Career Planning Tools Help You Take Your Career Forward

The first step towards doing this is to define your career preference, academic plans and career objectives. Like bricks that need to be placed carefully, these are the components that help you to build a successful career. You can also take the help of a professional and get career advice on how to utilize career planning tools.


How to Utilize Career Planning Tools
The following are career planning tools to consider:
Self Assessment: Know what motivates you and map it to your interests, values, roles, skills, preferred environments and developmental requirements. If your interest is in the hospitality sector, there is no point enrolling in a law school where you may feel out of place. The importance of self assessment is that it helps you to assess your strengths and weaknesses. This approach will help you to make an informed career decision.
Exploring Options: Researching and exploring all career options will be highly useful as new industries and realms of work are emerging. The conventional stream of job opportunities is giving way to new opportunities. Gather relevant information that will help your career planning process. Information can be gathered through educational materials, employment pamphlets, workshops and the Internet. You can also consider other options by job shadowing, informational interviews, part time work or volunteer opportunities.
Matching Options: A thorough evaluation of all vacancies can be conducted to decide whether it is worth trying for. Exploring alternatives will help a job seeker to arrive at a well thought-out decision that spans short-term and long-term goals.

Taking Action using Career Tools
Here are some tips to take action while using career tools:
Be ready to find out how the right kind of education and training are important to help you find or grow into the job you long for.
Formulate your own mission statement and design a personal marketing strategy which is comprehensive without being rigid. You have to locate job leads, contact prospective employers and organize all these details and contacts for future use.
Write an impressive resume to impress potential employers. If you don’t feel confident about it, check out resume samples and formats to create your own resume.
Company search can be done thorough business directories and Securities and Exchange Commission filings.

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How To Find Your Dream Career

Before we begin let’s just agree on one thing. There are no quick answers to how to find your dream career. Finding your dream career is a process. How lengthy this process is depends on how sincere you are with yourself. It also depends on how much you are willing to sacrifice in pursuit of your dream career.
I have spent many hours counseling many career builder newbies on this very topic. On occasions, with some of my more senior staff also. I have personally gone through this process and here is my experience I would like to share with you.

I admit I dislike engaging in this discussion with people who come to me with this question (who by the way, expect an easy answer). They expect a “3 Steps Guide to How To Find Your Dream Career”. Since there are none, at the end of the discussion, they get disappointed.

1. The Toughest Part - Know What You Want
The toughest part about finding your dream career isn’t about finding the dream career. It is about finding yourself. Do you know what you want? This is the first question you need to ask yourself. It is a seemingly easy question many answer by mentioning what they DON’T WANT instead of what they WANT. But that is not the answer that will ensure you to find your dream job.
Knowing what you don’t want does not mean you easily arrive at what you want.Unfortunately, the process of elimination does not work in finding your dream career. You can go through a thousand “don’t wants” and still not hit it. How to find your dream career? Start by knowing what you want!

2. Know Your Values
If you feel a little lost with finding what you want, start by knowing your values. Ask yourself, what do you really value? Time? That’s a common answer I get and a good one too. We all want more time for ourselves and family. So, if you value time then you know the dream career you are looking for must offer more time. Is that all? List a set of values you treasure. Then things will begin to fall in place. You have defined what it is that will fit in these criteria.

3. Know How Much You Are Willing To Sacrifice
Do you have the knowledge and skill set that fit the needs of your dream career? If you do not, how much are you willing to sacrifice in order to add those skill set in your repertoire? How to find your dream career is easy. How much you are willing to sacrifice in order to achieve it is tough to answer.

4. Do It For The Right Reasons
The trigger to how to find your dream career should never be money. It should not be because you are currently unhappy with your salary and hence you want a dream career that pays you an enormous amount of money. Money should never be the motivation. Make passion a motivation but never money.
From my college days, I have always wanted to be in the advertising industry. That for me was a dream career. But back in the heydays of the dotcom era I was headhunted to join a B2B dotcom firm. They were willing to pay me double of what I was getting (yes, I was unhappy with my salary at that time). So, I took up the offer immediately. Guess what? I quit in 3 days and due to contractual obligation I had to serve a full month! That full month was a torture. It wasn’t what I was looking for at all. In some countries where payday loans are available some people would have taken it to get by.

5. The Easiest Part
If you know what you want, what you value and you do it for the right reasons – then this is the easy part. Here are your “3 Steps Guide to How To Find Your Dream Career” so to speak.

1. Do Your Research
Find out about the industry. Do you have friends in the industry? Find out what are the expectations, the knowledge and skills needed. The Internet is also the perfect place to start. You can read books focused on your dream career or check out sites offering career advice on certain industries. For example, the site - Job Application and Interview Advice is a compelling site written to help people Snag A Job every day. It covers all aspects of how to snag a job including job applications forms, resumes, cover letters and interview questions and answers. 

1. Network With People In The Industry
Get to know people in the industry so you get a feel of what it is like upfront. This also sets you up for potential short-term work when the opportunity arises for some hands on experience before you make that leap. I have personally allowed friends based on recommendations to visit us after office hours. This allows them to see what it is like in our industry and to speak in depth with staff from various departments in order to understand our line.
2. Create A Plan To Pursue Your Dream Career
Now that you know how to find your dream career, create a plan to achieve it. How do you plan to add new skill sets? How do you plan to apply for the job? When would be able to get practical training, if that’s a requirement? Develop a plan and act upon it!

Can I recommend this? Invest in a copy of 101 Great Ways to Enhance Your Career. I am a contributing author together with the world's 100 other career experts. It will help you answer a lot of career questions you have and make a great gift for yourself or your colleague. Check it out here.

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Finding the Right Career

 

Are you thinking of choosing or changing your career? Maybe you have been dreaming about a career change but don’t know where to start. Perhaps you’re getting increasingly bored at work or realizing that opportunities for growth are limited. Or, like many in this economy, you may be unemployed or facing unemployment. Regardless of your reasons, the right career is out there for everyone.  Discover how to find the best career path for you, including finding the courage to make a change, researching options, realizing your strengths, and learning new skills.

Finding meaningful work in today’s world

You may have fallen into the trap of thinking the sole point of work is to bring home enough money to live comfortably. While adequate compensation is important in any job, it’s not the whole story. If you are unsatisfied with what you do every day, it takes a toll on your physical and mental health. You may feel burned out and frustrated, anxious, depressed, or unable to enjoy time at home knowing another workday is ahead. What’s more, if you don’t find your work meaningful and rewarding, it’s hard to keep the momentum going to advance in your career. You are more likely to be successful in a career that you feel passionate about. Whether you’re looking to enter the work force for the first time or contemplating a career change, the first step to choosing a fulfilling career is to uncover the activities that get you excited and bring you joy.

