Suite 2010, Fleet House, Springhead Enterprise Park, Springhead Rd, Gravesend,
![](https://lirp.cdn-website.com/14383939/dms3rep/multi/opt/CV-e6c59946-1920w.jpg)
![](https://lirp.cdn-website.com/14383939/dms3rep/multi/opt/Career+Coaching+Can+Help+Take+Your+Career+to+the+Next+Level-1920w.jpg)
![](https://lirp.cdn-website.com/14383939/dms3rep/multi/opt/Hire+a+CV+Review+and+Writing+Service+for+Your+Remote+or+Hybrid+Job+Search+-1920w.jpg)
Choosing a career path is one of the most important
decisions one has to make in life. There are a lot of things that people tend
to consider when making this life changing decision but I have found that they all seem to be hinged on one or more of five things. These five reasons are:
Culture in this context basically means 'everyone does it'.
For example we are in an era, where technology is everywhere and a lot of
people are going into IT. So you would see people trying to learn how to code,
going on courses to become business analysts, developers, project managers and
so on, because that's where "the money is". It's almost becoming a
norm and that is what I mean by culture.
Tradition
This is where you hear things like 'it's always been like this'.
For example, there are people spend who a lot of money going to university when they
really shouldn't have, and it's not really needed for their career path. But
because their sister went to uni, and everyone else in the family is university graduate, they chose to follow the tradition.
Logic
In others words it just makes sense to do this job. Some may
say "why would I spend all that money and go through all that pain
studying a course and not pursue a job in that area?" While some may
say things like "I would be stupid not to accept a job that pays so much
money". Many of us justify our career decisions with different reasons
which are enticing but at most times superficial. And although many of
these reasons may seem attractive in the current moment, they could end up
being detrimental to our progress in the long term. Just because something is
logical, doesn't necessarily make it right.
Emotion
Have you ever had a lovely conversation with an
interviewer and you just felt the job and employer was perfect for you
because of the rapport you both built during the interview? Whilst that might
usually be a good sign about an employer, it probably isn't strong enough to
base your decision on. As you can imagine, people can be good actors when they
want something and many employers are experts at 'selling themselves' at
Interviews. What am I trying to say? Don't rely on your emotions.
Although they are essential for our survival as humans, they aren't reliable
indicators for decision making especially when it has to do with your career.
Purpose
This final reason happens to be the least popular but I
think it is the most effective. By ‘purpose’, I mean your life's vision
and mission or as some may call it – ‘your big why’. Your job or career
decision should be linked to your ultimate purpose in life. It’s important to
be clear about who you are, what you stand for, who you want to be, and what you
want to do with your life. As I always say, your job should be a platform
to fulfil your purpose.
So, rather than going with the flow, define your life's purpose and let that help
you choose your path. Because if your job was chosen based on your
purpose, it's very unlikely that you will be unproductive, unmotivated, unhappy or unfulfilled.