If you do not know what you want your career path to be, it’s okay not to know what you want to do, especially just after graduating from high school. Understandable, It is a huge decision that can take a lot of time. If you are currently unsure of what to do, East Ohio College has three tips for choosing your career path that could help you make your decision.
Find What You Want Your Career To Be
Before determining where you want to continue your education, you must first find out what you want to do. Without knowing what training you will need, you could accidentally end up picking a school that cannot provide you with that training. This is why knowing what you want your career path to be is a vital first step.
Take Personality Tests
The first thing that we recommend is for you to take a personality test. Learning what type of personality you are can help you determine what careers possibly suit you. For example, if the results showed you were an extrovert, jobs that involve working closely with many people may be better for you.
Take Career Tests
Another type of test you can take is a career test. Similarly to personality tests, career tests can help identify the perfect job for you. You will be asked a wide range of questions about your preferences on things like work environment, type of work, scheduling, and many more. After you complete your test, you’ll be provided with a list of careers sorted in order of which would best suit you based on your answers.
Talk To Others In That Field
Outside of taking tests, we also recommend that you talk to as many people as possible in whatever field you’re interested in. The best way to find out if a career path is for you is to talk to people who have worked years in that field. They can answer questions about what their day is like and tell you more about the field than any online article.
It would help if you also tried to shadow people who work in your fields of interest when possible. Job shadowing has many benefits, which is why it is becoming increasingly popular in high schools. Job shadows provide you with valuable work experience in a job that could potentially become what you do.
Plan Your Future
We also recommend that you plan for your future. By planning for your future, you can outline how you will be able to achieve those goals, which can provide you with some much-needed direction. When creating your plan for your future, there are two things that you need to consider.
Determine Your Career Goals
The first thing you need to do is determine what you want to get out of your career. Make sure you account for possible promotions, what your schedule would look like, and the type of skills you will need. Ensuring you get the proper training for a job that allows you to work the hours want is important and having a plan makes that easier.
Outline Plans For Your Future
We also recommend that you create plans for your future. There are three types of plans you should make: short-term plans, mid-term plans, and long-term plans. Your short-term plans will cover everything in the next year, mid-term plans cover everything several years into the future, and long-term plans cover everything decades into the future. Each version of the plan has its benefits as they can help guide you towards completing your ultimate goal.
Complete Your Own Research
Our last tip is for you to complete your own research. Even though there are a lot of benefits to taking career and personality tests, only you truly know what you want to do. These tests can serve as a great way to eliminate some careers, but they should not be what you base your decision on. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics has a plethora of information about dozens of possible careers you can use to help determine which career is the best fit for you.
Work Towards Your Career Path Goals At East Ohio College!
Work towards your career goals at East Ohio College today by exploring our Nursing, Clinical Medical Assistant, Medical Office Administration, Medical Coding, Dental Assisting, Cybersecurity, and Business Administration programs. Contact the admissions office at 330-385-1070 or Request Information today!