1. Your Values
For ongoing happiness and satisfaction in your work life it’s important to take your own personal values into account when considering the career you want, and the type of companies you are comfortable working for and work you are comfortable doing. So list out your values and what is important to you. If there are certain industries you don’t want to work in, list those out. Dive into some of the companies in the career field you’re looking into and see if their company values align with yours.
2. Your Work-Life Balance Goals
Something that some people overlook when choosing a career path is work-life balance. Especially when you have expectations in your mind and get 10 years down the track and it all catches up with you as you haven’t had the balance you’d like.
If it’s important to you to have a work-life balance, outline what that looks like for you (hours worked each week, office or working remotely, flexibility, etc) and when looking at jobs/roles in your desired career field, consider the impact on your lifestyle and if that impact meets your work-life balance goals. While some careers have an obvious negative impact on work-life balance, for some career fields it will depend on the business you’re working for, so also research the employee expectations and benefits at some companies in the field.
Having a good work-life balance that works for you will positively impact your job, career and life satisfaction and happiness.
3. Your Interests
This one is a bit self-explanatory. What are you passionate about? What makes you happy?
If you work in an area that you love or are passionate about, then you’re more likely to enjoy working in your chosen career.
4. Your Financial goals
It also pays (literally!) to work out what your desired target salary is. Does the role progression in the career path you’re thinking of lead up to that target salary?
Do you have the experience and skills to move into a job that has that salary, or is it a future goal you want to work towards?
5. Opportunities for Growth
Some careers provide multiple opportunities to develop and advance, while others have limited or no upward growth.
Does the career or industry deliver opportunities for you to grow and develop your skills? And provide career advancement? If not, and you’re comfortable with that, then that’s going to work out. But if you come to realise that there is no scope for upward mobility and you won’t be able to advance 5 or 10 years from now, it’s something that should be closely considered.
6. Job Market Outlook
It’s great when you make a decision on the career you want to pursue, but not so great when there aren’t any actual roles available, and the job market is limited. It would feel you’ve wasted time, energy and money. So make sure you research the job market in the career field you’re thinking about. Use tools like SEEK and Indeed. You can also find research and statistics with the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations.
Good luck with this thought and research process. Hopefully you’re able to make an informed decision that makes you happy and leads you down an exciting path!
If you’re thinking about starting a new online course and would like some insight into what to expect please contact our friendly career consultants. Or take a look at all the online courses we offer.