A Guest Post by: John Stone
A career is much more than choosing a job or occupation. It’s more like choosing a lifestyle, or as high school teachers and career advisers like to say: “choosing your future”. Perhaps the most important advice for young graduates is that they shouldn’t decide anything on this matter until they are completely ready. Taking a year off might not appeal to the parents, but it is a much better option than choosing to go down the wrong career path. So what are the most important criteria to consider when making a career choice?
Job Availability
It’s important to choose occupations that will equip future graduates with business skills which are easy to monetize on the market. Although “knowledge is power”, it seems pointless to spend both time and money on studying if there are no possibilities for finding work in the desired industry. That’s why job availability is very important to future students. Before choosing their career path, graduates should measure the ratio of available candidates for job openings. These ratios change during time. For example, who knew that companies are going to employ so many community managers and app developers fifteen years ago, or that milkmen are going to deliver bottles only to hipster coffee houses? That’s why it is important to choose an occupation that can easily adapt to future changes on the market. Lists of deficient occupations in Australia are very useful when deciding on this and it can be found on various government and educational websites.
Earnings and Security
Although some people state that “they would work for free if needed”, they mostly do that for sycophant purposes. Every type of work should be fairly paid and that’s why it’s very important for graduates to check what earnings and security each occupation brings before making a career choice. This information can be acquired on Australia’s Bureau of Statistics website and similar to job availability, average salaries for different occupations might drastically change in time.
Education
Most careers also require certain education and before applying for a college or university, graduates should know what their desired occupation is and what steps they need to take to qualify for it. Studying in one and finding a job in another industry is a huge waste of both time and money. This is a common occurrence, especially when it comes to social sciences and culture studies. Australian universities and colleges are much more open and accessible to graduates from working and middle class families nowadays. There are plenty of government loan programs that can help gifted students to pursue academic careers in various industries. Some of those programs provide loans to students that can be repaid when they get employed at a desired position. Since getting these loans can be a bit complicated it is advisable to search for some VET-FEE HELP assistance websites online, before applying for them.
Personal Fit
Each occupation has different characteristics and these can greatly influence graduates’ decision on which career to pursue. People who are scared of heights are definitely not going to build skyscrapers and graduates that think they can’t handle working with big amounts of money won’t apply for financial studies and get a job in a bank. In addition to this, some careers include lots of traveling and constant movement, which is great for more adventurous people. Responsibility levels are also important, as well as possibilities for promotion or personal growth. The bottom line is: people should love their job, and if performing their usual job activities brings them satisfaction, they’ll be much better workers.
Other Life Decisions
Choosing a career is a very important decision, but there are some other decisions that can also shape someone’s life and they all should influence one another. Starting a family, getting a mortgage or moving to another state, country or continent can greatly influence somebody’s career path. It’s hard for family-oriented people to work like travel bloggers, truck drivers or flight attendants, and it is just as hard for young and restless professionals to work from office, for a fixed salary and no opportunities for promotion. So, choose your career wisely, because this decision will go a long way to improve your Monday mornings.