Discovering new possibilities

The first step in considering a career change is to think carefully about what really drives you. You might find it hard to get past thinking about “what pays the most” or “what is most secure,” especially in today’s economy. However, it’s important to first discover your primary interests and passions. This can open doors to careers that you might not have considered. Once you have that foundation, you can start fine tuning your search to the right career. You may be surprised at how you can fit your passions into a certain career!

Exploring your career opportunities

• Focus on the things you love to do. What have you dreamed of doing in the past? What do you naturally enjoy doing? Jot down what comes to mind, no matter how improbable it seems.
• Look for clues everywhere. Take note of projects or topics that stir your compassion or excite your imagination. Reflect on stories of people you admire. Ask yourself why certain activities make you happy, and pay attention to times when you are really enjoying yourself.
• Be patient. Remember that your search may take some time and you might have to go down a few different roads before finding the right career path. Time and introspection will help you identify the activities you most enjoy and that bring you true satisfaction.

Overcoming obstacles to career happiness

It’s always challenging to consider a huge change, and there may be many reasons why you may think changing careers is not possible. Here are some common obstacles and how to overcome them:

• It’s too much work to change careers. Where would I ever begin? Changing careers does require a substantial time investment. However, remember that it does not happen all at once. If you sit down and map out a rough plan of attack, breaking down larger tasks into smaller ones, it is a lot more manageable than you think. And if the payoff is a happier, more successful career, it’s worth it.
• I’m too old to change careers. I need to stay where I am. If you have worked for a number of years, you may feel that you’ve put too much time and effort into your career to change midstream. Or you may be concerned about retirement and health benefits. However, the more you’ve worked, the more likely you are to have skills you can transfer to a new career. You may also consider planning a transition for after retirement if you are close to receiving a pension or other benefits after a number of years. 
• I don’t have enough skills to consider a new career. You may be unaware of the skills you have, or underestimate your marketability due to low self esteem. However, you probably have more skills than you think. Consider skills you’ve learned not only from your job but from hobbies, volunteering or other life experiences. And gaining skills is not an all or nothing proposition. You can volunteer once a week or take a night class to move forward, for example, without quitting your current job.
• In this economy, I’m lucky to have a job. I don’t want to rock the boat. In today’s climate, it might feel like too much of a risk to consider changing careers. However, if you’re unhappy in your current job, doing research on other options will only benefit you in the long run. You may discover a career with a more stable long-term outlook than your current career, for example. And you don’t have to quit your current job until you are confident of your new career path.

What if I’ve already lost my job?

Being unemployed or underemployed can be tremendously stressful. You may be feeling the pressures of meeting mortgage payments or other financial obligations. You might be feeling ashamed with your family and friends. And a very real loss is that of your identity at work. This is especially true if you have been in the same field for a very long time.
However, unemployment also has a bright side. It gives you the chance to reflect on your career path where you might not have before. If you’ve been considering a new field, now is the time to research and see what might be the right fit for you. You may end up in a much stronger position than if you had originally kept your job.
To learn more, visit Job Loss and Unemployment Stress: Tips for Staying Positive During Your Job Search

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How to Make Wise Career Choices

Life is full of choices. Some require little thought or reflection—like the choice of what to eat for dinner— while others demand rigorous deliberation. When it comes to your career, you’ve likely already made several difficult choices in the past and will undoubtedly face many more.
There is a natural give and take in every decision. Usually, whenever something is gained, something else is lost. In order to make wise choices, you must weigh the risks against the potential rewards. You must make predictions and assumptions and, at times, great leaps of faith. Choices are rarely ever black and white, all good or all bad, clearly right or clearly wrong. They are complicated and multi-dimensional; prisms through which no two people will see the same world.
As with most things in life, putting in the effort on the front end is the best way to reduce the potential for disappointing results on the back end. There is no guarantee, of course. Even the most thoughtful decisions have been known to backfire. A choice is, most often, nothing more than a best guess—a hopeful step in a new direction.
So, when facing a career choice, whether big or small, how can you make sure you’re approaching the situation with the appropriate level of consideration? How can you ensure your “guess” is truly the best you can do? Below, I’ve outlined a few points to remember in your decision-making process.

Choices reflect values.
Your life is the result of your choices. Every choice shapes your reality and is a reflection of who you are, what you value and what you want. Making choices that conflict with your underlying values will inevitably lead to restlessness and dissatisfaction. If you aren’t happy with the choices you’ve made in the past, evaluate your values and what motivated your decision. More than likely, there was a disconnect.

Emotions influence choices.
Recognize the role that emotions play in your decision-making process. Though it’s unrealistic—and unhealthy—to suppress emotions completely, it’s helpful to understand how they influence your behaviors. Look for the messages beneath the emotions; let your heart and your head work together to find the best solutions.
Don’t rush yourself.
Anxiety and urgency almost always have a negative impact on decision-making. Don’t let a ticking clock push you into a choice you haven’t properly evaluated. Sure, you likely don’t have an infinite amount of time with which to work, but avoid placing unnecessary deadlines on yourself. Be thorough and balance your desire for a quick resolution with your need for a well thought-out decision-making process.

NOT making a choice is still a choice.
You can’t simply ignore a decision that has to be made and expect it to go away. Choosing not to choose is an abdication of power but it’s still a choice in its own special way. It’s the choice to observe rather than participate, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. There are times when you’re better off simply letting a situation run its course without attempting to steer it in any direction. Sit back, allow events to unfold, and let the path form naturally.

Refuse “either/or” dilemmas.
There are always more options. When you trap yourself in limited thinking, you fail to see the real opportunities. Don’t place artificial restrictions on yourself or the possibilities the world has to offer.  When you face an “either/or” dilemma, look for the grey space in between. This isn’t an empty void; it’s a deep and endless well of potential.

Build trust.
Trust in yourself, trust in others, trust in the Universe. Have a little faith that everything will work out well, whether or not the future looks exactly the way you had imagined it. Remember that change is constant and you have the resources to manage whatever comes along. Your choices have consequences that shape your reality; you always have the opportunity to make different choices in the future and create a new reality for yourself.
Remember that a well thought-out choice is never wrong, no matter what happens. It might be tempting to blame yourself when things don’t turn out the way you had anticipated, but this accomplishes nothing. Don’t dwell in regret. Simply accept the lesson and move on. Take what you’ve learned with you and use it the next time you face a difficult choice in your career or elsewhere in life.

