What To Do When Your Career Path Is Unclear
Working can provide you with the money you need to support yourself as well as a sense of achievement and fulfillment, in some cases. There are many different career paths, and choosing the right one for you can be daunting. Though some people may change their career paths completely throughout their life, each one is often a commitment of time and energy. It takes time to build your skills and experience in a new field, so many try to choose a path they plan to stick with over time. So how do you make the right choice for you?
Jobs vs. careers
First, it can be helpful to understand the difference between getting a job and embarking on a career path. Jobs will be part of any career path, and a career definitely involves jobs—but these two terms are not interchangeable. While there are different definitions depending on your perspective, a job can be viewed as something you do to earn money that may or may not have a long-term trajectory or opportunities for growth. A career, on the other hand, usually involves a long-term vision for reaching a goal(s) in one’s field, which often consists of an orderly, increasing progression from one position to another over time.
Why having a career path can be valuable
Whether you’re just starting out in the job market or are considering developing a new career path, choosing one a career path may benefit you in the long run. First of all, the stability of having a plan to support yourself and achieve goals can help you feel less stressed. While not everyone desires this type of structure or planning in their lives, many people find that it helps them feel more safe and in control.
Next, choosing a career path can help you build a strong skill set in a specific area. While taking different jobs in different industries over time can allow you to build a broad range of skills, sticking to a career path over the longer term can allow you to build depth in a few key skill areas. In addition, staying in one field or industry for a significant amount of time can allow you to build professional and even personal relationships that can be fulfilling. These might include mentorships or connections with coworkers. Finally, one study found that working can promote growth and stability in those with bipolar disorder and other mental health conditions. It stands to reason that a more stable, well-planned career path could potentially increase these benefits that come from stable work.
How to choose a career path
An obstacle for many is deciding which career path to choose. Social psychologist Barry Schwartz discusses how we can actually become paralyzed in the face of too many options in his popular TED Talk. In his research, he found that the availability of more choices can result in more difficulty making (and being satisfied with) one choice. However, the number of options can also be comforting, because it means that there’s likely a career path out there that’s a good fit for you. If you’re having trouble deciding on one, there are resources to help making this decision.
Consider your abilities and interests
One study aimed to identify the factors that contributed to how students approached career-path decisions in Australia. The study found that ability and interest have a significant effect on students’ educational and vocational plans, which can provide a solid starting point for others in this situation. First, consider your abilities. Are you particularly good with numbers, or do you have a highly creative mind? Are you a master of detail-oriented work, or more of a big-picture thinker? Are you naturally skilled at interacting with people, or do you prefer independent work?
The abilities a person has can change over time with effort, experience, and practice, so lacking a skill required for your field may not be a reason to avoid pursuing it. However, it can help to look at your natural talents for indications as to what direction you might go.
Next, consider your interests. If you’re going to commit to a career path that you may stay in for years to come, it’s typically important to choose something that interests you in some way.
After all, it’s easy to see how going to a job you dislike every day could take a toll on your overall happiness and mental health. Following your interests can help you narrow down the potential career paths you’re looking into.
Take advantage of career services
There are also career resources and services out there that can offer guidance in this area. The choice of what career to pursue is ultimately yours, but a professional may be able to help you understand and weigh your options. Many universities and community colleges have career-service counselors who specialize in this. Note, however, that the options they propose are likely to require higher education. You might also seek out a career counselor in your area who is not affiliated with an educational institution. They may require payment for their services, but they can offer a more objective point of view plus a variety of tools and methods for helping you decide.
Take a test
There are many different tests available that can help you crystallize what you may want in a career or what you might be suited for. Once you receive your results, some of these tests or the institutions that offer them, can also help you choose educational or training programs and ways to develop job-related skills. Tests you might consider for this purpose include an aptitude test, an interest inventory, or a career personality test. A quick internet search for any of these will return a variety of different options for you to explore.
The goal of an aptitude test is to tell you where your natural skills lie. However, if you have a deficiency in an area that's vital in the kind of career path you want to follow, many of these skills can often be learned or improved.
It's a good idea to take an interest inventory test if you're not sure what kind of career would appeal to you. Career personality tests can help you better understand your attributes. Even personality traits can be changed to a certain extent. A test, then, can't tell you what career path you must choose. Instead, it's a starting point to help you assess potential careers.
How to cope when career decisions feel overwhelming
Choosing a career path is a big decision. It’s often a long-term one and can have significant effects on your future, from your life satisfaction to where you live to how much money you make. If you’re feeling overwhelmed or frustrated, you might find speaking with a therapist to be useful. They can help you make sense of your emotions and get to know yourself and your future goals better. They can also help you work through any obstacles that may be making the process more difficult, such as low self-esteem, family pressure, or mental health conditions.
Some people find online therapy to be a more convenient option for connecting with a mental health professional. With a virtual therapy platform like BetterHelp, you can speak with a licensed therapist via phone, video, and/or in-app messaging from the comfort of your own home. Research suggests that online therapy is “clinically efficacious” and roughly equivalent to in-person therapy in terms of benefits.
Counselor review
Takeaway
What are the four types of career paths?
The four types of career paths may refer to the four career concepts defined by the Society for Human Resource Management. The conceptual paths describe four unique ways a person might move through their career. The career paths are summarized below:
- Linear Career Path. A person motivated by a linear path sees success as moving upwards through an organization’s hierarchy. The linear path is often challenging because opportunities become fewer as a person advances through the career ladder.
