March 2008
Do What You Like
Choosing a career is a tricky business. Where do you start?
Right here.
Is there just one career that would be the perfect match or are there dozens out there, waiting to be discovered? What if your initial feelings of passion and compatibility don’t survive the inevitable ups and downs? Should you regard it as a commitment for life or a short-term fling?
The best fit
Settling down with the right career is as integral to your happiness as choosing the right person to share your life with. But everyone is different, every situation unique. As in any relationship, there are no right or wrong answers: What works for one may not work for another. What feels absolutely perfect now will change and develop, sometimes for better, sometimes for worse. The information you work with when making career choices is woefully incomplete. There are no long-term certainties in the world of work, committed as that world is to survival economics: new jobs appear, established ones disappear; professions change focus; some skills become obsolete while others develop a rarity value. The best you can do is make an educated guess based on your understanding of yourself and see how it matches up with what’s out there now.
Investigate yourself
Identifying personal likes and dislikes is a good starting point. Do you want to spend your working life indoors/at sea/working at heights? Does the idea of giving a presentation fill you with excitement or dread? Would close contact with computers fulfil or frustrate you? Once you start asking and answering such questions you can eliminate the poor matches and focus on the pleasing possibilities.
If you can’t think of a question yourself, it’s easy to get help from people in the career you may wish to pursue. Ask them questions about their work. Your response to their factual information will help you understand the career direction you want to take. Information: yes, we stay up all night just before putting out a new publication. Response: Horror? Delight? If the smell of printer’s ink at midnight makes your heart light with joyful anticipation of tomorrow’s reading pleasure, keep on asking.
Prepare for change
Results from Interest Inventories are a good starting point for exploring broad areas of work or specific careers that match your current preferences. They’re particularly valuable if you’ve no idea what you want, or you’re looking for a complete change of direction. They can also provide reassurance that the career you’re thinking of is a wise choice. Once you’ve done that you can move on to researching what’s realistic given the qualifications and experience you have and explore the availability of further training.
Whatever your feelings about other relationships, the career you choose now does not have to be forever. Most people thrive on change throughout their working lives, particularly if, rather than being imposed by circumstances, those changes are chosen by themselves. It doesn’t do any harm to keep an eye out for new opportunities – it’s always easier to move on before you get tired and jaded. To maximise your choice of alternatives be sure to keep your skills up-to-date and in marketable condition.
Find a course which matches your interests, career aspirations and talents
Some degree courses will be better for you than others but it is important to remember that, according to the University of Dundee, around 40% of jobs available to new graduates are open to people with a degree in any subject. So, if you don't know what you want to do when you graduate, it's safe to study a subject you know you will enjoy, even if it's not one that qualifies you for a particular career.
There are, however, some careers (medicine, dentistry and architecture, for example) which are (nearly) impossible to enter without first gaining the appropriate, directly relevant degree qualification. If you've researched your career options thoroughly and are sure you want to enter one of these fields there is clearly no point applying for any other course.
Graduate recruiters not only look at your academic capabilities but also at the soft skills you can demonstrate: Numeracy, computer literacy, critical reasoning, ability to present oral and written reports, ability to work both individually and in teams, and to absorb new knowledge and use it effectively, for example. These are becoming ever more important in the selection process and can, more than degree subject, mean the difference between a successful and unsuccessful applicant. Bear this in mind when deciding.
It is also important you don't allow current employment market conditions to dictate your choice of degree subject. These can change considerably by the time you graduate. Instead, choose a subject that matches your interests and abilities: you will get more benefit and enjoyment from your studies, and you might even get a better degree.
Many courses have confusing and unfamiliar titles. You will already know what History, Biology or Chemistry involve but what about Chemical Engineering, Pharmacy, Environmental Science, European Area Studies or Peace Studies? Most A level subjects deal with what are known as traditional disciplines. Though many universities allow you to continue studying these as pure disciplines the majority build on them, using them as a starting point to confront real problems in today's world such as industrial production, the environment, European integration and even human conflict.
There is no one course which suits everyone, so we know how important it is to find the right one for you. The best way to decide what you would like to study is to ask yourself the following questions
· Which subjects interest me?
· What are my talents?
· What job would I like to do after attending university or college?
· Which academic skills would I like to improve?
Having an answer to any of these questions is a good starting point, but do not worry if you cannot answer them all. The Stamford Test is a short questionnaire which can help to match your interests and abilities to possible higher education subjects. Many students find this extremely helpful when trying to make up their minds.
Some professions require specific subjects to be studied at a higher education level. If you know what career you would like to do in the future, research the job in detail to see if any qualifications are essential.
Consider combination courses if you would like to study more than one subject
If you are interested in more than one subject, you may be able to study a combination as part of your course, e.g. English literature and psychology. You can often decide for yourself how much time you would like to spend on each subject.
Joint: the two subjects are studied equally, i.e. 50/50
Major/Minor: the time spent is usually 75%/25%
Explore the subjects that you are interested in to discover a wide range of courses
Once you have chosen one or more subjects that you would consider studying, the next step is to choose a course that includes these subjects. At this point, choosing a course becomes more exciting, because at the higher education level, you can study more than just core subjects, such as mathematics, English, or chemistry. These subjects branch out into more creative and varied courses.
For example, if you enjoy chemistry at A level, you may want to look into studying chemical engineering, environmental chemistry or forensic science. If you prefer English, you could study English literature, journalism, creative writing or teaching at a primary or secondary school level.
