Pack Your Career Suitcase

Pack your career suitcase

Selecting a career path is one of the most important decisions that someone can make.  After all, you will be spending most of your day, over many years, doing the job that you choose.  Unfortunately, many people do not take the time to assess their own values, interests and personalities before embarking on a path which may not bring them fulfillment.  Young people, especially, who are nearing the end of their school years sometimes jump into a certain vocation simply because they like a subject at school, or because a family member or teacher steers them toward a career.  By stepping back and answering some questions, people will be able to identify jobs that will bring them happiness and success on their own terms.

The book, “The Shortcut to Purpose: A No-Fluff Guide to Choosing the Right Career” guides the reader through several aspects of career guidance that might not otherwise be addressed.  While some chapters are aimed at students who are still in school and trying to decide what they want to study, many of the suggestions and questions can be used by anyone who is looking to find out what they were meant to do with their lives – even if they’ve been on the wrong path for a while!

The overriding message of the book is that everyone must choose a profession based on his or her own interests and values.  Just because your parents or teachers might have an idea of what you would excel at, that doesn’t mean that you would find that job fulfilling.  Spending your days in a job that doesn’t challenge or excite you is a sure way to make you feel depressed or anxious, even if it appears to everyone else that you are “successful.”  One of the early suggestions in the book is to sit down and define what success means to you, personally, at this moment.  It doesn’t necessarily have to be a financial success, but just success on your own terms based on what you are striving for at this moment.

Additionally, chapters in the book offer questions that you can answer to get a better idea of the type of career you that might best suit you.  For instance, there is a chapter with questions to lead your thoughts in terms of work environment – not just the physical environment (indoors vs. outdoors, stable workplace vs. frequent travel) but also the level of responsibility you are comfortable with.  There are also chapters with questions to help you identify and define your core values.  Since you might have difficulty putting your core values into words, there is an exercise where a list of values is given, and you can pick the ones that most resonate with you.  After grouping and ranking the values, the reader will be better able to see what values guide his or her life.  Once you know what you value, you will be able to make guided decisions and plans.

Just because you’ve identified your values and career path, you can still be your own worst enemy if you allow fear and/or failure to dominate your life.  Self-doubt, procrastination and fear of failure are all reasons that we sometimes fail to take advantage of opportunities that come our way.  By identifying our negative beliefs that might be holding us back (whether from negative messages we received as a child or from previous failures), we can recognize temporary setbacks as just that – temporary and not a reflection on who we are as people or our abilities.

Finally, it’s important to recognize your purpose and live your life so that you leave a legacy.  Your legacy doesn’t have to be worldwide, but making a positive difference in the lives of people you encounter.  If you live your life guided by your values, you will be passionate about your work and impact on others.  This will lead to fulfilling, energizing work that will empower you to have a positive impact on those around you.  While it’s important to identify what you want to do, it’s just as important to single out the work, places, and people you don’t want in your life.

The book ends with a recommendation to try the publisher’s free career matching service.  This might be a starting step for someone who is attempting to find the career to match their passion!

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for this review.