Choosing a future career will be one of your biggest life decisions. While you don’t have to know exactly what you’re going to do for the rest of your life, it can be helpful to have a plan or even an idea of your preferred career path.
Knowing what you might want to do in the future can help guide your current decisions and motivate you to study. But with so many possible careers out there, how do you narrow it down to just one?
Here are six helpful tips for finding the career that’s right for you.
1. Pay attention to the subjects you enjoy
It’s normal to enjoy certain courses or subjects more than others. If there’s a particular subject or course that you really enjoy, find out what careers it could lead to.
For example, if you’re studying marketing and you like learning about social media marketing the most, you could apply for social media marketing positions, perhaps even before your graduate.
Likewise, if you’re studying psychology and you prefer the theoretical units over your practical placements, you might like to plan for working in research rather than practice.
2. Research careers
Spend some time researching available careers. New jobs and occupations are being created every day, and you might be surprised by the range of roles in your area of interest.
You can start by doing a quick Google search of relevant industries. You can also use your provider’s website or search LinkedIn to find out the careers of graduates from your course. Or, you can read our student stories collection. There’s also a library of free masterclasses that might give you inspiration to explore new career paths.
3. Take a career quiz
There are some great online tools that can help you narrow down your career path. The Study Australia Career Matcher quiz asks you some questions about your personality and work style. Using your answers to match you to careers, the tool then sends you a detailed, personalsied report on the industries and careers that might best suit your strengths and traits.
4. Consider your future lifestyle
When you choose a career, you’re also choosing a lifestyle. Some jobs come with long working hours, while others come with location requirements.
Different jobs also offer different rates of pay. It’s a good idea to think about whether your dream career aligns with your lifestyle expectations. Some people don’t mind working long hours if they are passionate about their career. For others, flexible working hours are more important than a high salary.
5. Chat to professionals
If you’re thinking about pursuing a certain career, speaking to somebody who currently works in that role can help you to make your decision. Professionals can break down the positives and negatives of the job, explain how they initially got into the role, and give you a better understanding of the reality of the career.
You can find people to talk to at your future industry’s networking events, or you can ask your education or training provider if they know anyone you could speak to. Make sure you talk to a few different people, as everyone’s experience of a career will be a little bit different.
6. Do some work experience
The only way to know whether a career is really right for you is to give it a try. Luckily, you don’t have to wait until you’re qualified to try out the career you’re working towards.
A work experience or volunteering placement gives you the chance to spend some time in the workplace while you’re still studying. Or, you might like to do an industry experience program to get an inside look into a real-world business setting.
Whichever option you choose, it will put you in direct contact with potential employers, improve your skills and be a great addition to your resume.
You might find out that you love that career. Or, you might discover that it’s definitely not for you. But that’s okay! You’re now one step further to finding the career that is.
Take a step closer to your future career today!
Head to our Course Search tool and start exploring courses, institutions or scholarships for studying in Australia. You can use the Course Search tool to shortlist and compare your options and enquire with an education provider today.
