Choosing the Right Career Path

As a registered training organisation heavily involved in upskilling Australians and getting them qualified for the kind of job they want, we’re passionate about ensuring our trainees are on the right career path.
After all, you don’t want to waste your time and money on a course or qualification that isn’t going to work for you long-term.
So, how can you know what career will work for you? Notice how we are focusing on the word “career” and not “job”. You see, careers are a lifetime thing. Jobs are just a part of your journey, and while they may not be the end goal, they can help get you there.
To figure out the best career path for you, here are some steps you could take.

Do a Quiz

There are plenty of online and offline quizzes that can help give you an idea of the kind of career you’d be suitable for. They’re not perfect, and all results should be taken with a grain of rice, but they can be useful in examining your goals, personality, and preferred activities to find a career that best matches.
The Australian Government has one available. Try it here: http://joboutlook.gov.au/careerquiz.aspx

Know Your Goals

What matters most to you in life? Family, money, travel, education, stability, excitement? Some careers paths are more financially rewarding than others, while other paths will offer more flexibility for family. Some careers will take you all over the world, while you might have to sacrifice on stability. Understanding what matters most to you will help you narrow down the list.

Talk to a Counselor

There are people out there whose job is to figure out what career you’d best suit. You may as well take advantage of that! Engaging a careers counselor could save you time and money spent figuring it all out on your own!

Talk to others in the Career

It’s tempting to look at a profession with rose coloured glasses… the grass is always greener on the other side, right? Then once you get into that job, it’s back to reality, and you might think if you’d realised what it was really like, you wouldn’t have got yourself into that position! The best thing you can do is talk to someone who is already in your chosen field. Ask them about the positives and negatives, and they will be honest with you. Be prepared to be surprised at what you hear – both the good and the bad. Once you are done, you will have a clearer understanding of whether it is the right choice for you.

Well done on actively taking an interest in developing your future career and education! It is always better to prepare and plan ahead before making a decision, so you’re already well on the way to ending up in your ideal career!