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How To Make A Tough Career Decision, When You're An Anxiety-Riddled Lunatic?

The story: I’m an artist currently making my living with design work and small teaching gigs. I’ve been offered a relatively decent academic job in a place my partner and I don’t want to live. We love where we’re living now, I’m fairly happy with my job(s), and have a decent amount of time to pursue my artwork.

The complications: My partner is quitting her job—the one that has given us a steady and reliable source of income while I’ve been freelancing. No matter what we decide to do, she will be quitting to try and make a go of her own creative career, which has been steadily gaining momentum in her spare time. The ideal for her would be for us to do this together, to combine our creative/art/design pursuits into a joint business venture, and go for it. And when I think about how I ideally want to spend my days, making things with her is a no-brainer.

However, facing the prospect of making a go of our art careers has me almost paralyzed with fear. In the typical situation, I would be telling you that my big fear is moving across country for this job, and you would be telling me to face my fears and do it. And while the idea of a move to a disappointing place coupled with a potentially time-and-creativity-sucking job in academia is indeed cripplingly fearsome, the idea of staying here, giving up our safety nets, attempting to live as artists--and failing--is HORRIFYING. Basically, my worst fear: confirmation that we don’t have what it takes.

My ultimate goal in life is to make art, every second of every day. But I have, of course, been taught to believe that that’s basically impossible, and that an academic job is fraught with complications but ultimately necessary. And I do love teaching, but all of the teachers I know are barely able to pursue their artwork anymore.

We’re still young, we have energy, love, boundless creativity and few responsibilities (no house, no kids), a healthy cushion saved up, and my partner will continue to receive her salary for three months after quitting. If we stay and it doesn’t work out, we won’t starve. There are many temp jobs we’re qualified for, people willing to take us in, and there’s always next year’s (equally tempestuous and uncertain) academic job market. It would be our dream to stay in the city we adore, with our friends and professional connections, and be able to live off of our creative work together. That’s the daily life I get most excited about. And yet the prospect of really going for it has me paralyzed with fear, instinctively looking for the first salaried position I can find. Do we take the flat road, the reasonably safe and secure choice, or do we jump off the freaking cliff? I realize this is a decision that only we can make, and that I’ve left things too vague to solicit good advice…

My actual question, friends, is what strategies are there for making this decision in an intelligent way, without becoming blinded by anxiety? How do we weigh all the different variables? What aspects of the decision are forgetting to even consider? And once a decision has been made, how do I move forward without second-guessing, or succumbing to fear or regret?

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Career Decision Making Process

Many students are challenged from the moment they enter NU to answer the question: "What career are you going to choose?" In order to make a career decision that is right for you, you must engage in the career decision making process.

The career decision process is:

...A process that takes time. You cannot make a good decision until you have adequate information about yourself and the world of work of self knowledge and information gathering, as well as having experiences that point you in a direction that is right for you.

...A proactive process. No one can tell you what you should do, and a career decisions will not appear through thin air. You must take the time and the effort to engage in actions that will help you to make decisions. You must also be self-reflective about these activities. You cannot just take in information, you must reflect on how this information fits with your own interests, values and skills. There are things that you can do during all 4 years at Northwestern to increase your chances of making a decision that is right for you.

...Not a linear process. While there are specific steps that can be taken, there is no specific order in which these steps should be taken, and you may repeat steps throughout the process. Some tips for beginning the process:

...Examine your motivation for engaging in the process Many students will begin the process because they feel pressured by others (parents, peers, advisors), or because they in some way feel that they are “behind”. Your journey must come from a genuine desire to engage in self discovery.

...Challenge any myths you have about the career decision making process

...Be open to new experiences and ideas. We only see or hear about a few careers fields on a day to day basis. New careers are being created every day. In addition don't be afraid to experiment with new roles in student groups, the classroom, or at work to discover new information about your skills and interests.

...Be aware of external influences on your decision making. Are you following in the footsteps of peers, parents, and advisors, or are the decisions you are making truly your own? How does your culture, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status influence your decision?

It is not uncommon to work with both a career counselor and an internship advisor/job search advisor at the same time. What is most important is that you are engaging in the process and taking steps towards a future that is fulfilling and meaningful.

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Guide to Career Decision Making

Exploring information about what is possible and deciding what to do are both part of the same process. Don't worry if you don't feel committed to one direction yet, career decisions take time and research to evolve. The important thing is to start finding out about what is out there to help the process along.

Guide to Career Decision Making

When trying to choose a career or make a decision about further study, you should:

• know yourself
• know your options
• know how you usually make decisions
• know what influences, and perhaps blocks, your decision making

The relationship between these objectives is outlined in the diagram below.

	Thinking about my decision making
	| \/
	Knowing how I make decisions
	| \/
Knowing about myself	<--      -->	Knowing about my options

To see this model of decision making in more detail click here.

You already know you need to make a decision so: 

Step 1 is to clarify what you know about yourself. You might consider your skills, interests, values, and, if your decision involves more learning, your preferred learning style. Interests are what you enjoy doing; skills are what you do well; and values are what motivate you to work. Your learning style is how you prefer to learn.
In terms of your career journey, interests tell you what direction to pursue; skills tell you how long it will take to get there; and values tell you whether or not the journey is worth taking.

Step 2 is to explore the options and see how what you know about yourself fits them, eliminating the options that don't. This helps you draw up a short list of ideas that you want to decide about. It may involve both expanding and contracting the list of ideas over a period of time as you get more information and experience to fill the gaps in your knowledge.

Step 3 is to decide what you really want to go for from the short list. To make a good decision at this point and later on, you need to step back a bit and examine your own decision making style - how you typically make decisions - and the advantages and disadvantages of that. We can suggest different methods and tools, but only you can know if they will work for you. If you have a lot of difficulty at this stage you may need to go up a level to...

Step 4 - thinking about what influences your decision making, and sort it out - perhaps with the help of a careers adviser or student counsellor.

Source: http://www.careers.stir.ac.uk

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How to Make Career Decisions

I've been teaching a career management course for 30 years, first at HBS and then here at the Darden School, UVA. I'm surprised at how important career decisions are to people and at how little rigor they bring to those decisions. The result is a modified trial-and-error methodology that unfortunately leads to current statistics of something like 5-8 career changes for most graduating MBAs. People use a variety of techniques for making career decisions: serendipity, opportunistic, creation, and peer pressure. Given the high proportion of habitual behavior among most people, a matching approach seems to be the obvious best approach. By matching approach, I mean making decisions based on goodness of fit between personal habits or enduring life themes and the demands of any particular job, career or organizational culture.

