steps that are needed in-order to decide on a future career path. An individual needs to first change his mental perception and open it up to a new ‘insight’ that will change the mental model that she holds and make her make decisions not based purely on knowledge but on an experience that helps the person to see the inconsistency in the mental model that she previously had. In brief, as opposed to Favreau(2013),Klein(2013, pp. 193-214) means that in deciding a future career, an individual needs to evaluate each career option by itself and not relative to other careers. That is, evaluating a career option based on intuition, tacit knowledge and expertise.

In choosing a future career path, Lore(2012, p. 24), suggests that a person can take a series of steps which are outlined as: first making a commitment to decide on a future career; second making designing a future career a number one priority; third, looking in and self reflection; fourth, seeking full expression; and lastly breaking down the big question.

As a young person torn between deciding on a future career, it is imperative that an individual decides to decide and no want to decide. This will require that she makes a decision, notwithstanding how scary it feels. She should make it a priority to decide on a future career path and not perceive it as a parenthetical decision. She should also conduct self reflection to identify a career that fits her and not forcing a career that is a wrong fit. This would involve reflecting on personal values, characteristics and attributes that would help in knowing the best fit. It also requires that a person considering internal rewards from the career not only external rewards like money or status, but internal rewards like job satisfaction, fulfillment and happiness. A good career choice should be one that fulfills a person’s goals, has goals that fit personal values and has a compatible work environment. Other factors that a young person needs to take into consideration when deciding on a future career include elements such as the willingness to stretch ones boundaries, passion, meaning, mission and purpose, personality traits and temperaments and natural talents and innate abilities.

Another important influencing factor when deciding on a career path is the major to pursue in college. However, it is worth noting that some careers can be realized with a range of degrees, others require very specific degrees and training, while others simply provide stepping stones to other careers.

Conclusion

In conclusion, many factors come into play when it comes to deciding on a future career path. In as much as the major pursued in college influences to some extent the career path, it can be but a stepping stone to other careers. It is therefore important that other considerations,many of which involve self satisfaction and personal fulfillment from the career are weighed before deciding on a future career to follow. Not every student enrolling for a university degree knows precisely what career path he or she wants to pursue, however, the student can analyze and evaluate his or her talents, and passion as well as interests, to decide on a career path to follow.

References

Favreau, A. (2013, February 20). How to Decide on a Career (Even If You Don’t Know What You Want). Retrieved October 13, 2014, from Chicago Tribune: http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-02-20/business/sns-201302201830–tms–brazenctnbc-b20130220-20130220_1_career-counselor-career-options-career-ideas

Klein, G. (2013). Insight. In J. Brockman, Thinking: The New Science of Decision-Making, Problem-Solving, and Prediction (pp. 193-214). New York: HarperCollins Publisher Inc.

Lore, N. (2008). Now What?: The Young Person’s Guide to Choosing the Perfect Career. New York: Simon & Schuster, Inc.

Lore, N. (2012). The Pathfinder: How to Choose or Change Your Career for a Lifetime of Satisfaction and Success. New York: Simon and Schuster.

 
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