How To Decide on a Career Path

Choosing a career path’s one of the most significant decisions you’ll make. Your career can reshape your life, affecting who you work with, the type of education you need, and the lifestyle you’ll be able to afford.

There are multiple types of careers to consider, and each career field contains various options. Perhaps you are thinking about your future career options for the first time, want to change your career goals partway through college, or want to move out of your current career field. Let’s look at factors to consider when choosing your career path.

Personal Strengths

Every person has strengths and weaknesses, and these characteristics can help you identify suitable career options to consider. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that medical scientists need strong communication, critical thinking, and observation skills. The BLS also reports computer programmers need excellent analytical skills, concentration, and attention to detail. Finding careers that rely on your strengths will help you identify careers where you’ll thrive.

Work Environment

Perhaps you’re interested in working for a pharmaceutical company such as Roivant Sciences. Pharmaceutical companies produce prescription medications used to treat diseases. Roivant’s subsidiaries focus on different products and health needs, increasing the range of opportunities within the company. They hire a range of professionals, including administrative assistants, computer engineers, lawyers, and biochemists. Identifying the range of career options can help you narrow down which roles you’re interested in, enabling you to prepare for a career at a company that fits your goals and interests.

Interests

You’ll find your career satisfying and rewarding if you’re able to engage in activities you enjoy. Perhaps you love working with indoor plants and outdoor plants. You could become a horticulturist and spend your career growing annuals and perennials, such as daylilies, daffodils, petunias, and hydrangeas. You could also grow shrubs and trees, such as evergreen trees. Working in a plant nursery involves mixing fertilizer and dry soils to produce suitable soil composition for various bulbs and seeds. Typical duties include watering plants, moving them so they don’t get too much sun, and monitoring their growth. You could provide new plants to retailers who sell your plants to consumers.

You could also combine your love of plants with your teaching skills and hold classes for people who want to start a garden, teaching them how to care for patio plants and indoor plants. You could teach them about the hardiness zone you occupy and how to choose suitable plants for their growing environment.

Income Potential

No matter how much you love a profession, you’ll be frustrated if it does not pay enough money for you to cover your bills. Refer to the BLS to evaluate your income potential from various career options. Suppose you’re considering a medical career but live in an expensive city, like New York City. The BLS reports that registered nurses earned median annual incomes of $75,330 in 2020, while EMTs and paramedics earned median salaries of $36,650 per year. From a financial perspective, becoming a nurse would be a better option. You could also consider becoming a dental hygienist since the BLS reported their 2020 median annual income was $77,090.

Training Requirements

Perhaps you’re interested in a health care career, but you don’t enjoy studying and struggle with your school assignments. Doctors must complete several years of postsecondary studies and earn an undergraduate degree and medical degree to practice medicine. Perhaps you’re discouraged by the idea of spending seven years in college. You could still prepare for a health care career with only a few years of postsecondary studies. With two years of postsecondary studies, you could become an occupational therapy assistant, an MRI technology assistant, or a physical therapy assistant.

Choosing the right career can ensure your success and happiness. Consider your strengths, the type of environments where you want to work, your interests, the income potential, and the training requirements to identify suitable career options you can pursue.