Avoid Making Bad Career Decisions

Choosing your major is not just a “school decision;”it’s actually making your first career decision. Your choice of major in college determines what specific skills you’ll learn to prepare you to enter the work force. It is important to construct your very own career objectives so you can choose your college degree wisely.

However, there are common career challenges that can skew your objectives. You have to watch out for these career challenges if you want to avoid making poor career decisions.

Below are some of the career challenges that you could face:

1. Bandwagon Effect – You choose a major based on what most of your friends are choosing. Although being with friends will probably make college fun, you could be jeopardizing your future if the major you’ve chosen doesn’t really suit your strengths, skills and interest.
2. New Job Trend – This is similar to the bandwagon effect. You choose a major based on the current booming jobs without considering other factors like job fit or career growth opportunities. For instance, nursing is a hot field; but, if you’re introverted and you don’t seem to like working with strangers or caring for the sick, becoming a nurse won’t be a good decision for you.
3. Overlooking Success Rate Facts – Your career objectives may ignore the challenging success rate of a particular field. For instance, you expect to be selected in the NBA draft after your graduation. Although there’s nothing wrong with dreaming big, your career objectives should be realistic, accounting for fall back strategies.
4. Overlooking Alternative Options – Remember that there are multiple education paths towards different professions. Some people make the mistake of pursuing majors they can’t afford because they believe that it’s the only way to enter the industry of their choice. Instead, you could ask the contacts of your parents and relatives who have professions that interest you. Ask them about the majors they took up and how they were able to enter their field to give you ideas of possible education options. Pick one that’s most accessible to you so that you won’t bury yourself into too much debt by the time you graduate.   

Keep these career objective tips in mind to avoid making bad career decisions.

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