Whether you are finishing your high schooling, university, or believe you are not happy with your current career, choosing a new career involves an honest evaluation of yourself as well as planning.

It begins with identifying yourself, with can be done using the following three areas:

Natural Strengths:
These are intangible strengths that are often hard to identify, things you do easy and effortlessly without really realising it. Doing these tasks don’t drain your energy. If you are constantly drained and frustrated, then those tasks are not using your natural strengths. Often, it can be easiest to ask a friend to help you identify these.
Learning what your natural strengths are and then finding a career that has these is a much better way than thinking you want to do a career without knowing what the actual day to day tasks and challenges entail.

Personality Type:
Forget about making money or the lifestyle you desire, indentify your current personality type, rather than trying to becoming someone that you are not.
If you are not sure, then there is lots of free psychometric testing available online.

Passions/Interests:
Your passions are where your natural interests are.

This video has a great summary of the above three areas, demonstrated in a Venn Diagram to show how all three are equally important.

Now that you have identified the above three areas about yourself, you now need to plan how to get started in your new career. You know what is most important to you so now you can determine if the career options will match your most important values.
Your values need to be honoured in your chosen career to avoid the subconscious trap of ‘I hate my job’ despite the title of your job was what you thought you wanted to do. Research is vital so that you don’t start down the wrong path.

Don’t rely on everything the internet tells you, meet people in that career and learn what are the things they don’t like about their career too (if any).

In planning, you will identify that changing careers is not easy, and there are several costs involved like the time you invest and any further formal training you will need. Despite the costs, those who are passionate about what they do will work harder towards it and therefore earn more money in it. If you are sceptical and pessimistic about it, you will become stuck in it. You may hate your current job but will learn to justify why it is okay and why you don’t want to move from it. Stay in this job and slowly work towards your new career. It could take many months or even years to get into a new career.

Your career needs to be something that you are energised about, interested in, excites you, and you are proud about it.

If you need more help in your career, whether it’s finding a job, learning about your passion or would just like an opportunity to network and meet like minded people, then don’t miss our upcoming training session.

We teach people everything they need to know to be successful in their careers. Follow this link to learn more.