Choosing Career

S.No Activity Description
1 Background study This activity is to have information about the various careers and opportunities. This is so that you make an informed choice about your career. Therefore, read about the different careers available. The information can be available online and from the books on career counselling.
2 Make a list From the available careers, make a list of careers that interest you, that you would want to take up. Choose a career that you would enjoy doing.
3 skills and aptitude Take an interest test, skill test, aptitude test that would help you make a choice about your career.
4 Decide about what lifestyle you want Be honest to yourself from the very beginning and think about what type of life style do your dream in your coming future. Will you be interested in jobs which have day and night shifts? Are you ready to travel on regular basis? Will family responsibilities allow you to work at odd hours? Do you want a desk job? Do you want direct cliental oriented profession? You need to ask yourself number of questions before you opt for a career. Look for all the positive and negative aspects of your career option and then decide accordingly which one will suit you the best keeping in mind your future and family responsibilities.
5 Explore further Explore further on the careers shortlisted. This would involve talking to people who are pursuing that career, those are in the profession. Ask them about their career and find out information regarding their career in terms of educational qualification required, what they like best about their job, what are the skills required, etc.Talking to the people who are working in the field of your interest, will definitely give a clear picture of your career option. You will get all the details with advantages and disadvantages of your chosen career straight from the horse’s mouth. Find out about the scope of the career, eligible requirements and the institutes offering the course. Find out what courses are required to study.
6 Check with career counsellor Make an appointment with career counsellor and discuss your options with the counsellor. The counseller may help you take interest and aptitude tests.
7 Apply for the available courses You can visit the websites of the institutes providing the courses for that profession. For example, to work as a social worker, you would require a Bachelors in Social Work or Masters in Social Work. Find out the available institutes providing that course and the requirements for the same. You can check the deadlines for the course and apply in time.
8 Prepare You start preparing for any tests that are required for the course and prepare for the interview. Find out the skills that are required and improve on them. For example, if a career requires writing skills, you can improve on that by learning vocabulary, reading essays.