How to Choose the Career Path That Is Right for You

What Is a Career Path?

A career path is a guide that outlines the steps you need to take in your professional life to transition to different roles in the workplace. It includes a series of experiences and career possibilities that help people reach their future goals.

Most people spend about one-third of their lives working, so choosing a career that will fit your goals is important. Choosing a career means learning as much as possible about yourself, your goals and expectations, which can help you understand where you see yourself in the future and what you like to do.

Some people go on a linear career path through one field and advance into roles to reach higher salaries and bigger responsibilities. On the other hand, others shift industries, companies and roles that allow them to accumulate vast experience and knowledge in different sectors. By definition, the career path can be:

Vertical – includes advancements to higher-level positions, but it can sometimes also mean moving to a lower-level position depending on the person’s goals, motivation and desire for bigger responsibilities.
Horizontal – includes moving within the same industry, organisation or across multiple industries to gain more skills and different experiences.

Both ways can increase job satisfaction and fulfilment when you set your vision for the future. The linear path could mean gathering deeper knowledge in the field and becoming a leader. In contrast, the multi-directional path could include accumulating diverse expertise and gaining the ability to adapt to challenges and the evolving job market.

The Impact of Career Decisions on Life and Overall Happiness

The work we do takes up a significant portion of our day, so it is only natural that career choices will have a considerable impact on our mental health and well-being. Happiness is often referred to as a subjective well-being which can be measured across different dimensions, but measuring it in the context of careers and job responsibilities is an essential indicator of how people evaluate their overall quality of life.

Labour statistics show that people working in blue-collar jobs report low levels of overall happiness across the world. This is also the case with labour-intensive industries such as manufacturing and farming. The data also includes the evaluation of the day-to-day emotional experiences of workers, and it also shows that white-collar workers experience more positive emotional states and are more likely to enjoy, smile and feel less stressed or worried than the blue-collar roles. With that said, each job has different challenges, and many people prefer the industry they work in.

Work-life balance is becoming a dominant predictor of people’s happiness. Still, other factors include problem-solving, job variety and the level of individual autonomy. Additionally, social capital and job security are closely related to happiness, and many jobs involving risks to health and safety are associated with lower levels of happiness and well-being. These statistics indicate why choosing the right career path is crucial to a fulfilling life.

Steps to Decide the Right Career Path

You might wonder how to choose a career path, but selecting a career path can take a long time. Learning more about yourself and what you want in a job can take months or even years. It is important to note that you may change your initial career path as you learn new skills and abilities. When embarking on your career journey, the first step is to think about what you are good at, who you are and what you enjoy. This can help you choose careers that match your interests, values and skills. There are plenty of career aptitude tests or self-assessment tests that can help you in the decision-making process, and you might have a lot of different career ideas.

Self-Discovery: Understanding Your Strengths and Passions

Your journey to self-discovery is essential in learning about what you enjoy and your core values. Having insight can help you determine how you would like to spend your working time, and we are not talking just about finding your passion and following it. We mean feeling excited, energised and fulfilled about what you do, so before going on your career path, ask yourself some of these questions:

What are your interests?
What makes you happy?
What do you enjoy learning about?
How do you like to spend your time?

Also, there are some value-based and trait-based questions you can ask yourself too, such as:

What are your priorities?
What are your values?
What are your traits?
Do you want to be a part of a more significant change?
How do you see success?
What are your strengths?
Which skills did you work the hardest on?

Identify Your Core Values

Your core values are the basis of your beliefs that guide you through life. And they can change over time, too. They are one of the most critical factors that can help you see whether you are aligned with the career you want to pursue. For some people, some of the core values include:

Commitment
Honesty
Responsibility
Growth
Collaboration
Autonomy
Equality
Honesty

Outline Your Career Goals

Part of career planning is outlining your career goals. It is a career action plan and showcases what steps are needed, separated into short, medium and long-term goals. Reviewing your progress, especially after every goal is reached, is essential. Map alternative paths towards your goals and consider how you will overcome all obstacles and challenges. Short-term goals should help you improve your CV and cover letter; other medium-term goals should include undertaking volunteering opportunities, internships and other valuable achievements, while long-term goals are key achievements in your career action plan.

Education and Skill Development

When starting a new team, employees often want to acquire new skills, learn something new, and enhance their current knowledge, which are vital benefits to many professions. Showing your willingness to learn and embrace new technology and ideas of thinking, highlights your dedication to growth and can be key traits employers look for. You should consider the education requirements of different careers and whether on-the-job learning is possible.

Consider Your Salary Needs

Different careers offer different incomes. Knowing the data can be a good start for deciding how much money you may earn at first, but also learning about the job’s potential after gaining experience and skills. While the salary range certainly doesn’t guarantee a bigger job satisfaction, it is essential to consider when career planning. These questions can help you understand what you are genuinely looking for in a job description regarding your salary:

What do my future financial goals look like?
What is the compensation I need to support my budget?

Set Goals

Once you decide on your career path, identify your long and short-term goals, which can help you map the course towards landing your dream job. Long-term goals can take up to five years, and short-term goals may be achieved in six months to two years. Research and learn about the required education and training to guide you in fulfilling these goals.

Be Optimistic and Make a Decision

When you learn more about yourself and discover your interests and options, you are ready to start making decisions. Decide which job titles interest you the most, but also add a few alternatives as another option to have a backup plan. Before deciding, consider whether you will enjoy the job and whether it meets your preferences.

When struggling to decide on a career, consider creating a list of pros and cons to gain clarity:

Weaknesses – areas that you can improve and skills that you can acquire to help you excel at work
Strengths – all of the skills, traits and achievements that make you unique
Opportunities – understand the growth in the industry and grasp new opportunities
Threats – learn what stands in your way of development and what holds you back from progressing at work

Importance of Career Journey Exploration

Career exploration can guide you to different working environments, leading you to where you will most likely fit and grow as an individual. You may be good at things you are interested in, and career exploration is a solid part of self-exploration. Without a doubt, it has become an essential consideration when deciding on your vocation since it:

Facilitates intrapersonal and interpersonal factors
Necessitates personal agency
Has a positive impact on career outcomes

Through career exploration, we can build a strong workforce and have a team of employees who love their work. Organisations gain employee retention and engagement since the people they need are there and want to stay.

Career exploration is a tool that helps you determine and define your steps on your career path by helping you reflect on what you have already learned about yourself, like your values, strengths and likes. Exploring your career path is not a one-time event; it is an ongoing process that requires vast experiences, self-reflection and passion towards embarking on a new journey.

Choose the Right Career Path With the Help of Olive Recruit

At Olive Recruit, our job as a team of expert recruiters is to guide you towards your dream role and help you on your career journey. We provide support when embarking on your career path and find the right fit for your preferences, skills and knowledge. Our team act as a career coach who will help you reach your goals.

Olive Recruit also helps companies and organisations find employees that fit their core values and goals, achieving the best results and outcomes for everyone. We understand the importance of having a fulfilling job and feeling that you are in the right place.