It is not just about choosing career but choosing the one that fits well with your skills and values leading to your financial success in life, experts have said.
A lot of people find choosing a career or changing one very confusing. You may think you are picking a good job today, at the end it turns out to be a bad one.
Miriam Caldwell, personal finance specialist, said it is important to carefully choose your career, and the path you want it to take so that you can have financial success and enjoy your life. You need to work to find the right balance between working hard and enjoying your life. Finding a job your enjoy doing can make finding the balance easier.
She said your job and the income it generates will have a huge impact on how successful you will be financially. When you do not make enough money to cover your basic needs, you can dig yourself into a financial hole.
For you to choose the right career, you need to write down some career goals. She said you can start with what you would like to be doing five years from now. These may be a specific goal in your career field, such as becoming a partner in your law firm, moving up to management position or it may be opening your own business or beginning to work as a freelancer. Do the same thing for ten years and fifteen years as well.
“Break the goals into specific steps you need to reach in order to reach those goals. For example you may need to get your MBA in order to move up to a management position within your company. You may need to build a portfolio or make contacts in order to begin freelancing. If you want to open your own business, you should begin to save up money to get started, and you may begin working on it part-time while continuing with your current job”, she said. Another step is asking yourself how your current position is helping you to achieve that goal. If your current position is providing your training opportunities, or has the opportunities you need for advancement, you are in a great position. Be sure you are doing all you can to qualify for and take the training offered through your work. A good impression means more opportunities to move up as well as a good recommendation when you need one.
You need to set up a specific plan that will allow you to reach your career goals. This includes making contacts, and taking the extra classes you need to qualify for higher paid positions. Break the plan into one year increments. Do not be discouraged if this plan takes several years to execute. Most people do not move into management positions overnight, it does take time.
Follow your plan, while allowing flexibility for changing interests and job situations. Over the next few years check over your plan and make adjustments as necessary. People, who do not plan and prepare for the future, often, find themselves in the same situation they have been in the past.
Your career takes up a big portion of your time and energy. You should find something that makes you happy and allows you to enjoy your life. If you are in a committed relationship you should consider how that will affect your career choices and whether you are willing to move for your career or your partner’s career, Caldwell said.