- Expert Career Path. Those who desire expert careers yearn to be at the top of their field. Whether the person is a craft worker, lawyer, HR manager, or senior editor, they want to hone their craft as much as possible.
- Spiral Career Path. A person motivated by a spiral path seeks to broaden their skills regularly. They typically change career focus every 5 - 10 years, often moving into adjacent positions that are a natural extension of their previous position.
- Roaming Career Path. A roamer desires the ability to change jobs often. They typically move positions more frequently than spirals, and their new jobs may be unrelated to their previous experiences.
How many career paths are there?
While there are theoretically infinitely many paths a person can follow, depending on how often they prefer to change jobs or what their view of success is, many of the well-traveled paths have been categorized. The Bureau of Labor Statistics divides careers into 16 clusters, further divided into career pathways that describe knowledge and skill requirements for specific careers. The 16 clusters are listed below:
- Agriculture, food, and natural resources
- Architecture and construction
- Arts, audio/video technology, and communications
- Business management and administration
- Education and training
- Finance
- Government and public administration
- Health science
- Hospitality and tourism
- Human services
- Information technology
- Law, public safety, corrections
- Manufacturing
- Marketing
- Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics
- Transportation, distribution, and logistics
What is a career path strategy?
A career path strategy is a broad outline of a person’s ideal career path. A good strategy likely considers a person’s career goals, industry trends, and projected career growth. While a career path should broadly envision a person’s entire career, it is likely not possible to predict every twist and turn a person will face. Developing short-, medium-, and long-term goals is likely best. Short-term goals should consider the state of a person’s career path today, medium-term goals the next 3 - 5 years, and long-term goals 5 - 10 years.
What are the five stages of career planning?
The Yale Office of Career Strategy recommends a five-step process to establish a career plan, outlined below:
- Self-Assessment. There are four areas a person should familiarize themselves with: skills, interests, personality, and values. A person’s natural skillset may be transferable between careers. Engaging in a career is typically easier if a person finds it interesting. Personal factors like personality traits and values can also influence engagement and longevity in a specific career.
- Identify Options. Many jobs, like administrative assistant, store manager, or assistant principal, are generally known to the public. Fewer people are aware of careers with titles like “sustainability systems junior engineer.” It is likely worthwhile to spend time researching careers that may be less familiar than well-known ones.
- Evaluate and Prioritize. Step three involves comparing the self-assessment with the available career options. It is important to take time for self-reflection and honest contemplation to discover why a certain career resonates.
- Take Action. A person should try to investigate their career before diving headfirst into pursuing it. Things like internships and shadowing opportunities are likely to be helpful.
- Reflect and Re-evaluate. Once a potential decision has been made, it is likely beneficial to revisit previous conclusions and decisions once all information has been gathered.
Can you have two career paths?
Having two, three, four, or more career paths is possible. Some people prefer a linear approach to their career, staying within one field or organization and climbing the ladder as high as possible, perhaps starting as an executive assistant and working their way up to project manager, then direct manager. Others prefer gaining as much expertise as possible in a certain field, even if their job position changes considerably. For example, an engineer may continue their education and experience until they become an engineering consultant, serving as an expert for other engineers.
Other examples of career paths may reflect a person’s desire to expand their skillset or seek new experiences. Someone may start out as an associate editor in a marketing agency before pivoting to a human resources career at an insurance provider. Some people prefer to change careers every few years, while others like change but prefer that it happens at a wider interval, like every five or ten years.
What influences career path decisions?
A person’s career path decision is likely influenced by their personality, core values, skillset, and specific interests. Their conceptualization of themselves and their own abilities will likely guide what they enjoy as a career and what education or job prospects they seek. Their self-assessment is likely balanced against available options and career trends. For example, if a person’s interests and values strongly align with a career that is known to be competitive, they will likely consider whether that competitive risk is worth the potential benefits.
What are the seven steps in career path development?
Many people take considerable time to develop a career development plan. Creating a development plan is often done through a seven-step process, outlined below:
- Consider your present-day situation. Ask yourself what you’ve enjoyed or disliked about previous work experiences. Consider whether you feel a particular calling or feel motivated by one career over another.
- Set realistic goals for what you hope to accomplish, breaking those goals into short-term goals covering the next few years and long-term goals that cover the next decade.
- Assess your skillset to determine which skills you’re most confident in and which skills are transferable to future job opportunities.
- Take advantage of available resources by investigating career development programs, mentorship opportunities, or shadowing opportunities. Don’t be afraid to reach out to professional contacts who may be helpful to you.
- Work toward your goals by taking concrete steps and adjusting your approach as needed.
- Track your progress towards your goals and keep tabs on milestones you pass along the way. Be sure you reward yourself if a significant milestone is reached.
- Re-evaluate your plan as you make progress. As you move closer to your goals, be sure to adjust your plan as necessary to account for new information and skills you gain along the way.
Why career is so important in life?
A person’s career provides stability and safety. It typically allows them to pay for essential services and ensure their needs are met. In addition, a career may also be a significant part of a person’s identity. They may consider their professional accomplishments an important part of their self-worth. Those who are burnt out in their career or stuck in an unpleasant job may have significantly lower overall well-being than those with careers they are happy in. A person’s career likely also occupies an enormous portion of their life, making it important that their chosen career does not make them miserable.
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