An Ultra-Simple Way to Choose and Succeed in Your Career

Source: Obsidian Soul, CC 3.0

Most people could be equally happy in many careers.

At the risk of appearing simplistic, my belief, after 30 years as a career coach to 5,000 people, is that if you may only need do the following,

1. Pick one or two of the following that you most want to use in your career: words, data, people, artistry, entrepreneurship, or building/fixing.

2. Note any other career Musts: for example, high status, high-income, politically correct?

3. From the list of of careers in the Occupational Outlook Handbook, pick two or three that have the attribute(s) you listed in Steps 1 and 2.

4. Read about those careers in that book and then read a couple articles and watch a couple of YouTube videos that you found simply by Googling the career's name and the word "career," for example, "psychologist career."

5. From among those few careers you were considering, pick the one that feels best.

6. If the career requires training, Google the career's name, the word "training," and where you'd like to get trained, perhaps the locale where you'd like to launch your career. For example, ["Occupational Therapist" training, "New York"]. If that's not adequate, ask a well-regarded employer in that career to suggest a good training program(s.)

7. Review those training programs' websites, talk with an advisor there, and ask if you can sit in on an advanced class. The latter is so you can get student reviews of the program from students about to finish it. Also google that training program and the word "reviews" to see if you can get more feedback on it.

8. During training, get fieldwork and internships that will be career door-openers and do your best in that "audition."

9. On the job, try to get your job description tweaked to emphasize your strengths and preferences and skirt your weaknesses.

The 2nd edition of The Best of Marty Nemko is now available. You can reach career and personal coach Marty Nemko at mnemko@comcast.net..