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Key points
- A career or vocation should feel right and make intellectual sense.
- Maintain a balance between the demands of your job and other important aspects of your life.
- Ideally, your job should encourage you to grow, be creative, and remain involved.
Many of the teens I counsel wonder how they can go about making a good choice when considering a career or vocation. We discuss several considerations in this regard.
Take a Broad-Based Educational Curriculum
Before choosing a life path it is important to be exposed to many different areas of potential interest, including while in high school. This can involve becoming involved in varied extracurricular activities such as jobs, sports, and internships.
When a teen’s path leads through college, it can be advantageous to start undergraduate education without a declared major. In this way, teens are more apt to explore different courses.
Look at Other People in That Field
When you narrow down your career choices, take a close look at the people who work in that field. Are they happy? Do they have similar personality characteristics to you?
For example, when I chose pediatrics as a career, I noted that pediatricians like to get on the floor and play with young children. At the same time, physicians who specialize in working with adults would never think of doing such a thing. Since I was playful, I felt pediatrics was a better choice for me.
Also, you could ask practitioners of the field in which you are interested for tips regarding what steps they had taken to get into that job.
Listen to Your Mind and Heart
A career or vocation should feel right and make intellectual sense to maximize happiness throughout life.
For instance, when I completed my training as a physician, my first job involved doing laboratory research at a prestigious institution, which I thought was a good choice given its reputation. However, I quickly found out that research was not as meaningful to me as patient care, and therefore, I ended up switching jobs after a year.
One way to figure out if a career path is meaningful to you is to consider whether you can envision yourself being happy working in that field in 5-10 years.
Be Flexible and Go With the Flow
During several instances during life, the universe will open a door for us, including with work and career opportunities. When such options arise, it is advantageous to examine them closely and be flexible enough to go with the flow toward a new direction in appropriate circumstances.
For example, one of my career shifts occurred after I encountered a patient who showed me that the power of his mind could control his breathing symptoms related to his asthma and allergies. This encounter prompted me to learn about how psychology could affect respiratory symptoms, which later led me to shift my career focus from pediatric pulmonology to pediatric hypnosis and counseling.
It's Not About the Money
Even if a job offer can lead to making a lot of money, if the job does not provide you with ongoing satisfaction, it would not be a good choice for a long-term career. Being unhappy with a long-term job can lead to less productivity on the job and psychological complications such as anxiety and depression.
Few People Become Superstars
Young people often set their goals on becoming star athletes, successful YouTubers, or famous video game creators. It’s great to shoot for the stars, and everyone who rises to the top starts off with a big dream of success. But it is important to recognize that few people reach superstar status in their careers, in part because this can involve luck.
Fortunately, there are many ways to be happy with your job. Important elements to help achieve satisfaction with a career include willingness to work hard and the ability to persevere in the face of difficulties that arise in any life path.
Your First Job Is Not Your Last
The average person changes jobs five times in a lifetime. Keep this in mind when thinking about your first job. Pick one that makes sense to you, but let go of worries regarding whether it’s the right one for you in the long term. If not, you will become enriched by dealing with the circumstances of the first job and then switch jobs.
Find a Career That Keeps You Learning and Stimulated
Lifelong learning is one key to good mental and physical health. As a lot of time is spent in pursuit of your career or vocation, it is ideal for your job to involve activities that encourage you to grow, be creative, and remain involved.
Maintain Balance
The ideal career or vocation will allow you to balance the demands of your job with other important aspects of your life, including raising a family, engaging in hobbies, participating in regular physical activity, and developing your spirituality.
Takeaway
Choosing a career is a process. It’s normal to have doubts and uncertainties along the way. Be open to learning about and exploring different alternatives, being flexible, and listening to your heart and mind as you navigate your career journey.
