Choosing a career is a tough task at the best of Times .Today it is becoming important to have a career path well defined. “If you do not know where to go, any road will take you there”. One needs to choose a career path that can twist and turn to meet the changing times technology and economy.
Building career paths and practising the art of personal marketing is an invaluable tool in choosing flexible career options. Students today have a common barrier, that is not being aware of his or her own strengths and abilities that translate into marketable skills. The key to a successful career is to be able to communicate the transferable skills developed through college courses, internships, professional organisations, work study programs, and part-time jobs. Expressing his or her skills in terms of specific achievements, makes a person more credible in moving along the chosen career path. Today the need is for graduates who have the knowledge, skills, abilities and values necessary for continuous problem solving and lifelong learning, not people trained for a particular job. In addition, becoming a generalist in one’s field, keeping a flexible outlook regarding the workplace, and taking advantage of the continuing learning opportunities will be critical to one’s survival.
When looking into career choices, one must realise that he or she spends more time at work than at home. Personal identity, competency, status, and self-esteem are all tied into the type of work a person does. An individual’s career is the totality of his or her life’s work. If one chooses the right career path, it can be creative, fun, challenging, lucrative, and a source of great pleasure and accomplishment.
When looking into career choices, one must realise that he or she spends more time at work than at home. Personal identity, competency, status, and self-esteem are all tied into the type of work a person does. An individual’s career is the totality of his or her life’s work. If one chooses the right career path, it can be creative, fun, challenging, lucrative, and a source of great pleasure and accomplishment.

Steps to our Dream Career
What will make you Happy?
Explore the different career options associated with the lines of work you find yourself most interested in pursuing .Think about the aspects of different types of professions that you find most personally rewarding and fulfilling. If caring for other makes you happy, or you have an aptitude for science, you may be drawn to the medical profession, and you may find your place in nursing, medicine or physical therapy. If you think you might be interested in the field of journalism, related fields to consider include editing, reporting, writing, public relations and marketing career options. Decide what type of income level you want to make. This factor can help you narrow the focus of your career path. Money is important, but how much is the bigger question.

Finding your Potential.
Research the professions of interest to learn the necessary skills and educational requirements for each career path. Narrow the field to those options that best reflect your aptitude and preferences. Obtain the training and education you need to pursue your chosen career goals. Some professions require specialised training or certification while others need a specific college degree.
When choosing a career path that makes you happy make sure that you’re good at it too. The probability of something that you’re not good at to create stress in your life is very high.

Career Aptitude
Having a potential is good, but what you need to find is your aptitude on the skills required for your career path. These tests can and should be taken at an early stage. The results from the tests would help you to improve on your abilities and close the gaps in your chosen career path.

Internship
You need to actually do it to see whether you enjoy it or not. You can always apply for an internship in a company or a field that you think you will enjoy working for. This can be done when you have passed school or are into college. In a worst case you might find out that you are not too keen on continuing in the same sector. The advantages of interning are far greater.

Shadowing or Seeking Advice
The best way to prepare for a career is to talk to as many people as one can in the profession. In career counselling, this process is called “shadowing.” When a prospective job seeker shadows a person in the field of his choice, he or she spends an entire day or more with that person at the work site, and observes the day to day activities associated with the job. Shadowing is also helpful to explore salary ranges and the potential for growth and advancement.

Have a Mentor
In order to be successful in your field you will need someone from the same field as a mentor to guide you towards making the right decisions in the career of your choice. Once you have a mentor you are sure to get career advice along with steps of how to achieve the things you’d like to.

Make your 10 year Plan
It’s not just the next year that you need to focus on, on a career path you must constantly look at your next ten years, and you need to be working on that plan. It is difficult to continue towards making the career growth in the right path as it is to choose one. Make sure that you are sure of what you wish to achieve and in what time period.
While having a plan and asking for advice it is important along with having the passion to work on it, there will be no substitute for hard work and intelligent work.

Manu Anand
Director Alpha Mindz, Goa
Email: manu@alphamindz.com