The problem is that most people don't know themselves well enough and in enough detail to make a good decision based on goodness of fit between themselves and the demands of a job. Well, you might say, I know myself well. Really? What are your habitual ways of thinking? How do you prefer to process information? What's your preferred social structure and style? Have you analyzed your preferred lifestyle? What about your analytic skills? Energy level? Biochemical brain balances leading to or away from ADD, OCD, BPD, etc.? The danger with any degree of self awareness is what we might call "benign self deception." If you make career decisions based on your momentary reflections of who you are and what you want, be careful! You may overlook some key factors (habits or themes) in your life that will surface after you've taken the job--and then you'll be looking again.

Those who make career decisions on a rigorous self assessment are likely to make better decisions than those who don't. So then the question is, "how can I get a good self assessment to use in my career search and decision making?" There are thousands of self assessment tools out there, some of them trash and some of them quite helpful. But consider this premise: no single instrument is accurate enough or comprehensive enough to give you confidence in making career decisions.

There are just too many variables to consider in one instrument and too many variables in the answering of the questionnaire items to trust your career future or even a part of it to one instrument. The answer is to take several self assessment tools and look for the repeating patterns or themes or the tips of iceberg habits that appear across instruments. This requires some time and effort and some skill at inductive logic (looking at the data and generating the principles). Too much time and effort your say? Compare that with the cost of time and effort in working in a job that doesn't fit you and then doing it all over again in 1-3 years. Why not invest up front and narrow your career search to the band of jobs that would likely fit you better?

My colleagues and I have ported the text I used (and was the lead author on--Self Assessment and Career Development) to the web to offer this kind of service. You can preview it at http://careerbuildertools.blogspot.com There are more than a dozen instruments there for you to use in your search for a rigorous listing of your career defining personal characteristics. But whether you use Career Next Step or not, whenever you approach your next major personal or professional decision, please, consider carefully (preferably data-based) your dominant Life Themes (cognitive, interpersonal, social, professional, etc.) before you decide. If you choose ignoring them, the odds are you'll be unhappy and be making the same decision again shortly. Save yourself a boat load of time and effort by investing in a good self assessment up front.

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Decision Making

Decision making in simple terms is an individual human activity focused on particular matters (e.g., buying a car) which largely independent of others kinds of choice (e.g., buying a house, selecting a meal from a menu). In more formal terms, decision making can be regarded as an outcome of mental processes (cognitive process) leading to the selection of a course of action among several alternatives. Every decision making process produces a final choice. The output can be an action or an opinion.

Human performance in decision making terms has been subject of active research from several perspectives. From a psychological perspective, it is necessary to examine individual decisions in the context of a set of needs and desired results an individual has . From a cognitive perspective, the decision making process must be regarded as a continuous process integrated in the interaction with the environment.

Yet, at another level, it might be regarded as a problem solving activity which is terminated when a solution is found. Therefore, decision making is a reasoning process which can be rational or irrational, can be based on explicit assumptions or tacit assumptions.

Decision making is said to be a psychological construct. This means that although we can never "see" a decision, we can infer from observable behavior that a decision has been made. Therefore, we conclude that a psychological event that we call "decision making" has occurred. It is a construction that imputes commitment to action. That is, based on observable actions, we assume that people have made a commitment to affect the action.

There are many decision making levels having a participation element. A common example is that of institutions making decisions that affect those for whom they provide. In such cases an understanding of what participation level is involved becomes crucial to understand the process and power structures dynamics.

Control-Ethics. When organizations/institutions make decisions it is important to find the balance between the parameters of control mechanisms and the ethical principles which ensure 'best' outcome for individuals and communities impacted on by the decision. Controls may be set by elements such as Legislation, historical precedents, available resources, Standards, policies, procedures and practices. Ethical elements may include equity, fairness, transparency, social justice, choice, least restrictive alternative, empowerment.

Decision making in one's personal life
Some of the decision making techniques that we use in everyday life include:
• listing the advantages and disadvantages of each option
• flipping a coin, cutting a deck of playing cards, and other random or coincidence methods
• accepting the first option that seems like it might achieve the desired result
• prayer, tarot cards, astrology, augurs, revelation, or other forms of divination
• acquiesce to a person in authority or an "expert"
• Calculating the expected value or utility for each option. For example, a person is considering two jobs. At the first job option the person has a 60% chance of getting a 30% percent raise in the first year. And at the second job option the person has an 80% chance of getting a 10% raise in the first year. The decision maker would calculate the expected value of each option, calculating the probability multiplied by the increase of value. (0.60*0.30=0.18 [option a] 0.80*0.10=0.08 [option b]) The person deciding on the job would chose the option with the highest expected value, in this example option number one.

An alternative may be to apply one of the processes described below, in particular in the Business and Management section.

Decision making in healthcare
In the health care field, the steps of making a decision may be remembered with the mnemonic BRAND, which includes
• Benefits of the action
• Risks in the action
• Alternatives to the prospective action
• Nothing: that is, doing nothing at all
• Decision

Decision making in business and management
In general, business and management systems should be set up to allow decision making at the lowest possible level.
Several decision making models or practices for business include:
• SWOT Analysis - Evaluation by the decision making individual or organization of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats with respect to desired end state or objective.
• Analytic Hierarchy Process - procedure for multi-level goal hierarchy
• Buyer decision processes - transaction before, during, and after a purchase
• Complex systems - common behavioral and structural features that can be modeled
• Corporate finance:
o The investment decision
o The financing decision
o The dividend decision
o working capital management decisions
• Cost-benefit analysis - process of weighing the total expected costs vs. the total expected benefits
• Control-Ethics, a decision making framework that balances the tensions of accountability and 'best' outcome.
• Decision trees
o Decision analysis - the discipline devoted to prescriptive modeling for decision making under conditions of uncertainty.
o Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT)
o critical path analysis
o critical chain analysis
• Force field analysis - analyzing forces that either drive or hinder movement toward a goal
• Game theory - the branch of mathematics that models decision strategies for rational agents under conditions of competition, conflict and cooperation.
• Grid Analysis - analysis done by comparing the weighted averages of ranked criteria to options. A way of comparing both objective and subjective data.
• Hope and fear (or colloquially greed and fear) as emotions that motivate business and financial players, and often bear a higher weight that the rational analysis of fundamentals, as discovered by neuroeconomics research
• Linear programming - optimization problems in which the objective function and the constraints are all linear
• Min-max criterion
• Model (economics)- theoretical construct of economic processes of variables and their relationships
• Monte Carlo method - class of computational algorithms for simulating systems
• Morphological analysis - all possible solutions to a multi-dimensional problem complex
• optimization
o constrained optimization
• Paired Comparison Analysis - paired choice analysis
• Pareto Analysis - selection of a limited of number of tasks that produce significant overall effect
• Robust decision - making the best possible choice when information is incomplete, uncertain, evolving and inconsistent
• Satisfying - In decision-making, satisfying explains the tendency to select the first option that meets a given need or select the option that seems to address most needs rather than seeking the “optimal” solution.
• Scenario analysis - process of analyzing possible future events
• Six Thinking Hats - symbolic process for parallel thinking
• Strategic planning process - applying the objectives, SWOTs, strategies, programs process
• Trend following and other imitations of what other business deciders do, or of the current fashions among consultants.

