5 Things To Avoid While Choosing A Career

Figure out your talent and choose a career that suits your aptitude, skills, and interests. This statement is the nub of the career advices that you’ll receive for building a dream career.

A dream career, in simple words, is a career that pays well and is in alignment with your flair and inclinations.

To have such career might seem like a tricky business, but it is actually not so.

A good amount of self-reflection, research, and faith in your capabilities is the recipe to have the career of your fantasies.

Now, what’s also equally important is to shun the following five things. These things might, accidentally, lead you to a dodgy career decision. Don’t let these avoidable mistakes keep you away from a successful career.

MISTAKES THAT CAN BE EASILY AVOIDED

1. Getting fascinated by high pay packages
2. Letting peer pressure over power you
3. Letting your parents decide for you
4. Market Trends
5. Following others’ footsteps

• Getting fascinated by high pay packages

Bhuvana Shankar, Principal, Chennai Public School says- if you love what you do, “the product is success and the happy by-product is money,”

Intellectuals always assert that do what you like, and money is secondary, yet for most of the students, money still serves as the biggest factor while choosing a career. What induces students to think this way are: parents, who weigh success with money, society that’s always judgmental, and the peers who are earning well.

Giving such importance to money is somewhat rational. We can’t deny the difference that money makes to someone’s life. But, the only problem is that students think about it the completely wrong way.

They feel the wealthier they are, the happier they will be. Whereas the fact is exactly the opposite- the happier you are the wealthier you will be. If you choose a career that suits your interests and talent, the pace of your growth would be rapid. And if you select a career just because it pays more, after some point of time you’ll find yourself stuck at the same level.

“Ultimately, success is not about money or position, but about living the life you want, not just the life you settle for.”- Ariana Huffington, Editor-in-Chief at Huffington Post

• Letting peer-pressure overpower you

J.R. Sudarshan Reddy, career counselor and founder of Vidyarthi IAS Academy, Hyderabad says, ‘don’t yield to peer pressure while choosing a career.’

Though friends influence a person’s life from the time s/he joins school, peer-pressure tends to have a stronger impact in adolescence. From appearance and behaviour to beliefs and career decisions, this extended family of a student has an acute dominance over him/her.

But, this is entirely wrong. If you and your friends have different body structures, attitudes, talents, likes, and dislikes, how is it possible that there would be a one-size-fits-all career for all of you.

Don’t pick a career of their choice, but pick the one that’s made for you and that you’re made for.

• Letting your parents decide for you

When you’re a teenager, it’s tough for your parents to trust that you can decide for yourself. What prompts them to think so is the fact that you lack experience. Social prestige, fear of seeing their child fail, lack of knowledge about particular fields, etc. are some of the other factors.

The predominant reason, however, is a dearth of awareness regarding the new career possibilities among the parents. Even for the highly-educated ones, it is not possible to stay updated with the rapid developments taking place in all the fields. Besides, the parents who are somewhat aware often have an unwelcoming attitude towards new things. A majority of students deal with this scenario.

However, to succumb to the situation isn’t a WISE solution.

There’s something you can do about it, without having to enter into strife with your parents. All you’ve to do is be patient, research well about the field of your choice and communicate politely with them. Also, tell them about your abilities and skills in a firm and humble manner.

Let’s understand this with the help of a video: How to Convince Your Parents for A Career

• Market Trends

Blindly following the market trends is another mistake students make. Market trends are important and should certainly be considered while selecting a career, but choosing a career solely on the basis of this point should be avoided.

If you learn that the job of animation artists is expected to grow rapidly over the next decade, and you excitedly choose it as your career, you’re going all wrong.

Did you even ponder how it suits your skill-set?

Do you know that a lot of other people will be going for it, for the same or some other reasons?

Did you anticipate how hard the level of competition will be?

Do you know what after the next decade?

Selecting a career without analyzing your interests, skills, talents will lead you towards a regretful decision. Consider market trends but don’t be obsessed with them.

• Following others footsteps

Michael Hyatt, a famous blogger and former CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers, asserts, what is even worse than not having a plan is having someone else plan for you.

He also claims that we let this happen because we avoid taking the responsibility for our life. We are afraid to walk a path less walked.

Following the footsteps of your parents, elder siblings or a distant cousin is a complete NO while choosing a career.

Choose your own way. Have the confidence to walk through it. And have the courage to accept and overcome your failures.

So, these were the five things that every student who wishes to be successful, economically and mentally, must avoid.

Know what you are. Know what you like. Figure out your true potential. Listen to everyone, but the final decision has to be yours and it has to be well-thought and well-researched.

Though no decision guarantees success, avoiding these things means you are avoiding a potential regret.