“I don’t need to get rich, but I want a job that will let me be myself and explore my talents.”

Our Elder Says: Don’t settle for the first thing that comes along. The more research you do on various career options, the more likely you will pick one that you want to stick with.  

 

Dear EWC,

I am Dharshini, an eighteen-year-old female. I am not yet sure of what to do with my life, and I am very much confused about what to choose as my career. 

My Myers-Briggs type is ENFP. I am an extrovert, but I also like to spend time alone to recharge. I don’t like to be in a stressed workplace, and I am looking for a career that will give me optimum space to be myself. I am quite creative, but logical too. Also, I don’t want regular hours like nine-to-five. I love to interact with and help people.

Even though money is important, I don’t wish for a very lavish salary—I will be content with a decent pay. I am bad at drawing (maybe because I have not tried it much). I love to try out new hobbies. I can sing, and I want to learn dancing, pottery making, tailoring, cooking, photography, and many more skills after I finish my board exams. 

Can you please suggest a good career for me?

Thank you.

Darshini

Papa-Smokey Response

Dear Darshini,

It can be difficult to pick a career path that is a good match for your interests and skill sets. It’s important to do this rather than just pursuing a certain field on an impulse when you’re admitted to a program that you haven’t thoroughly researched. 

I would suggest you meet with a career/guidance counselor at the school you’re attending (or plan to attend).  These counselors are trained to help students pick a field to focus on.   Once you select a field you want to pursue, you should be able to see which universities offer degree programs for these fields. You may be able to apply some of the credits for courses you have taken towards a degree. Based on the courses you have taken and will be taking, they should be able to let you know of the type of jobs you may qualify for once you have your degree.  They may even be able to provide you with an aptitude survey that can help you focus in on your interests and skill sets. 

For the careers you decide to consider, look at job descriptions for open positions to see if any seem like a good match for you.  If so, you can then see what the educational and prior experience requirements are. Before pursuing any further education, do more research on the fields you are interested in and learn if they might be a good match for you.  See what kind of jobs are available near the area you want to live in, what the range of compensation and benefits is, and whether those jobs offer stability.  Reach out to people who have worked in those fields to get their input on what the pros and cons are.  The more research you do up front, the more likely you are to make an informed choice, and the less likely you are to want to change careers after a short time.

I hope these suggestions are helpful.  Good luck!

Best Regards,

Papa-Smokey

Article #: 502993
Category: Career