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So you want to choose a career that’s right for you and that you will enjoy. After all, if you love what you do, it will never seem like work. The majority of people choose their careers on purely practical reasons, like financial reward, while others choose careers that offer social recognition, power, fame or merely because that’s what their fathers or mothers did. However, these motivations do not necessarily make you happy or healthy because you may still end up in a career that burns you out or wastes your potential. How do you decide what is the right career for you?

Know Thy Self

Do you know yourself well enough to know what your talents and innate gifts are? Knowing your personality type can help you identify situations in which you excel and those in which you are challenged. This knowledge is a good guide in determining what types of activities, and thus potential careers, suit the person you are. The Briggs-Meyers test is a well-known and excellent tool you can use to gain insight into your personality and how you relate to other people and the world around you.

Experiment With Life

This may be easier said than done, but if you are still in high school or have just graduated, this is a perfect time for you to get out into the world for some exploration before you commit yourself to post-secondary education. However, exploring life is not limited only to the youth; it is also a good idea to take time out of your established life and re-discover the world. This is especially true if you are disillusioned with your current career and are seeking something new. Go travel, volunteer, take on some projects and expand your horizons. If you have to stay local, why not sign up for some short, but practical courses that are related to your interests? For example, if you are artistic and love visual art, why not look into taking some Photoshop courses? You may discover a potential career in graphic design that utilises your artistic talents.

Read…Lots

Reading is another form of exploration, albeit a very sedentary one, yet it is the most accessible form of travel and can open up whole worlds for you. These days you have the option of reading more than just books. The Internet puts the world at your fingertips, so you can explore not just places, but also people’s lives, history, science, current events and more. Use these as teaching resources for yourself: who knows, you may discover your life’s passion through the Internet.

And This Above All: To Thy Own Self Be True

Shakespeare said it all. The best careers are those that are aligned with your values, talents, strengths and character. Avoid careers that force you to lie to yourself, as this is no way to live. You can get away with it once in a while but if you lie to yourself every day, you will be miserable, no matter how much money you make.