Information Related to "Find a Career Path That Fits"
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Planning
for Life
Find a Career Path That Fits
by Ken Treybig
|
How
to Find a Job When two adults
meet, one will almost invariably ask the other, “What do you do?”
Many people become what they do; their jobs are their identity. But many
people don’t choose their occupations; they take whatever comes along
and plod along in that job for decades. As a result, many don’t particularly
like what they are doing. They feel trapped but don’t know how to
get out of their rut. |
What single factor could make the biggest difference in your prospects
for a successful career?
Many young people recognize education as that factor. Among American teens,
63 percent of high-school graduates enroll in college in the years they graduate,
with the proportion of young female students (64.4 percent) slightly outpacing
the number of young male students (61.4 percent).
How does education translate into earnings? After the 1990 U.S. census (2000 data are not yet available), the Census Bureau summarized the average lifetime earnings of people who had attained various levels of education. See the findings in the accompanying "Average Lifetime Earnings" chart.
College no panacea
Some might look at these statistics and decide a college degree is their ticket
to a quick personal fortune. They reason that it doesn't matter what area of
study they choose; any degree is sufficient to ensure they become rich.
But a college degree does not guarantee success. Routes that promise quick and
easy riches seldom pay off in the long run. As Proverbs 12:24 tells us: "Diligent
hands will rule, but laziness ends in slave labour" (New International
Version).
The problem with the get-rich-quick approach is that many people blunder through
college, changing degree plans several times. When the going gets tough, many
simply drop out of school and grab whatever job they can find-often at much
lower pay than they had planned on.
Some continue in college and find they must study additional years because they
change their majors several times and need more classes to complete their altered
degree plans. Others graduate, but realize a few years into their careers they
don't like their chosen field. They feel trapped because they think it's too
late to go back to college to retrain.
Why do these things happen? Often it's because these people have not given sufficient
thought to the future. They have not planned their path of life. Proverbs 14:8
talks about this lack of foresight: "The wisdom of the prudent is to give
thought to their ways, but the folly of fools is deception" (NIV).
In other words, prudent people will pay particular attention to their future.
They will work to gain knowledge to help chart their course and put forth the
effort to gain understanding about themselves and their future. The Proverbs
talk about the difference between hard work and taking unnecessary chances:
"The hand of the diligent will rule ..." (Proverbs 12:24). Proverbs 21:5 adds: "Steady plodding brings prosperity; hasty speculation brings
poverty" (Living Bible). Notice the Bible ties the successful person to
both diligence and persistence.
Regrettably, Western society overemphasizes speed. Everything, from coffee to
full meals, must be available in a short time, preferably instantly. It's no
wonder young people have little encouragement to take the time to diligently
search for a career that fits their skills, aptitudes and personality.
Understand yourself
For some, because of specific interests and skills, college is not the best
route. One of the world's wealthiest men, Bill Gates (the founder of Microsoft),
dropped out of college to start his company instead of completing his degree.
Though he didn't get his degree, he managed to become the richest man in the
United States.
How do you know whether you should go to college? What criteria should you use
to make that decision? Should you leave it to chance? Should you assume college
is your best option? If so, will you work toward an interesting and exciting
future, or will you end up bored and frustrated?
To find answers to these questions, you should first understand yourself-your
aptitudes, likes and dislikes. Analyze your personality and determine the fields
of work that most suit you.
Some turn their hobbies-such as computer skills, writing or photography-into
successful careers. This is where career planning and an aptitude assessment
can be helpful. These will give you information to make decisions based on facts
rather than guesses.
You can discover your skills and aptitudes. Trial and error is one method. Although
trial and error is usually accurate in the long run, it takes valuable time
and can result in many failures along the way.
|
Recommended Reading Looking for some good
advice? You can't do any better than the Bible. It's loaded with practical
guidance to help you achieve success in your career, friendships, finances,
family and every other aspect of life. |
A better way is to make use of several instruments specifically designed
to help you discover your skills and aptitudes. Once you have gained the resulting
information, you'll be better prepared to make decisions that will more likely
to lead to success.
Popular tools are the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and the Strong-Campbell Interest
Inventory (see "How to Find a Job That Suits You," page 28).
Spiritual principles first
Factors that can lead to financial success do not complete the picture. A high
wage, salary or profit margin is not the ultimate measure of accomplishment.
Jesus Christ knew the value of setting priorities: "For what will it profit
a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?" (Mark 8:36).
God does not measure success in dollars earned or a positive cash flow. In the
Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:19-21) Jesus pointed out that focusing on material
wealth can be futile. Material wealth is subject to loss and theft. More important
is building spiritual assets that cannot be depleted or stolen.
As Jesus emphasized in His sermon, as important as earning a living may be,
it must never become more important than the spiritual principles God reveals
in the Bible.
Keep in mind that a balanced perspective on wealth is key to a successful career.
Next time we'll take a closer look at how the choices we make now can mesh with
the spiritual values we should consider that can affect our future security.
GN
©
2001-2022 United Church of God, an International Association
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Keywords: college career success
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