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Career
Decision-Making by
Nancy Matuszewski
What do I want to do for the rest of my life?
What career path should I take? These questions can be overwhelming.
All people are faced with decisions. Some are simple decisions, such
as "What should I have to for dinner?" Some decisions are major ones, such as
identifying your career goals. Many decisions begin with several important
components. When you break down your career decision-making into the
following components, the decision-making can become easier and more
successful.
Before
you can set a goal, you must first evaluate what your needs, values and
wants are. Your needs are essential to your survival. They include
physical, emotional and mental needs. This would include food, sleep and
housing. "I need to eat dinner because I am hungry" is an
example of
a physical need. Values, on the other hand, are the beliefs and ideas you feel are
important. These would include your family traditions and customs. An
example of this would be, "It is Sunday, so I will make a three course meal
for my family because this is what my family does on Sunday." Most people
in a family or community have similar values. Wants are also part of the decision-making process but are typically unique to only
you. Wants are
the way you meet your needs, and your values can influence this. You may
need a winter jacket, but when you buy a designer label jacket, your value
system may be coming into play.
What does this have to do with you setting a career
goal? A goal is the end result of meeting your wants, and they are specific
to the “want”. Typically, there are two types of goals: short term
goals and long term goals. Short term goals can be immediate or
accomplished in a shorter length of time than a long term goal. An
example of a short term goal would be, "I need to earn money, so I will
apply to a local store for a job." However, "I want to own my own store" would be an
example of a long term goal. Owning a store would be the summation of many
accomplished short term goals. Experience in working in a local store
would be a short term goal that is a step towards your long term goal.
Remember: when choosing a career path, take into
consideration your needs, values
and wants. Evaluate what short term steps will be necessary to achieve your long term goal. In
addition, choose a career that matches your academic ability. If you do,
choosing the right career for yourself should be a success!
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