The time has come to choose studies in order to dedicate ourselves to the profession we like the most. How to get it right? What aspects should we consider? Those who were not born with the vocation chip integrated
They have been preparing us throughout high school, but while some people have a clear idea of their dream profession since primary school and which career they should study, others, less fortunate, face the EBAU still with many doubts.
What do I want to study? What do I want to dedicate myself to? Where do I see myself in a few years? Does what I like have professional opportunities? Choosing a profession is an important decision that can have a significant impact on our lives. Let's see what we can do to facilitate the decision and find a career that gives us the necessary
eTítulo to pursue the professional path that best suits our interests and abilities.
A moment of introspection
Before starting to search for careers, it is important that we know ourselves. We must ask ourselves what we are passionate about, what motivates us, and what we are good at. See what our strengths and weaknesses are both in our personality and in our studies. We must evaluate what our skills, interests, and personality are. We can ask ourselves
What am I good at? What do I like to do? What are my values? Where do I see myself in a few years? What do I think will be important to me in the future? If we have difficulty answering these questions, we can take personality or skills tests, talk to family and close friends, or even seek help from a vocational counselor. For now, we don't have to focus those thoughts on the professional or even on university degrees. What we should do is think about who we are. We must look inward first, the rest will come later.
Now let's go for the careers
Once we know what our interests and abilities are, we should start researching the careers that interest us. Let's gather information about the educational requirements, the necessary skills and competencies, job opportunities, and future prospects of the career. It is also important to research the different specializations within a career, as this can influence our choice. Other questions we should think about are the long-term goals we hope to achieve with our profession. We should ask ourselves things like
What do I want to achieve in my career? Do I want to earn a lot of money? Would I like my work to contribute to creating a better world? Is it important for me to have a good work-life balance? Professionals know things that Google doesn't tell us
Talking to professionals who work in the field that interests us is an excellent way to obtain first-hand information about what the career entails and the skills we will need. We should ask them about job responsibilities, employment prospects, educational requirements, and professional growth opportunities. They can also inform us about how saturated the sector is, what other complementary training could help us have a better or more stable job in the future, which companies hire more or offer better conditions, and many other issues. We don't have to worry, finding professionals to interview is easier than it seems; we can find them through LinkedIn, attend job fairs and events related to the career we are interested in, search for companies and ask if someone could spare us a few minutes, see if someone in our family knows someone who...
It's not all about vocation, we also have to consider job prospects
Before making a decision, it is important to assess the job opportunities in the career we have chosen. We should research employment trends in our place of residence and consider growth and job stability prospects. Let's make sure that we can study to develop the profession we choose and not to do something else that we don't like. Vocation is very important, but if we have come this far without having a clear idea of what we want to do, it means that we haven't been driven by a specific passion and we can open up the field of options. It is advisable to ensure that the career that interests us has good job prospects and that we will have the opportunity to pursue the profession we like. Investigating the demand in the job market in the field that interests us and checking employment rates, its
future projection, and the average salary is a good idea, and although these are not the only factors to consider, labor demand can help us make a more informed decision.
Other factors to consider: location and cost
Geographical location is also an important factor to consider when choosing a career. If we prefer to live in a city or in the countryside, or if we intend to move to another country at some point, we need to consider how it will affect our career. It would also be good to research job opportunities in the location that interests us and consider how it can affect our employment prospects and quality of life. On the other hand, we need to see how much our studies will cost us, whether we will attend a public or private university, whether we will have the option of a scholarship because we meet the requirements, etc.
Let's not rush into making a decision
Choosing a career is an important decision that should not be taken lightly. It's okay to take the necessary time. For many people, it is even necessary to take a
gap year or sabbatical year to learn more things and make a good decision. It is our future and we must think carefully about all the options. We should not be afraid to make mistakes or change direction when the time comes. Choosing a career is not forever. It is not something absolutely definitive. If after a few years we discover that our choice does not make us happy, we can change course. The skills and experience we will have acquired will be applicable in many other areas, and we will have different experience and knowledge than our new colleagues, which will undoubtedly be an advantage.
