Career undecided

1. Identifying the skills

The first step is to figure out what you like doing.  A large number of people look to others to determine their career paths: parents, teachers, peers, and neighbors.  There are people always trying to guide you through, unknowingly narrowing down the possible fields. Trust your intuition, figure out which particular field keeps you in high spirits and evaluate.  Perhaps, you may like sketching whereas your "advisors" suggest a career in a bank because it's "safe". Looking at the things you enjoy can give a very good indication of what you are likely to enjoy doing by way of a career. For instance, you are in charge of a club while going to school and you enjoy running it. Already this simple but important activity opens up a broad field of work for you that covers corporate management and social leadership. Once the potential field is identified, you are then ready to match the skills and bang; there you are enjoying every moment of your work. It's like Confucius said, "Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life."

2. Considering fields in a broader scale

A field of work is rather a region in which numerous jobs and trades are a possibility. Studying marketing allows you to try out sales, advertisement, customer relations, PR and entrepreneurship.  An ex marketing student from NSU quotes, "most people don't consider the possibilities. I've worked as a copywriter, a sales agent, and even as a public relations officer." And why not start you own business with the skills you learned?

3. Think about cross-field work

While working out what you want to be and how to reach there, reflect on the possibilities drawn in crossing fields. Famous journalists such as Oriana Fallaci later became an author from a journalist. The same way, a successful journalist can make a good university faculty.  Think outside the square your title grants upon you.

4. Grow a thirst to acquire required qualifications

There's no point day-dreaming if you are not up for gaining what it takes to reach the goal. First, you need a fair understanding of the necessary educational qualifications and a plan to get there eventually. If you are planning to study development, you can always do a thorough research in a library, on the internet, and be very clear and get an in-depth understand. Dig deep and look for your desired subject/skill. If possible, try looking for training seminars so that you don't have any unusual surprise waiting for you.

5. Look for expert opinion

Experts would be people who'd been working in the same field for quite a while now. Once you have found out which sector to go for, find people those already work in the field and speak to them. It will allow you to know what they like and dislike about the field.

6. Attend training/seminars

Students, nowadays, largely undermine the necessity of attending seminars and training programs. it not only adds to your skill set, but also looks good on a CV. Take  networking opportunities in your desired field either as a volunteer or as a part-timer. Mr. Wasfi Tamim, Head of Research in BrandZeal consultancy was asked about the importance of voluntary work. "We actually hire a lot of people who used to be a volunteer, part-timer, or an intern here. That way, it gets easier for us to evaluate the capabilities of these people and it's always easier decision that hiring someone based on past academic results." he said. Early familiarization with the people from the sector can give you a good head start.

7. Stay optimistic

Training and grades don't necessarily guarantee success at first go. Sometimes, there's a stumbling block or two to overcome. It's when you need to be positive that your bundle of qualifications will pay off. You are about to be a part of the real world that keeps changing. Embrace the dynamic flow and know that you can handle the next change that comes your way. Know that doubts will creep up but they can be squashed. 

What you do now will determine the doors that are open to you further down the line. Nothing, absolutely nothing worth doing is easy. But, doing something you like can be most gratifying.