Combine work in industry with study on a sandwich course
Certain vocational courses include a year of working within the industry as part of the course. This will usually be for the third year of a degree course or the second year of a Higher National Diploma (HND - available in the UK) and, depending on the employer, may be full-time paid employment. The purpose of this is to introduce you to the world of work, whilst gaining valuable practical experience in a profession you might consider after completing your higher education course.
Learn a language and build your confidence while studying abroad
With some four-year language courses, you have the opportunity to study abroad in your third year. This allows you to become accustomed to a foreign language in its native land, which vastly improves understanding and competence, and is a great experience besides!
Whilst studying abroad, you would probably work within a school, teaching English. You would be assigned to a teacher who would monitor you throughout the year. Not only does this improve your language skills, it also strengthens your confidence and independence. If you study two languages, you may be able to spend time in each of the two countries.
Specialist admissions services you may choose to use
Some higher education courses are recruited through different specialist admissions services, for instance you may be able to apply to Graduate Teacher Training Registry (GTTR) directly for a teaching qualification in the UK.
10 Common Myths
You may think you know the right way to go about picking an occupation, but you might wind up choosing a career that is unsatisfying. Here are ten myths of choosing a career along with resources that can help you make an informed decision.
1) Choosing a career is simple
Not true! Choosing a career is an involved process and you should give it the time it deserves. Career planning is a multi-step process that involves learning enough about yourself and the occupations which you are considering in order to make an informed decision.
2) A career counsellor can tell me what occupation to pick
A career counsellor, or any other career development professional, can't tell you what career is best for you. He or she can provide you only with guidance in choosing a career and help facilitate your decision. But you choose and you decide.
3) I can't make a living from my hobby
Says who? When choosing a career, it makes perfect sense to choose one that is related to what you enjoy doing in your spare time, if you so desire and there’s a possibility of paying a mortgage from its benefits. In addition people tend to become very skilled in their hobbies, even though most of the skill is gained informally. If your hobby is investigating herbs and spices, you have a ready-made interest in both pharmacy (all that identifying, measuring and weighing) and cookery (pinch of this with the eggs, dash of that with the cucumber soup…).
4) I should choose a career from a "Best Careers" list
Every year, especially during milestone years, i.e. the beginning of a new decade, there are numerous articles and books that list what "the experts" predict will be "hot jobs." It can't hurt to look at those lists to see if any of the careers on it appeal to you, but you shouldn't use the list to dictate your choice. While the predictions are based on valid data, things change. Way too often what is hot this year won't be hot a few years from now. In addition, you need to take into account your interests, values, and skills when choosing a career. Just because the outlook for an occupation is good, it doesn't mean that occupation is right for you. (Refer to the point made regarding this above.)
5) Making a lot of money will make me happy
Yes, money’s fun to have, you can’t have too much. BUT while salary is important, it isn't the only factor you should look at when choosing a career. Countless surveys have shown that money doesn't necessarily lead to job satisfaction, a.k.a. happiness. For many people enjoying what they do at work is much more important. However, you should consider earnings, among other things, when evaluating an occupation.
6) Once I choose a career I'll be stuck in it forever
Not necessarily so. If you are dissatisfied with your career for any reason, you can always change it. You'll be in good company. Many people make career changes more than once in the course of their lifetime.
7) If I change careers my skills will go to waste
Your skills are yours to keep. You can take them from one job to another. You may not use them in the exact same way, but they won't go to waste.
8) If my best friend (or sister, uncle, or neighbour) is happy in a particular field, I will be too
Everyone is different and what works for one person won't necessarily work for another, even if that other person is someone with whom you have a lot in common. If someone you know has a career that interests you, do look into it. But be aware of the fact that it may not necessarily be a good fit for you.
9) All I have to do is pick an occupation... Things will fall into place after that
Choosing a career is a great start, but there's a lot more to do after that. A Career Action Plan is a road map that takes you from choosing a career to becoming employed in that occupation to reaching your long-term career goals.
10) There's very little I can do to learn about an occupation without actually working in it
While first-hand experience is great, there are other ways to explore an occupation. You can read about it either in print resources or online. You can also interview those working in that field.
Funding
So you’ve made a career choice and have gone through the myths that surround career choices. It’s time to take a look at institutions available to attend and study at. These may be in Dar es Salaam, Mwanza, Arusha, further away in Nairobi, Kampala, Lagos, Cape Town, or somewhere abroad like the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, India, Malaysia and China. Wherever you decide to go and study there will be factors you will need to consider and funding is one of the most essential ones.
If you are planning to study in the United Kingdom and want to attend a publicly funded university or college, your fee status (whether you pay full-cost fees or a subsidised fee rate) will be determined by the UK institution you plan to attend.
Before you decide which university or college to attend, you need to be absolutely certain that you can pay the full cost of:
· your tuition fees (the amount is set by universities and colleges, so contact them for more information - visit the websites of institutions that you are considering because many list their fees);
· the everyday living expenses for you and/or your family for the whole time that you are abroad, including accommodation, food, heat, light, clothes and travel;
· books and equipment for your course;
· travel to and from your country.
You must include everything when you work out how much it will cost. You can get information to help you work this out accurately from the international offices at universities and colleges, UKCISA (UK Council for International Student Affairs) and the British Council.
Most international universities have application and funding information available on their websites as well as at some of the consulates in Tanzania.
With all this good information to work with, you’re on the way to making an intelligent career choice. Without it, you may well have come to the same decision, but taken longer. Best of luck, may your choice be blessed with success.
