By Ayla Mulvey
Round Table reporter
“You’ve got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.” – Steve Jobs
Most people don’t know what they want to be when they get older. It’s a difficult decision to make, and not something that can be decided overnight. There are many careers out there, but because of the economy, not all places are hiring, which can limit a person’s career options.
It’s difficult to decide what to do as a career, but there is help available. There are quizzes online that help people decide what they want to be, but they don’t always work. Also, by observing a person’s own likes, dislikes and interests, he or she can try and figure out what he or she would most like to do in the future.
Another good way to help people decide what they want to be is to make a two-column chart. One column is for writing what a person’s skills and interests are and the other is for writing careers that relate to those skills and interests. It may not seem like that would help, but writing down interests and skills might open up more job possibilities then what was originally thought of.
On the other hand, some people know from a young age what they want to be when they get older; this doesn’t mean that they can’t change their minds during the course of their lives. Some people are set on being one thing from the moment they decide it, but this could limit their future job opportunities if they do not open themselves up to other career possibilities.
For instance, one person might have wanted to be a school teacher for the longest time, but after some experience with teaching, that person might decide that it’s not really the best choice.
Also, there are many other job occupations within a specific career field. Someone who wants to be a teacher has the options of majoring in elementary education, special education, counselor education, early childhood education and secondary education. A person would have to decide which one of those paths to take.
People want to pick a career that they will enjoy for the rest of their lives, except that can be hard to do. Not all places are hiring right now because of the poor economy, so some people aren’t getting the jobs they maybe hoped for or wanted. However, with any job they get, they should be happy if they are earning money and able to get by.
Overall, the best way for people to enjoy a job is to know their likes and dislikes, gather information about themselves, their values, objectives, needs and so on. A person’s own interests and values will end up helping decide what future career to pursue more than anything else will.
