When it comes to choosing a career, the decision can be so complex and challenging. There are a lot of criteria you may want to put into consideration in making that decision.
Growing up as children, we had the most guidance in choosing a career from our parents. They tried to figure out what we love to do and helped us achieve our goals. But at some point in life, almost everyone has had to struggle with making a career decision.
By definition, a career is “an occupation or profession, especially one requiring special training, followed as one’s lifework”. It is a work you are willing to devote your life to and make interval progress until you get to its peak.
After having gone through school and living under parental guidance, you get to the point when you want to make a different career decision you can truly call your own.
Sometimes, external factors and economic trends can force you into making a new career decision different from what you are currently pursuing. Whether you have yet to choose any career or you want to change your career, we can all agree that the decision can be daunting.
In my understanding and from studies of successful people, I will be showing you the seven most important criteria you should consider when choosing a new career or changing a career.
7 Important Criteria to Consider When Choosing a Career
In considering a new career, money is not the most important factor to consider even though it is one of them. Here are the seven most important factors to consider when choosing a career.
1. Your passion and interests
You are more likely to be successful if you choose a career that aligns well with your passion and life’s interests. This is because challenges and problems are inevitable in any career but when you are passionate about the profession, you will find the strength to keep going.
When people tell me they want to be a medical doctor like me, I always ask them one simple question, “Why?”. If your reasons for choosing a career are related to your inner passion and drive, you are making the right decision but otherwise, you should have a rethink.
Things like perceived lucrativeness, comfort, and trendiness can make people consider a career but you should not prioritize these over your passions and inner drive.
Finding your passion is not difficult. It begins with asking yourself a few questions. “What can you do happily even if you are not being paid to do it? What do you see yourself doing in the next 10-20 years?”. These questions help to establish your passion and find what you truly want to do.
2. Your life’s purpose
This is similar to one’s passion except that it involves finding how you can make an impact in the world. Every human on planet Earth has a way they can impact the world and everyone else. Finding this purpose is the greatest motivation you can ever search for.
To some, their life’s purpose is philanthropy. To others, it is discovery. These can go on and on if I want to list them. However, you need to first discover your life’s purpose to be able to find a career that truly makes you happy and satisfied.
The important thing about happiness and satisfaction is that they are the most important ingredients of success in anyone’s life. It is the principle of reward, which explains the inner drive when doing things you truly love.
3. Potential salary or income
I intentionally brought this criterion down the list because, as surprising as it may sound, it is not the most important criterion to consider when choosing a career. While your job satisfaction is also related to your salary, your career growth does not depend so much on it.
Salaries and income are generally insufficient to make anyone rich. The fact is that you cannot be richer than your employer. However, when you prioritize your inner happiness before choosing a career, that can drive you to succeed and build something bigger with what you do.
Nowadays, you can make a career in the digital economy. Things like writing, programming, graphic designing, and business can make you a constant stream of income if you are passionate about what you do.
The amount of money you get from your career depends grossly on your creativity. Two people working the same job and earning the same salary can be very different in terms of their wealth status. This difference is usually due to what else one is doing that the other is not.
So, while it is important to consider how much money you can be paid, also look into what else you can do to earn more money from your chosen career.
4. Educational requirements
Educational requirement is another important criterion to consider when choosing a career but it’s not important in this current age, or at least, not for every discipline.
Certain careers like being a medical doctor, a lawyer, and other professional disciplines require you to have some education qualifications in the respective fields, and when choosing a career, you should consider which qualifications you already have and which you need to acquire to get the career you want.
It is also important to note that the fact that you have an educational qualification does not necessarily translate to you majoring in a related career. After having secured your degrees and qualifications, you are still at liberty to choose which career you want to major in your life.
5. Work-life balance
This is another important criterion I consider very seriously. It’s important to prioritize striking a healthy balance between work and life/family.
We all have to make some sacrifices to achieve success in careers and life in general but life also demands that we balance things out as much as we can. If you are someone who values family and balance, you should consider a career that allows you time for these as well.
