5 mistakes to avoid when you pick a career

Despite what they say, it isn’t just a job. The career path you choose often ends up defining who you are as an individual. It gives you a sense of identity and purpose, and keeps you on the path to fulfillment amidst the maelstrom of life.

Let’s face it. Nobody wants to waste time and energy on a job that they really don’t care too much about. A lot of factors can lead to such a situation, including wrong career advice, lack of information and bad decision making.

Image : shutterstock

Here we look at five things you need to avoid when you’re picking a career for yourself:

Caving into parental pressure

One of the biggest mistakes you can make when it comes to choosing a career is being over-reliant on your parents. While they may have a good say in your course of actions, parents sometimes urge their children to pursue more popular career paths without considering what the latter want.

You are the one who’s going to live with the consequences of your decision, so make sure that you don’t let others influence you too much, regardless of how important they are in your life.

Picking the easy way out

A lot of us often don’t take this career stuff seriously until it’s already too late. The worst thing you can do is opt for a course of study only because it seems like it won’t be too much of a hassle, or worse, when you seek to turn your hobby into a career without thinking things through.

The lack of adaptability and foresight in your early years could transform horribly into the lack of a will to live if you choose the wrong career path based on how ‘chill’ it is.

Choosing the attractive option

Different careers have their own charm and sometimes people end up choosing their path because of the lifestyle it promises. If you want any sort of fulfillment in life, then you should ideally go for something you truly believe in.

Some options may seem more lucrative and attractive than others, but always remember that things aren’t always what they seem. There is no upper limit to what you can achieve in any field, and it’s important to keep that in mind while picking a career.

Putting the university before the course

One of the biggest things one looks for when embarking on their career path is admission to a good college or university. If you get the course you want at the university you want, then it’s all good.

However, sometimes you might just end up getting a course that you don’t really feel so strongly about but take up because it offers you the opportunity to study in your preferred university.

Although a stint at a good university can be a life moulding experience, it shouldn’t come at the cost of professional skills you could have acquired studying your preferred course.

Taking misinformed decisions

The choice of a career should come after some thorough research and on the basis of verified information and facts. You need to take a look at the ground realities, prospective future, demand for the skills you are going to acquire and the best path towards that goal.

There is no room for error during such a critical period. One needs to remain calm, collected, and well informed. This means doing your homework, going through your options, and assessing your next move. This is a process where you can involve people whose advice you value, but the final decision should be yours and yours alone.

In conclusion, a person must be mature and rational enough to decide their career path. All too often, we leave it to our parents or just follow the herd to wherever they’re leading us, and this is the biggest cause for professional unhappiness.

We’ve highlighted just some of the things that could mess up how you approach your career, but the simple mantra here is to realize what you want and then figure out how to approach it at the earliest. You’ll lead a much more satisfying work life if you do.