Your Career and Your Money

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The career you decide to pursue will probably affect your personal finances more than any other decision you make. Deciding how to earn money is difficult for most people. Some children seem to know exactly what they want to do. But most of us change our minds numerous times before we finish high school. College does not always give you clarity. The working environment today is totally different from what our parents experienced. It is rare for a person to stay with one company their whole career. Many companies today are involved in scandals, closing or merging with other businesses. This makes it even more difficult to make a good career choice.

How do you decide what career field is best for you? How will this choice affect your personal finances? Is salary the most important thing to look for in a job? If not, what is? Should you pick your career or just take whatever job you can get?

Picking the right career is definitely not one size fits all. You might have to work several jobs before finding the right one. In fact that is probably a good way to start. Many high school students work in fast food and very quickly decide that is not what they want to do permanently. Internships are an excellent way to discover if you’d like working in a certain field. As you approach college you should know your strengths and weaknesses. Are you a loner or a people person? Do you like technical stuff or would you rather write poetry or paint?

The better you know yourself the better career choices you will make. Many colleges give personality/career tests which help to determine what type of work you should do. There are also books which help you work through the process of finding the right job. Sometimes people debate whether we should try to downplay our weaknesses or improve our strengths. Personally I think it is easier to work on our strengths. There will always be people to make you aware of your weakness. After you determine your strengths think about how you could use these in your career.

Think about what makes you passionate. Not in a romantic way but what areas in life or social causes get you excited? What is your most enjoyable activity? In thinking about a career you need to decide what you want from the job? Will money be more important than job satisfaction? Sometimes we are forced to take a job just so we have health benefits for our family. Make a list of all the things that are important to you and then rank them in the order of their importance.

Experts say that if you find a job you truly love it will not seem like work at all. But numbers show that the majority of individuals work on jobs they do not like. I’m always amazed at this. Why would someone spend every day or years in a career when they are not happy? The reasons are numerous. Sometimes people do not want to make a change or take risks. They prefer to stay in familiar situations, even when unhappy, because they lack the confidence or motivation to pursue the unknown. Sometimes people don’t have a choice about their jobs. They go into a family business or feel pressured by their parents to pursue a certain career. There is no easy answer.

Family and parents are important but each individual has the right to make their own choices. Usually we are unhappy when we do things to please someone else rather than ourselves. Perhaps you would like to start your own company? Some people know their personality is not suited for working with others or perhaps they have a great idea for a new business. The experts also say that individuals making the most money and having the most job satisfaction are self-employed. But this is not for everyone either. You are responsible for everything. Usually you have to invest money and lots of time and it could take months or years before you start to break even. If benefits are the most important thing about your job you might not be happy working for yourself.

Years ago most people had one career for their entire life. But today many people have multiple careers, sometimes simultaneously. It should not be viewed as a failure if you leave a job that is not suited for you. The Internet can be a valuable resource in helping you decide what kind of work to do. On line you can research companies and read about various occupations. There are numerous job search engines. There are networking groups such as Xing, Linked-in, Plaxo and My Space. You can also search for salary information on sites such as payscale.com and salary.com.

Two things that will help with your career are control and planning. You should have career goals. Once you’ve determined that, plan what you need to do to make this happen. No one else will be as interested in your career as you are. If you do not control the things you do and your career then someone else will. As you start a family and take on more responsibility you will need more income. Will you have opportunities for advancement on your job or do you need to go back to school or change careers? Life is difficult if you always struggle to pay your bills, and you will be miserable if you hate your job. Find a way to balance these and you’re off to a good start.

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