If you are ready to take the leap towards a new career and you’re sure that further studies are not necessary, see how you can prepare yourself for this courageous step:
- do you enjoy interacting with people?
- what kind of people?
- which age group?
- are you interested in business activities?
- do you enjoy expressing yourself creatively?
- does scientific information excite you?
- do you want to work outdoors? with animals or plants ? or just outside activity?
- do you prefer doing things with your hands or working with tools?
- what are/were your favourite school subjects? why?
- What subjects do/did you not mind doing homework in?
- do you enjoy reading and/or writing?
- what topics do you enjoy reading about?
- what is your favourite television programme?
- what are your hobbies?
- what is your favourite thing to do when you have free time?
- what makes your skin tingle with excitement?
- what makes you feel alive?
- what can you continue doing for hours without getting tired or bored?
- what would your ideal work day/week look like?
- what are you good at?
- what have been your greatest achievements thus far?
- what awards have you received in the past?
- what school subjects do/did you achieve the best results in?
- what do other people praise you for?
- what are the compliments you normally receive?
- what are your special talents?
- what comes easy to you?
- what can you do better than most other people you know?
- do you enjoy organising things and/or people around you?
- do you prefer having a flexible schedule or to have everything planned out in advance?
- do you regard yourself as a systematic person?
- do you prefer creating your own way of doing things as you go along?
- do you regard yourself as more people- or task-oriented?
- do you get a kick out of getting things done or do you enjoy the process?
- which kinds of people or environments frustrate you?
- what do you value as important?
- who do you look up to as role model? why?
- what kind of characteristics do you respect in other people?
- what would you not compromise on?
- what do you regards as most important: relationships, financial security, knowledge, authenticity, status, challenge, independence, balance, personal growth, service to others, freedom, acknowledgement, variety, meaning, creativity, ambition
- what do your friends say about the career options you are considering?
- what influence do your parents have on your decision?
- what is your current financial situation? how does this influence your options?
- location, location, location – where do you want you live? does this limit your options?
- think about other factors that might influence your future career decision
When you have a good understanding of who you are, you are ready to discover more about different career fields by doing the following:
1. Consider different career fields
Do online or paper research to learn about the careers that are available in your fields of interest (useful websites: gostudy.net, onetonline.org, careerssa.net and advice.careerbuilder.com)
2. Consider the following information of the careers you are interested in
3. Talk to people who are following a career you are interested in
4. Apply for an internship, shadow an employee or visit a workplace at a job you are interested in