10 Simple Steps Towards Your Ideal Career Path!
Is life becoming a melting pot of choices and decisions to make? Just spend a few minutes to answer these questions before choosing a career et voila, your career path will emerge clearer than ever before!

1. What are your interests?
The people who are most satisfied with their jobs are usually those who enjoy what they do! Interests are the people, information, or things we enjoy most. We tend to gravitate toward them and, given the choice, spend our time on them without any regret. Here are a few questions to ask yourself:
• Do you prefer working with people, numbers and data, abstract ideas, or real-world things like animals or equipment? Or some combination?
• What kinds of books do you have on your shelves? (Books definitely tell a lot about you. In case you are more of a movie watcher than a bookworm, jobs involving documentation isn’t your cup of tea).
• What kinds of events do you go to for fun?
• Do you like spending time indoors or outdoors?
2. What are your values?
Values can be an even more important predictor of career satisfaction than interests, so this is a question to spend some time on. If you value money and financial success, you’ll need a job that pays well. If you value social justice, you’ll want a job where there isn’t too much unfairness. If you value fun and spontaneity, you may not be happy with a desk job.
Some jobs allow you to work independently, while others require close collaboration with others. Similarly, some jobs involve supervising others, and some require you to take direction from others. As you consider different careers, think about what you value most when it comes to work.
3. What are your personality traits?
Your personality is also important to consider when deciding on a career. For example, are you an extrovert (someone who enjoys and thrives on talking and being around people) or an introvert (someone who generally prefers a quieter environment and needs some ‘alone time’ to thrive)? Here are some questions to ask yourself as you think about your personality:
- Are you more cooperative or competitive?
- Do you prefer helping other people, leading and influencing other people, or not working with people?
- Are you more of a ‘thinker’ who enjoys ideas, or a ‘doer’ who enjoys working with things in the real world?
- Do you consider yourself to be an artistic, creative person, or are you more interested in routine, concrete activities?
4. What skills do you have?
You’ll also want to create an inventory of your skills. Identifying things you excel at will help you find good career matches. Think about both your hard skills (specific skills you’ve acquired, such as computer programming or fluency in a foreign language) and your soft skills (people and life skills, such as teamwork and time management).
A bonus: Putting your skills on paper can be an affirmative, eye-opening experience that provides confidence as you move toward your goals.
5. List your Talent & Strengths
Talents are those things you’re naturally good at, often from an early age. Strengths are talents you have developed through practice. Some of us are naturally good at math, while others are gifted with language. Some of us are good with our hands, while others have a knack for connecting with people. A good tool for determining and developing your strengths is the Strengths Finder system.
The book Strengths Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath includes a quiz that identifies your top 5 strengths and offers suggestions for developing them.
6. What education/training do you need?
It’s quite possible that you’ll need additional training or schooling to pursue your desired career path. Research what degrees, licenses, or certifications you’ll need to become employed in the fields you’re considering. Also think about how much more education or training you’re willing to get, and how much time and money you’re willing to invest. This knowledge will be important in deciding whether a particular profession is right for you.
7. Are there jobs available?
It’s important to research the labour market for careers you’re considering. You can research the labour market both globally (the number of jobs anywhere) and locally (the number of jobs where you live or intend to live). While the labour market shouldn’t definitively determine your direction, it’s important to know your prospects before entering a profession. Nobody wants to go through years of school only to find out there’s no job waiting for them on the other end!
8.What are your priorities?
Money or fame doesn’t have to be the first consideration when selecting a career, but it should be a factor. If making a lot of money is important to you, your options will be more limited (Also, you’ll likely need more qualifications for higher-paying jobs). Some of the professions you’re interested in may involve very limited financial reward. It’s good to know before going in so that you can make an informed decision.
9.Where do you want to live?
The labour market for particular occupations varies depending on location. For example, if you want to be a park ranger or agriculturalist, you’ll probably need to live in a rural area. But if you want to go into finance or law, you’ll probably need to live in an urban centre. Telecommuting jobs can allow you to live virtually anywhere. Other jobs may demand that you spend a lot of time travelling. It’s important to be happy with where you live and have a lifestyle that works for you, so give some thought to your future location.
10. Are there opportunities for growth/advancement?
Some jobs offer more upward mobility than others. That means there are opportunities to be promoted or take on additional responsibilities (and make more money). We all know people who seem to be stuck in a rut, their professional lives stalled by a lack of opportunity. It’s often hard in these situations to muster a lot of enthusiasm for work. If you’re someone who’s motivated to grow and challenge yourself, you’ll want a career that allows you to do so.
Most importantly, think about the big picture — no single question on this list should determine your choice. Here’s to your career success!
Compiled and Written by Mahima Balasubramanyam
