Choosing your career path
Introduction
Everyone struggles to find their career path. We have too many options without experience to determine whether we’ll enjoy a certain career of choice.
When choosing, you may consider…
Personal factors:
– Passion/Interest
– Strength in the subject
– Education/training
– Personality (e.g., outgoing, self-focused, etc.)
Market factors:
– Salary
– Job opportunities
– Industry growth (innovation)
Google & YouTube
Search your interests! Don’t be afraid of picking up detailed content of university courses. E.g., youtube channels:
– Science Research: Nature (top scientific journal, several subjects)
– Engineering: RealEngineering
– Innovation, Investment, Economics: Ark Invest
– Animation: Ana’s animation
Analyse yourself
There’s a notable difference between employees who do not enjoy and those who do their role. Therefore, put in the extra effort to find your passion.
Take a Quiz! UCAS – to help determine career paths
Quiz #2! Careerhunter.io – free version + paid (but pretty good)
Analyse the market
Below are key resources to help you analyse the market:
- LinkedIn Market job reports
Country-breakdown of key industry growth. In 2021 Spain, healthcare, digital education, e-commerce, housing, and technology were great growth markets hiring a large amount of staff and growing wages - World Salaries
Check salaries for different roles, industries, countries, growth, and more on this site.
Job Hunting
After choosing a career / finishing education, you may be interested in research to help you find a job. Below are some key resources of interest:
Choose a role / industry
After identifying the kind of job you’d be interested initially with resources above, dive deep into the role / industry.
Search on YouTube & Google:
– What are the responsibilities / typical day like
– What are the skills required
– Career progression
Looking for job positions
Search online LinkedIn Jobs – all sorts of filters available (companies, salary, skills, etc.)
Search companies of interest. One interesting place to search for companies is in the stock market
For large firms, start searching and applying 1 year in advance. Application times are shorter the smaller the company.
Prepare an application targeted at the company
Modify your CV & application according to target company / role / industry requirements
Research through Google, YouTube and the company’s site (financial statements, news, objectives, etc.)
Prepare for interviews
- Research innovations in the field – it shows your passion, assets and differentiates you
- Add company employees from LinkedIn and ask them questions
- Practice case study questions & typical interview questions – Examples in ESCN Tech consulting
- Research employee feedback & salaries: Glassdoor
Written by Victor Lin Hu 林阳志
