Our career is something that we all have had questions, ups and downs, and moments of confusion with. It is just as much a part of our career journeys as getting an education or finding a job.

While in a zoomed-out perspective, it might not seem as intense, but at the moment of it happening, it is absolutely genuine and may even be anxiety-provoking for some. If you’re beginning to wonder what your career should be, you’ve reached the right place! Over the course of this article, we will walk you through five common questions to ask before starting startout in your career and how to solve them.

Where do my interests lie?

Without garnering interest in our choice of profession, it can become very hard to attain satisfaction. When people experience flow in their work, or they show motivation to do their work, they naturally have increased satisfaction and it helps them to find a sense of purpose in life. However, it does not apply to everyone. Most of us try to find where our interests lie, we can ask reflective questions about our likes and dislikes with respect to our academics, career choices in future and where would like to see ourselves. Having clarity and clear objective allows us to chart out an achievable goal and action plan which will further increase and sustain our interest.

Exploring your talent:

All of us have some skills or abilities which are scalable to substantiate a career. By performing and working on our talents, we can find the right space and groups who can support us. The key to exploring our talent lies in identifying our talents and reflecting on its potential. If we perceive there is no scalable or reliable talent thay can kick start our career journey then exploring and participating in newer activities will give an advantage of starting a new hobby which can potentially develop in to a talent. Monetizing and building long term career based on our talent not only boosts our productivity but also defines our skillset and improves our quality of worklife.

Exploring Educational and professional courses:

Education is the stepping stone for gaining knowledge and skillset. Education works on our cognitive and aptitude skills which are quintessential for becoming a good professional and having a great career. Choosing right educational stream and mode to recieve education wether it be full time or part time helps us to devise plans for starting and building our career. We can rely on our motivation and drive to achieve our goals. Becoming an Engineer requires four years full time education but to become a graphic designer, there are design schools which have full time four years program or six month courses by training instittutes that provide specific skills in graphic designing. Time, Finances and willingness to commit towards completing the educational course are some factors to choose an educational qualification.

Lifestyle preferences:

Different people have their own take on how to settle in lives. While some dream of living in the centre of the city with ease of access for entertainment and facilities, some people choose to move in small towns or isolated towns that helps them to connect with nature. Some people wish to move abroad while some people wish to build larger families and stay together in their own home towns. Different careers bring out different lifestyle so relying our our preference of lifestyle can also be a motivating factor to form our goals. People who like to travel and wish to travel on their jobs can find employment options like merchant navy, aviation, foreign services quiet intriguing compared to people who prefer to have a fixed routines.

Studying the job market:

Careers are meant to bring stability and security in our lives. So researching and finding on different careers that bring external security and intrinsic happiness can be challenging. Economy and finance of any country is dependent on the laws and political environment of a country. So every few years, there is a change in persuasion of careers but education, food and service, and healthcare service careers have remained constant with employing people for jobs Looking at the future scope of the career, chances of gaining leadership roles in the chosen career line and ability to balance work and life are essential to choosing and developing a career line for people.

While choosing an ideal career can be daunting and difficult at the early stages, seeking social support in the form of mentorship, building connections and early research into different career streams can help us prepare better for our career.