Professor of business psychology Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic Ph.D. suggests there is a great deal tied to a person's career choices. This is because we spend a large proportion of our lives working, spending more time at work than we do having fun or sleeping. To many people what they do is far more important to them than who they are (https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mr-personality/201106/the-psychology-career-choices-why-personality-matters).
This then is why decisions regarding a person's career are so pivotal to their life. The truth is that very often people are in jobs that they do not enjoy. It’s a lucky person who can come home at the end of a day and look forward to going back to work tomorrow.
Be Scientific With Your Choices
It would be an interesting survey to know how many people grow up to do the job they wanted when they were 5 years old. If we could follow that youngster's dreams, we would likely have an overabundance of astronauts, firefighters, and ninjas. The truth is we have to be more scientific when making career choices.
Our success in education is likely to impact our options as does geographic location. If we have a huge career dream then we need to put in the work to achieve that. In the short term we may land in a less attractive job but that doesn’t stop us working on our dreams. What we must avoid is letting emotion play too big a part in our career path.
Imagine Your Future Self
When deciding on a career it is important to consider who you want to be in 5, 10, 15 years' time. Do you want a family? Will you buy a home? Basically, who will you be? Committing to a career that requires a lot of you may lead to difficulties with relationships later on. Try to imagine the work/life balance of your career and how your priorities may change.
Consider All Your Options
It’s good to have options when it comes to career so rather than focusing entirely on one path consider others as well. The first opportunity may not be the best choice. Give all of your potential career choices an equal amount of consideration. Spend time comparing the pros and cons of each before you settle on a final choice.
Stop Seeking Signs
When we are unhappy in our jobs, we may sometimes find ourselves seeking justification for walking away. The little phrase “Maybe it’s a sign” enters into too many thoughts especially within our careers. Things at work that are not going as they should are seen as “signs” that we shouldn’t be in the job or that we are no good at it.
The truth is we may just be lacking confidence and motivation. The job isn’t sending cosmic signs, the only sign sender is yourself. We are not enjoying our job, we want a reason to leave. This may be an indication of a need to change path or perhaps an indication of trying to find a reason to stay.
Don’t Choose in Fear
We may feel strongly about a career path but those we love may be telling us that it’s a bad one. This may lead some people to abandon their dreams so as to not upset parents or others. It is important to not change a decision because of the fear of other people's opinions.
Another fear factor to avoid is leaving decisions too long. If we spend too much time trying to pick our career path, we may find ourselves desperate to get any kind of work. Don’t overthink things or you may end up having to take what you can get, not what you want.
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