Advice on Choosing a Career Path

Choosing the right career can make a difference in more than your bank account. A person's career choice has a major effect on his level of life satisfaction. Staying in a miserable or arduous job situation adds greatly to your stress levels, leading to health problems and illnesses, according to an article from the American Institute of Stress. Weighing certain factors helps you choose the right career path.

Your Interests and Strengths

Weigh your interests, including hobbies and activities you enjoy, as well as your natural skills and strengths, when choosing a career path or college major. A person's interests, hobbies and strengths play an important role in her career choice and job happiness. For instance, someone with a disdain for mathematics probably would not be satisfied in a career as an engineer or physics professor, while someone who appreciates privacy and working independently would not do well as a first-line supervisor or customer complaint resolution specialist.

Where Do You Want to Live?

The area in which you live or the location in which you prefer to reside can play a major role in your career choice. Although some jobs, such as insurance sales, are available in all locations, many careers and job roles, such as corporate executive, airline dispatcher, hedge fund manager and stockbroker, are found primarily in large cities. Others, like agronomist, farmer and agricultural equipment salesman, are predominately located in small towns and rural areas. If you would rather live in a large city, choose a career path that will keep you in large cities. Likewise, if you consider yourself a small-town person, select a career that will not require you to relocate to a major metropolitan area.

Corporate Culture

Corporate culture is the ideas, beliefs and structures that govern the method in which a business or firm operates and deals with its employees, clients, customers and suppliers, says "Entrepreneur," a small-business magazine. Choosing a business with a culture that fits your work style is essential to career happiness. For instance, individuals who enjoy working independently, creating new ideas and having job flexibility would be unhappy at companies with an established chain of command and rigid corporate policies.

Salary and Benefits

Ultimately, one of the primary reasons people work is to get paid. A job's salary and benefits structure plays a major role in your career satisfaction. Consider your financial needs, family size, health and life situation before selecting a career path. Although certain careers, such as nonprofit management and social work, help others or line up with an individual's strengths and interests, their relatively low pay structures could make it difficult on people with many children, preexisting health issues or high student debt.

References

• American Institute of Stress: Job Stress
• Quintessential Careers: Critical Career Path Tips: Advice for Career Discovery
• Bankrate: Want a Career? Rack up Student Debt for It
• Bankrate: Off-the-Beaten Path Careers: Not Everyone Thrives in the Typical Office Environment
• "Entrepreneur": Term Definition: Corporate Culture