Decision-makers and influencers
In the context of industrial goods marketing, there is much theory, and even more opinion, expressed about how the various 'decision-makers' and 'influencers' (those who can only influence, not decide, the final decision) interact. Decisions are frequently taken by groups, rather than individuals, and the official buyer often does not have authority to make the decision.

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Making Career Decisions

By Shawn Bakker

Most of us will make a number of career decisions in our lives. Whether we are choosing a university major, switching jobs, or planning to retire, the decisions can often be very stressful. However, knowledge about the different type preferences, and making use of Sensing, Intuition, Thinking and Feeling can lead to better decisions. By focusing on each of these perceptions in a step-wise manner, we can clarify our options.

Step One: Using Sensing to focus on the facts
Making use of your sensing perception is a good place to start. Identifying the realities of the career issue that you face and the resources at your disposal is very important for making good decisions. Questions you need to ask yourself include:

1. What have I liked/disliked in the past?
2. What is my current financial, social, educational status?
3. What jobs and corresponding salaries are available?

Step Two: Using Intuition to identify possibilities
Your intuition helps you identify the different possibilities in your situation and generate opportunities for change. Using your intuition perception will allow you to think of ways to make the most of your skills. Questions that can help you use your intuition include:

1. Besides the one perfect career, what other jobs/occupationsrequire people with my skills and preferences?
2. What are the future possibilities for each of my career options?
3. What do the careers I find attractive/unattractive have in common?

Step Three: Using Thinking to identify consequences
You need to use your thinking perception to make a critical and objective analysis of your situation. Having already identified both the facts and possibilities of your situation, you need to look at the positive and negative consequences of the different options. Some questions that will help you use your thinking perception include: 

1. What are the pros and cons of each of my possible career choices?
2. What would I objectively recommend to someone who had the same choices?
3. How well do my skills and preferences fit with each of the careers I am considering?

Step Four: Using Feeling to identify what is most important
Your feeling perception will help you identify what you care about most in both your life and career. Using your feeling perception to weigh the outcomes of your choices ensures that you will meet your personal values. Questions to ask that will engage your feeling perception include:

1. What do I care about most in my life and work?
2. Which of my career options immediately give me a good or bad feeling?
3. How would those important to me react to my different career choices?

Making the most informed decisions comes from using all four steps. While these steps will not guarantee perfect career decisions, they will help you be more informed and provide a clearer understanding of your options. The trick is to focus on each of them equally, even though our individual preferences incline us to skim over some and concentrate too much on others.

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Career Change Decision Making - Remember This Vital Piece

In getting ready for your career change decision making has probably played a big part in your ticking off some or all of the boxes.

You've probably even checked out the things not to do, and you're not doing those!

• - You know the direction you want to be moving in
• - You've discussed your career change decision making with lots of people
• - You're ready to get some Professional Resume advice and guidelines
• - You even feel motivated

You're ready!
And yet, somehow, you're not quite there.
How do I know? Because you're reading this!
There is something causing you to hesitate. There is something that's not quite right. You may not be quite sure what it is. You can't quite put your finger on it.

"Nothing is really work unless you would rather be doing something else."

James M. Barrie

There is always that question, "Is this the right thing for me?"
There are two things to be addressed in this question, 'the right thing' and 'me'.
What if it is a myth that there is a right thing for you to be doing? It's well-recognised that men and women who change careers may be no better off in the new job, because they bring their problems with them.
Think about it this way. People who are successful in their lives are operating in the direction of Be - Do - Have.
They set themselves up to be who they most want to be. Then they do the things that they need to do (including career change decision making!), so that they can have the things they want.
Most people are trying in vain to do it the other way around. They think that if they can find the right thing to do, then they will be... content... happy... satisfied... (you fill in the word).

Reason For A Career Change

Decision making for these folks is organised in the direction of Have - Do - Be scenarios. When they have the things they want, (and these are typically time and money), then they will do the things they really like to be doing. Then they can be fulfilled and have the life of their dreams. This leads them to change career trying to find that thing to do, so that they can be ok.
Which brings us to the second point. Do you know who the 'me' is that you are trying to find the right thing for? And I don't just mean your name, or your job description. (There are some people who confuse who they are with what they do, 'I am a doctor', 'I am a postman'). This is where the idea that "a career change will be good because I can change who I am" comes from. It's the basis for much of the career change decision
making done at the time of a mid life crisis.

The Vital Element

In any situation that you find yourself in, one thing is always true. You are there. You are the one thing that is common in all areas of your life. If you're not leveraging yourself, you're not getting the best out of the situation.
If you do not learn how to use who you are, you're not using the most powerful resource that you have.
This idea was central to my own career change decision making when it came to my changing career from Plastic Surgery to studying human functioning and communication.

Are You Using Yours?

Is your sense of yourself tied up with things around you, material things, events, people you hang out with? Or do you have a deep felt inner sense of knowing absolutely who you are, and that you are okay? And that you are moving in the right direction for you, regardless of what's happening around you?
Many people are doing things so that they can feel good about themselves. And they think that if they can find the right thing for them to be doing, THEN their life will be okay.
And there are people who are 30, 40, 50 or older, who are spending their whole lives doing just this. And because the current career is not giving them what they want, they consider that if they make a different choice and change careers, then things will be different for them. Even people who work as doctors, medical students and lawyers, which are considered highly desirable positions, are caught in this loop.
I'm not suggesting that you should not continue with your career change decision making. There are lots of things to consider. And an important one of these is that a different starting point will give you that edge that will make all the difference for you.

Adding it in...

