Many young people are “haunted” by the idea that they have to choose the right career, a mission that seems impossible. It’s really hard to figure out what things you’re passionate about, and you’re certainly not going to be able to do that quickly. With thousands of occupations to choose from to increase your chances of career satisfaction, it’s important to find one that suits your interests, skills, work-related values and personality type.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of people who end up choosing the wrong career and get frustrated in the long run. Being in the wrong line of work not only harms your professional life, but also harms your personal life. There are a number of things you should consider to choose a career that suits you best. Many people end up choosing the wrong careers because of a lack of proper guidance and advice.

Why is it important to pay attention to your career choice?

As ironic as that question might sound, it’s as relevant as it is. There are a lot of people for whom it is not important to choose the right career. For them, any job that gives them a sufficient income to support themselves and to support their family is good.

But as one famous saying goes, “choose the right job and you won’t work a day in your life.” The right career choice will lead you to much higher depths in terms of happiness and success. The right job will give you great satisfaction and, in the end, you will feel that your day has not been lost.

You have to feel happy in everything you do and also be satisfied with your contribution to the workplace. In addition, if you are on the right path, then you will face challenges that will give you the environment to make a difference and also to support your employer in business development. Playing an important role in the office is much more satisfying than a nice salary in which you don’t contribute much.

How to choose what suits you?

A first question you have to ask yourself is “Who am I?”. It’s obvious that you can’t figure out what suits you if you don’t know yourself well enough. Knowing your values, interests and skills will make it much easier for you to make the right choice. In this regard, there are a number of questions you can answer to get to know yourself better:

• What subjects did you enjoy studying at school and beyond? Why is that? Is it because you liked the person who taught you or is there something about that subject that really attracted you?;
• What subjects did you do well and why?;
• If you were to choose a word, number and physical activity, what would those be? Could you see yourself in a job where this election would represent much of what you do every day?

You can also use career tests found on the internet or do a SWOT analysis of yourself. All you need is a pen, a paper and a desire to be honest with yourself. This analysis will make you realize what your quality and weaknesses are, but also what opportunities and obstacles you have to achieve your goals.

Plus, you can think of 5 life and work skills you’re good at or would like to develop. Between communication, self-management, self-confidence, teamwork and problem solving, which skill do you find most easily developed?

Once you’ve made sure you know yourself well enough, it’s time to make a list of possible careers. The ones that you find most interesting and that attract you the most, at first glance. Then look for more information about each of those careers: what jobs fall into that sector, what are the skills needed, what is the average salary, what qualifications you need.

Now it’s time to narrow down your career list – but not too much! You want to keep an open mind, because that’s where you have more dream careers waiting for you. Choose careers that interest you. Try to keep those areas that match your qualifications so far.

One last step would be to set a few short- and long-term targets and find that career that could meet as many of these targets as possible. Long-term goals typically take about three to five years to achieve, while you can usually achieve a short-term goal in six to three years. Follow the research you’ve done on the education and training you need. If you don’t have all the details, do some more research.

It’s important to know that there is not a single path to your dream career. Your skills and interests might fit for all sorts of careers – even some you haven’t heard of yet. What’s important is to discover a series of careers that excite you, because a career that starts with customer service (maybe you’re sociable) could lead to a career career in health, catering and hospitality, journalism or sales – to name a few.