Most of us are familiar with those ‘How to pick a career’ tests or games that you can play online. You answer a set of questions and you get an answer like ‘you should be a wig maker’.If you don’t want to rely on a game to decide your future, how do you pick a career though?Lots of people wonder for example, should I do a job that I love or should I choose a career that pays well? In an ideal world of course, you won’t have to choose – you can have your cake, and eat it. What is the secret to loving your job though? According to Anne Bechard of the Huffington Post, people who love their job:follow their passionlook for the happy peoplestart their day the way they want to finish itdon't expect their job to make them happyprefer excellence over perfection.Of course, loving your job implies that you have a job. With the best will in the world, if you set your heart on a particular job, which is in decline (maybe due to technological advances) or a career which is really hard to get into, then this might be your first stumbling block. It’s really important to find out where the growth areas of employment are for the future and it’s a good idea to do some research into where industry leaders say there is a skills crisis – it makes sense to consider going into a job where you know people are needed.Think creatively as well as actually looking for those reports that exist which tell you which jobs are growing and which are declining. Many areas of employment are going to see developments taking place which will result in more and different jobs in the future. For example cyber-security as well as telecare developments are growth areas for employment. It’s also good to find out about average salaries, working hours and where in the UK job openings are expected to be.There is so much to think about when you are considering what career you would like to pursue. Nobody should ever tell you not to follow your dream purely because it’s a hard option and you don’t have to dismiss a job because it doesn’t pay well. What’s important is to go into your future armed with as much information as you can get your hands on. This will give you the very best opportunity to pick a career that you love doing and which provides a good opportunity for employability in the future.