Most people are doing things to generate that inner sense of being satisfied, fulfilled and successful. What if you start with success in place? Then you would organize your career change decision making and ideas so that you can keep it!
This, of course, is the opposite way to which most people who want to change their careers are going about it.
This is definitely not a quick fix. I'm talking about establsihing who you are first. Choosing to organize your career change in this way means that you get to have a life. A life that works... a life that's worth having...

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Career Decisions: Self Assessment

The most common question I'm asked is this one: "I don't know what I want to do. Is there a test or something that can tell me what career is right for me?" The answer is no. You can't take a test that will, as if by magic, tell you what to do with the rest of your life. You can however use a combination of self assessment tools that will aid you in your decision. This article will demystify the self assessment phase of the career planning process. First I will tell you what self assessment is and then I will give you an overview of the various tools used to help you learn about yourself.
Self assessment is the first step of the career planning process. During a self assessment you gather information about yourself in order to make an informed career decision. A self assessment should include a look at the following: values, interests, personality, and skills.

• Values: the things that are important to you, like achievement, status, and autonomy
• Interests: what you enjoy doing, i.e. playing golf, taking long walks, hanging out with friends
• Personality: a person's individual traits, motivational drives, needs, and attitudes
• Skills: the activities you are good at, such as writing, computer programming, teaching

Many people choose to hire a career counselor who will administer a variety of self assessment inventories. What follows is a discussion of the different types of tools you may encounter, as well as some other things to consider when pursuing a career change.

Value Inventories

Your values are possibly the most important thing to consider when you're choosing an occupation. If you don't take your values into account when planning your career, there's a good chance you'll dislike your work and therefore not succeed in it. For example, someone who needs to have autonomy in his work would not be happy in a job where every action is decided by someone else. There are two types of values: intrinsic and extrinsic. Intrinsic values are related to the work itself and what it contributes to society. Extrinsic values include external features, such as physical setting and earning potential. Value inventories will ask you to answer questions like the following:

• Is a high salary important to you?
• Is it important for your work to involve interacting with people?
• Is it important for your work to make a contribution to society?
• Is having a prestigious job important for you?

During a self assessment, a career counselor may administer one of the following value inventories: Minnesota Importance Questionnaire (MIQ), Survey of Interpersonal Values (SIV), or Temperament and Values Inventory (TVI). If you want to get a feel for what you'll be asked, take a look at the Work-Related Values Assessment, which is a printable list of work related values, with a definition of each one.

Source: http://careerplanning.about.com

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Career Decision Making Guide

Career decision making is a dynamic and ongoing process where your knowledge of self, your values, interests, temperament, financial needs, physical work requirements or limitations, etc., the effects of past experiences, new information, and changes in your life situation and environment all intertwine.
It requires constant review of decisions already made and consideration of decisions yet to be made.
Good career decision making requires you to engage in a process that requires you to:

1. examine and recognize personal values
2. identify, gather, and use relevant information.
3. understand and use an effective strategy for converting information into action.

Each career decision is limited by what you are capable of now or in the future, by your ability to identify alternatives, and by what you are willing to do.
Skillful career decision making requires you to be focused, flexible and open to new learning.
The following guidelines and questions to keep in mind to help you with decision making.
1. Define the problem. State the real problem, not the surface problem. State the problem in specific terms, as a question.
2. State the goal clearly. What outcome do you want from this decision?
3. List the initial alternative solutions. Which are the safe ones? Which require risk? What are the outcomes of each solution?
4. Collect information and expand the list of alternatives. What kind of information do need? Where can you obtain it? Is it relevant to the problem? list additional solutions or options.
5. Compare several alternatives with what you know about yourself, your values, your commitments to others, your resources, and your constraints.
6. Take action on your choice. How can you implement your choice? What action can you take now? What action can you take later?
7. Review your choice periodically.
8. Take a new decision based on new situations. 

SUMMARY OF CAREER DECISION MAKING STEPS

• Define the problem
• State the goal clearly
• List the initial alternative solutions
• Collect information and expand the list of alternatives
• Compare several alternatives
• Choose one alternative
• Take action on your choice
• Review
• Make a new decision

Probably the most beneficial outcome of learning effective career decision making skills is that it gives you a feeling of control over what you can do.
Careful planning decision making will help you make informed, responsible, and wise choices that will lead to greater career satisfaction.

SUMMARY OF A GOOD CAREER DECISION MAKER

1. EXAMINES PERSONAL VALUES
2. GATHERS AND USES INFORMATION
3. CONVERTS INFORMATION INTO ACTION

Once you have made a career decision and a choice of an occupation, then develop an Action Plan. 

An action plan begins with the identification of short-term and long-term goals. Before you set short-term and long-term career goals, you should have taken informal or formal assessments. 

Using the results from these assessments, as well as labor market information, identify careers that will match your abilities, interests, values, personality, development stage, financial needs, transportation and family needs.

An effective career decision plan broadens your horizons and make the achievement of your dreams far more likely. An effective career plan requires you to set both long-term and short-term goals and they are equally important.

Long-term goals give you a more clear idea of the things to accomplish in the long run as they are usually big and central to your life. The steps taken to reach long-term goals are short-term goals. 

Short term goals are achievable within a relatively short period of time (six months to a year). Short-term goals may also be accomplished daily or attained within a month. 

For example, your short term goal may be taking a minimum wage job while simultaneously pursuing post secondary education in preparation for a career, or your short-term goal might be taking several part-time jobs until you find a stable full-time job. 

A long term goal takes much more time to reach. For example, if your long-term goal is to become a doctor, then you need to set aside eight years out of your life to pursue a medical career.

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Making The Best Possible Career Move

By Caroline McAuliffe, ExeConnect and Virtual Angels

According to research conducted in the U.S., the average baby boomer will switch jobs 10 times throughout their careers. Regardless of economic conditions, we all need to take greater control of our own careers. The concept of a traditional move up the corporate ladder is no longer guaranteed as it once was nor an obvious final destination to plan towards. Your career plan needs to be continuously evolving.

Job moves are almost always inevitable, they are seldom easy and nearly always emotionally fraught—and too often they lead to a noticeable decline in performance, in both the short and the long term.
There are five common job-change themes that are worth thinking about before making our move. These are often cited by search consultants as well as HR Managers as being re-occurring issues for people. Prior to making the move ask yourself these questions:

1. Have I done enough research?
2. Am I leaving for the money?
3. Am I going “to” rather than “from?”;
4. Am I overestimating myself?;
5. 5. Am I thinking too short term?

