There are several moments in life when one is required to choose professional choices , course or a college. Of course, no one wants to pick up something just to keep busy. Everyone wants to find out an option that works BEST (read ‘the best) for oneself.
In those moments, always remember, “There are a lot of choices available”. However, this sound advice comes with a caveat. That is, “There are a lot of choices available…only to those who dare to look around themselves attentively”.
Is there a systematic way of looking around for so-called ‘the best’ choice? Yes, there is and it is termed as ‘Career Exploration’.
Let me talk about the top 3 MAGICAL techniques to carry-out career exploration effectively.
- What is it that I want to do in my life? No matter whatever you do, till the time you do not pick up a pen and a paper (now days, laptop) and start jotting down your thoughts around this key question, it’s all in vain. Let me repeat, it’s all in vain. A few people take up this daring challenge and finish it and a lot just linger on. Are you going to be the one who will act and that too, RIGHT now? So, what you get once you complete this magical exercise? You get a lot of clarity and confidence of what you are seeking and once you complete it you are one step closure to finding it.
- The MIRRORING Technique- Simply go around physically and virtually (I mean internet, social media) and find out “With whose career/profession/ job/ work do you most relate to? If given a choice, would you like that option for yourself?” List down three such people and find out “What is one thing that you like about that person’s career/profession/ work?” So, what do you get once you complete this exercise? You can zero-in your interests and even predict what kind of life it will offer you.
- Take an ‘Ideal Career’ Psychometric Assessment– Ideal Career Test is a simple, scientific and structured way to assess your Aptitude, Personality, and Interests (API) to identify the careers, industries and work environment that best suit you. You get a printable assessment report which provides a list of top careers and fields of study that most closely fits your personality, interests and benefits you are looking for in your career.
Nathaniel Branden, a Canadian–American psychotherapist and writer once remarked, ‘The first step toward change is awareness. The second step is accepting and action it immediately’.
So, ultimately, what is the key to success?
In nutshell, “There are a lot of choices available…only to those who dare to look around them attentively and take the first step immediately”
Author is a ‘Certified Career Counselor’ from Careerguide.com
SANDEEP CHAUDHARY
Certified Career Counselor
He is a Human Resource Professional and has diversified exposure working with organizations in Information Technology, financial services, and education sectors.His expertise includes Career Counseling for students and young graduates, and specializes in corporate training. He is a postgraduate in management from a premier Business School. He is a ‘Certified career counselor’ and ‘Certified Professional Behavioral Analyst (CPBA)’.