You should look at your ability to handle your chosen profession with other aspects of your life. Not everyone is cut out for the same things, especially being able to handle a strenuous profession with the responsibilities of family life. This is why it is important to consider a career that allows you to achieve a good work-life balance.
6. Inborn talents and gifts
Imagine Messi becoming a medical doctor. Nothing is wrong with that, of course, anyone can become anything. But he would testify that it is easier for him to be a footballer than to be a medical doctor.
Doing what aligns with your talents makes you have a smoother and more enjoyable journey through your career and professional life. Doing other unrelated things in the name of lucrativeness, or societal pressure, makes it feel like you are swimming against the tide.
7. Scalability
Last but not least is scalability, defined as the quality of being able to upregulate your returns over time. It means you can easily multiply your value or returns without having to do all that much harder.
How much value can you create over time? Will it become less relevant over time, or require you to work as much as you do today?
If you have two career opportunities to choose from, you should opt for the more scalable one, assuming other factors are not applicable. A scalable profession may mean having to earn a modest financial reward today but there is no ceiling to what you can potentially earn.
For example, a research scientist in search of next-generation antibiotics, an artist, an app developer, etc, may earn significantly less than a lawyer today but scalability can give them a life-long of relevance and increasing profitability.
Choosing a Career in Reality
While the above factors should influence your decision on a career, it is hard to say to what extent which of them should influence your decision. I have tried to emphasize a level of priority for the above criteria but it is often hard to say which is most important is which is not in different real-life scenarios.
However, in choosing a career, you should carefully think through your decisions. Take time to think about what you want to do, and ask questions regarding what decisions you are about to take.
That being said, I will be talking about the role of education, family, and society, in determining a person’s career choice.
Role of Society and Environment in Choosing a Career
Many of us make career decisions based on what our parents want, on what society thinks, or based on what degree we acquired in the University. But none of these matters if you know what you truly want.
1. Parental Influence
Regarding parental influence on career choices, parents sometimes make professional choices for their children because they genuinely want them to succeed in the world. But sometimes in the process of doing so, they may undermine their children’s true inner desires.
Parental influence seems like a strong force in one’s choice of a career but at some point, you may have to make your own life’s decisions that give you the greatest satisfaction. And remember that every vocation has the potential to be highly lucrative. One just needs to discover that idea that revolutionizes things.
2. Societal Pressures
There are career options that society rates higher, and this can influence a person’s choice of career if care is not taken. You find a flux of people into certain professions that society considers more honorable, noble, and dignified.
For example, a few years back after Ben Carson’s book inspired so many people that they can do what they put their minds to, there was an influx of people into the medical profession. This is an example of how societal desires can drive people to make certain professional choices.
3. Educational Requirements
Current educational systems are designed to train pupils and students along a given career path of their choice. This is because many professions have some educational requirements associated with them.
A lack of a certificate can deny you a career opportunity, but it is more important to acquire the basic skills alongside getting certified at school. If you don’t have any degree, that is not a dealbreaker in pursuing a career of your interest, particularly if having an educational qualification is not compulsory for the particular career area.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I combine my career with a side hustle?
Yes, you can combine a career with a side hustle that you are passionate about. This is particularly applicable in cases where you think you have other passions you need to also satisfy. A side hustle also has the benefit of augmenting your income while also keeping you productive.
Can I make a passion project my main career?
There are several accounts of people who made their side hustles or passion projects their main career. This is very permissible given the number of people who have achieved success doing that. Oftentimes, a passion project gives you more flexibility and time to do other things, as opposed to an employment career that requires you to persistently do 9-to-5.
Should I agree to do other jobs while growing my career?
Sometimes, you have to be open to doing unrelated jobs and activities in the process of growing your career. You should not be too fixated on doing only one thing, without the openness to try new things. For example, even if you are posted to a place that forces you to work outside your area of qualification, be open to doing new things along the way.