They can follow predictable patterns and persist throughout the course of a career. These issues are not necessarily independent of one another and they can play out as a system of behaviors, dissatisfaction, unrealistic hopes, ill-considered moves, and more dissatisfaction.

 

Have you done enough research?

Job hunters need to do their research in four important areas: The reality of opportunities in your industry or function. Do you have unrealistic expectations of what’s out there? Secondly, have you done your homework on your potential employer’s financial stability and market position? Don’t just assume that your new employer is on solid ground, check their balance sheet, it’s up to you to assess whether you will have a job in six months. Ensure there is a cultural fit with your potential employer – everyone will suffer if there is a poor fit. Make sure that the title and description of the role you are being offered is a true reflection of the actual role responsibilities. You may find yourself in a job, after you have started, that bears little relationship to the title, which can lead to loss of credibility if the job is beyond you or massive disappointment if your skills and experience are beyond the job.

Are you leaving just for money?

It’s easy to be lured away for an attractive financial offer. It’s interesting how, when asked, we rank money as about fourth on our list of reasons to change job, but when it comes down to it, it becomes number one when making a final decision.
Consider what relationships, networks and connections you may be leaving behind for the sake of a few more dollars, right now.
Have you done all the necessary research as cited above before just making the decision to move for more money; is it really the right move?

Are you moving “to” the right Job or moving away “from” the wrong job?

If you have got to the point where you are really unhappy in your current job and just want to get out, you may make hasty decisions which may lead to another career mistake. This is the time to pause and plan your next career move. Don’t rush through the job hunt – follow the career planning steps and wait for the right offer. Don’t skimp on research. Be strategic in your thinking, not emotional. Have you, for example, discounted your current employer or are there perhaps other opportunities to explore with them?

Are you overestimating yourself?

Be reflective about what you actually have contributed to your organisation. Do you have unrealistic views of your skills and experience? Can you identify the sources of your successes and failures in your existing job? We need to be self-critical and identify what part of our current unhappiness is due to external factors and the environment we find our self in and what has to do with our own personal frustrations and issues? If we don’t think this issue through, we run the risk of finding ourselves unhappy and dissatisfied again, for the same reasons, in a new role. Be honest with yourself – is your unhappiness and disappointment everything to do with the current employer or job, or is there underlying personal issues that need to be addressed before planning your next move? Do you need to think about skills training or experience gaps? Do you need to be think about working in a different industry or in a different function? Is it time to go back and explore what it is you are passionate about and then plan ways to fulfil that potentially along a new career path?

Are you thinking too short term?

Having a short-term perspective can feed into each of the other four issues. For instance, if you overestimate yourself, you may believe you deserve rewards right now, not in five years. Leaving a firm because of money and going “from” rather than “to” are both overly influenced by immediate information and considerations. “How much money can I make right now?”, “How can I escape an unpleasant work environment?”. Try and plan for the longer term. Ask yourself if this next job move is leading you along the longer term path you envisage. It’s important to try and plan longer term whilst remaining curious to all possibilities along the way. Having a plan but at the same time remaining open minded about other possibilities.

In summary, it’s important to try and plan ahead, but keep your plan alive and evolving. Try not to be pressured into making hasty decisions. As you go through the job change process ask yourself: “What if I’m wrong? What is the evidence that this new company would be a good fit?” Develop alternative options. Have you considered all the opportunities that might be available for you with your current employer? Speak to a mentor, or trusted advisor within your network who can provide you with a reality check.

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How to Become a Professional Blogger - Career Blogger

Become a Professional Blogger

Blogging is the one of the best and safest online businesses and work at home jobs. It is very easy to become a blogger. It is free and the only thing you invest is your time. You make money, learn more, find new friends and introduce your abilities to the world just by spending your time.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

1. • 1
     Are you a writer? Are you able to write articles about what you know or what you love? If yes you are already qualified for blogging. To become a blogger, you just need to be able to write. You can even read what the others have written about the same topic and then write your own articles using your own words and sentences.
     If you are not a writer, you can create and improve this ability in yourself. It is very easy. Just start writing about anything that you like and anything that happens to you daily. Then you will find out that it is not that hard and you can write too.
   • 2
     Choose a niche or topic. You need to choose something to blog about. For example if you are a good cook, you can blog about cooking. If you are a photographer, you can write about photography and share the photos you take in your blog. It is recommended to choose a special topic because blogs that have no special subject to focus on can not attract people.
   • 3
     Register a domain for your blog or sign up for a free blog at http://www.blogger.com
     If you prefer to register your own domain name for your blog, the platform that I recommend is the WordPress. This is the software that you have to download and install on your website to make a blog. It is free: http://wordpress.org/
   • 4
     Your blog is read? So it is time to write and post article to it. Start writing and posting.
   • 5
     Keep your blog updated. Try to post new articles at least a few time per week.
   • 6
     Monetize your blog. The best tool for the blog monetization is the Google Adsense. Google Adsense displays ads on your blog that will make money for you when people click on them. It is also free to sign up for the Google Adsense: http://www.google.com/adsense/
   • 7
     Make it easy to subscribe for your blog RSS feed. RSS feed is the tool that has made the blogs different from ordinary sites. RSS let everybody who has subscribed know that your blog is updated.
   • 8
     Don't give up. Blogging is like any other businesses. It can be hard at the beginning and it doesn't make any money or makes very small amount of money at the first months but if you don't give up and keep on working, it will become your full time job.
   • 9
     Read and check other related blogs on a regular basis. For example the http://careerbuildertools.blogspot.com is my blog which is about working from home and internet marketing. You can see how I have created and promoted it. Please ask me if you have any question.

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What Career Are You Growing In Your "Life Garden"?

Today we celebrate “Prepare Your Life Garden Day”—a time to identify what we need to be doing right now to prepare our “career garden” and how we can make wiser choices when it comes to deciding what “seeds” to plant. 

And our guest expert to help us is Laurence Shatkin, PhD, author of Overnight Career Choice and a Senior Product Developer at JIST Publishing with 30 years of experience in the career information field.

Dr. Shatkin is an award-winning career information systems developer, a member of the National Career Development Association and a frequent presenter at their conferences, and is the author of the Career Laboratory blog.

“Change Coach” Nancy: What are some indications that you are in the wrong career?

Dr. Shatkin: The most obvious indication is if you dread Monday morning. Or perhaps you find yourself doing many things to avoid work, such as Facebook or water-cooler conversations. If you invent distractions that you don’t actually enjoy, such as tidying up your office, it’s a signal that you enjoy the work tasks even less. Of course, it’s possible that you enjoy the career, but it’s not paying enough or you expect to have trouble staying (or becoming) employed. That happened to me.

