My Early Days
I remember when I was a Teen, I didn't have a clue as to what I wanted to do for a living when I grew up. Despite possessing certain inclinations and preferences other than what was required for doing construction, I chose to follow the family tradition, anyway.
This came back to bite me later, because I entered a field I had no interest in, nor passion for doing. My mechanical ability was not there in the beginning, so it had to be learned by myself through much painful trial and error. Therefore, I am living proof that an ability can be learned the hard way. Sadly, I never found my Career Niche within the construction field. I even tried different facets and specialties within my chosen career area to try to make it work out. My attempts to find career happiness through exploring every possible avenue within what I was doing for a living, utterly failed.
I found out that I simply could not stay with an occupation I was not happy with, and would never find peace nor satisfaction within a career, until I discovered one I was passionate about. The only thing I achieved working in a profession I hated, was a way to make a living and do more than survive. Yet, I was immensely miserable. I felt my soul slipping away. I knew I could not live my life and betray my own happiness, forever.
Taking another Look
I have since retired from all that, and what you are seeing now, is what I do. The point of what I am getting at here, is that I was never fulfilled within my career choice, nor was I happy. This affected my personal life adversely, my life style suffered greatly, and it cheated me out of experiencing true career success and personal tranquility, all because of being in the wrong profession for the kind of person I was.
So, I can say to you without a doubt, that choosing a career because it happens to be there and pays well is not the choice to make for a lifetime career. If you need the money, and it's temporary - Fine. This will give you the time and money you need to find something else you can train for.
Choosing a career because of enjoyment and not the money, is the obvious choice to some, but not to others. I always had this deep longing and sadness inside, because I did not find myself through the right career choice. But, at least it seems to me, that now I am going in the right direction. Where it will ultimately lead me, I do not know. Nevertheless, this is what you too must find for yourself. You must point yourself in the direction that eventually catches up with a career which will make you happy. I eventually found my way, and you will too.
There are Tests
Sometimes, you have to decide to change careers, if you are not happy where you presently are. But, what if you do not know what you want to do next? I suggest taking career assessment tests that uncover your career interests. These are career interest inventories. They are very good tests for just about anybody who wants to get a few ideas for careers that would match up with their personality and preferred working abilities. I recommend that you view test results tempered with common sense. Always, weigh what tests suggest about you against what you already know to be true about, you.
I would not advise choosing a career which you have the ability to do, unless you also enjoyed using the particular aptitudes required in performing the job duties.
Just because you are good at doing something, does not mean you should do it for a living. This is why I think, over half of working people are unhappy in their jobs. Of course, you must be in a line of work that you have the ability and skills to do. But, you definitely must like doing it, or you will not be a very happy camper. Skills can be learned a lot easier and quicker if you have the aptitude. On top of that, there must be the passion for using those skills which you have trained for and learned.
You can take all the career assessment tests in the world, but if you do not know yourself and what you want in a career, you will probably get even more confused. How do I know? It happened to me. I took a few assessment tests in college, of which I remember a few results. One test told me I had attitudes and interests similar to a college professor on one hand, and on the other hand, I was similar to a school bus driver. Go figure. I didn't understand how to put the clues together when I was young.
In retrospect, I see how my previous career test results shed light on some of the things that interested me and also pinpointed a few of my core attitudes toward life. Reading between the lines of the test results showed me that I like to drive big things (I have always owned and driven my own truck, because I like the security of driving something big) and I like doing research, writing, composing sentences, speaking to others about following their own interests, doing things on my own, thinking things out for myself, leading my own way, and formulating my own original thoughts.
Blooming late in the Season of Life
It is presently obvious to me, that I am very late bloomer in life. But, at least I did eventually bloom to full color. You can unfold, and discover your true career passion a lot quicker than I did, if you are willing to learn to use the tools available that can help you know yourself better.
You Hold the Keys to Knowing You
So, how do you get to know yourself better? One way, is through meditation techniques. There are many free sources on the internet to assist you in learning meditation. Meditation can serve to bring yourself to that centered place in which better decisions about your life can be made. Career assessments and personality assessments can help too. The bottom line, is the willingness to be satisfied with the capabilities you were born with, and accept yourself exactly the way you are, with all your faults included. This is a first step in the right direction - Self Acceptance. Consider thinking about this, especially if you are not happy with who you are. We tend to be our own harshest critics.
As stated earlier, I am living proof that one can develop his mechanical ability, despite a weak aptitude for it. I learned craftsman grade skills, despite my inherent weak mechanical ability. But, I am also living proof that this is not the true way to career happiness. A good example, is being required to take a class you hate, in school. Other classes you prefer and enjoy being in, are easier, because learning will come naturally to you. The subjects you do not like, are often times those which require your weaker scholastic aptitudes.
In conclusion, in order to find your true career passion as a teen; You must trust, develop, and build upon your own unique natural born talents and abilities which you enjoy using the most. Then, if you match these to the right job, you will have found your ideal dream career.
Steve Humphreys
http://www.career-test-for-teens.com
Key to ideal career discovery is self-knowledge. Find, develop, and plan your career choice with our self-help resources. Teens, career changers, or job searchers will find helpful advice and articles about career tests, resumes, interviews, and more. Let us help you find your dream career on your journey.
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