“Change Coach” Nancy: What are the key questions to ask yourself if you are considering making a career change?

Dr. Shatkin: First of all, why should this new career work out better than the old one? Specifically, what makes this career a better match for my skills and interests or more economically viable?

Do I have what it takes to succeed in the new career I’m considering? Specifically, do I have the appropriate educational or training credentials? 

If formal credentials are not needed, can I make the case (in a resume and interviews) that I have the skills that will be needed? 

What specific accomplishments can I point to (perhaps in a portfolio) that will convince employers that I will earn my salary?

“Change Coach” Nancy: Can you give some quick tips on how to assess your key skills and interests?

Dr. Shatkin: The fastest way to assess your skills is to divide a page into three columns and, in the leftmost column, list the jobs or work-related projects you’ve done. 

In the middle column, identify the tasks that were most important for success in these efforts. In the rightmost column, extract the skills that were needed for those tasks.

To identify your interests, think about activities you do that might tempt you to come to dinner a few minutes late. You may need to exercise some creativity to find ways to relate your interests to work situations.

“Change Coach” Nancy: Your book includes the nine most important components of an ideal job. What are they?

Dr. Shatkin: They are :

1. Skills and abilities
2. Interests
3. Personal values
4. Preferred earnings
5. Level of responsibility
6. Location
7. Special knowledge
8. Work environment
9. Types of people you like to work with and for

“Change Coach” Nancy: Your book discusses the connection between work values and motivators and career choice. Why is it important to understand that concept and factor it into a job decision?

Dr. Shatkin: Not every day on the job is payday. Work needs to have satisfactions that make you feel, at day’s end, “That was a good day at work.” We all have different ways of gauging this. For some of us, it’s the physical results of the work, such as a completed brick wall or a Web page design. For others, it’s the intangible results, such as a satisfied customer or an enlightened student.

Most people can name only one or two things they want from work besides money, but they will recognize the importance of other motivators once you suggest them. They may seek leadership, variety, independence, teamwork, creativity, flexible work hours, or many other aspects of work.

“Change Coach” Nancy: With unemployment so high and jobs in short supply, what advice do you have for job-seekers who are losing hope of ever finding the job that’s right for them?

Dr. Shatkin: In these hard times, you may not be able to work in the job that’s right for you. However, you can take steps to upgrade your skills for when the job market will be better. If you’re working now in a job that’s not a good fit, you may be able to concentrate on the few parts of the job that give you the greatest satisfaction and improve your ability to handle these aspects. It may also be possible to take on small tasks in another function where you see future career possibilities, such as management, sales, or training other workers.

If you’re not working, or in your leisure time, you may be able to do these tasks in a volunteer position. Either way, you will build your skills, test your satisfactions, and chalk up accomplishments, all of which can help you in your later career pursuits.

Many people who lose hope simply have not been using the right techniques for finding jobs. It’s more true than ever that most job openings are never advertised and are learned about through personal connections. You need to build a network of contacts and make cold calls about jobs.

Thanks, Dr. Shatkin, for your great career advice! As you pointed out, if we want a bountiful harvest (i.e., a career that brings us satisfaction), then we need to do the work that will help grow it!

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Making a Career Choice? Career Decision? What to do?

What should I do for the rest of my Life?

This is a scary question and so scary it should never be asked.

Most people will change careers 4-5 times in their life, so no matter where you are along the career continuum or where you are with your career choice, asking and thinking “rest of my Life” is not the Question to ask yourself. It is just too much to think about.


The question(s) should be,

What would I really like to do as work or a business?


What do I love to do?


What would be a career that I could see myself excited about each and everyday?



Too many times people get stuck in… I got to make money…and yes, this is very practical but, you need to have these thoughts in the context of ‘what do I you love to do.”

So how do you decide what you love to do? Ask yourself? Only you know the answer to that!!

Also you need to know your strengths. Knowing your strengths is essential. Usually you love what you are good at.


Know Your Strengths

Successful people are very aware of themselves, they know their strengths. Successful people believe they can achieve what they set out to do.

Knowing yourself, also referred to as Self Awareness, is essential to success in our lives. We need to know ourselves from the inside out.

You must develop a clear picture and understanding of your Strengths.

When you come to know and understand your strengths you can use them to help you succeed in life and work. You will have areas where you are not strong but the good news is that you can strengthen your least strong areas.

My newest career tool, Life Coaching Tool, Know Your Strengths & Succeed © is a self administered Personal Strengths Inventory based on Dr. Howard Gardener’s work on Multiple Intelligences.


Dr. Gardner named eight Intelligences that he believes all humans possess. His theory proposes that each and every one of us has these eight Intelligences at varying degrees of capacities.

These intelligences are our personal strengths that will, if recognized and used to the fullest, help us define success in work and life. Gardner’s theory also states that the intelligences in which we may not be strong can indeed be strengthened through practice.

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College Choice as the First Step for Students’ Career Planning

It may be argued that the career planning starts long before the students decide to choose a college. Most parents identify their child’s profession when they send them to different groups of interest. Nevertheless, having become older, students decide to appear before the choice which college to choose. This choice is rather responsible as students’ future depends on it. Here are some ideas on how the college choice may influence your future career.
Future career choice
1. Being interested in painting, students may choose any art or architectural college. It may sound strange, but those who are interested in painting and other types of art may become great designers in different fields of human life.
2. Choosing the chemistry college, students should be sure that the profession of pharmaceutist is the one which you are eager to receive. Planning to become a great chemist, a student should choose the place he/she is going to work at.
3. Mathematics alternative is one of the widest field students may have. There are great many professions students may choose after graduating form the college with mathematics direction, namely mathematician (theory or practice), statistician, technician, actuary, engineer, and great many of other occupations are opened for those who want to study mathematics.
4. Being interested in physics, students can also be sure to find their place in the world.
5. Being interested in labor or physical training, most students consider the professions connected with those as inappropriate for the modern society, thus, it is not true.
It may be concluded that students are free to choose the college alternative they want. Still, they are to remember that the choice they make is sure to influence the profession they will have to devote their entire life to. It is crucial to be sure in the choice students make. Students should think over all the alternatives and only after significant consideration come to the conclusion whether the college they have chosen meets their occupation requirements or it is better to change mind when it is not too late.


About the Author
Alvin Hanson is an professional researcher and writer who works for professional custom writing service. He is always eager to share his experience in essay writing and provide high quality custom essay writing to students.

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