New School or New Job – Avoid These 8 Mistakes

An article by Robert Dickie III published on FoxNews.com over the weekend advises that considering how often the average person changes study courses and professions, perhaps more consideration should be given to each individual’s interests, skills and talents before entering a new phase of life.  Dickie writes:

“With so much of our lives spent at our jobs, sometimes it is important to stop and consider a question that may sound childish or unrealistic in this job market: What do you want to be when you grow up?”

He outlines 8 “mistakes” which many people make when choosing a career that often lead to job dissatisfaction.

1. Choosing the first or easiest job you can get.  He recommends that individuals should try to work in areas that take advantage of their particular strengths.
2. Choosing a job based on salary.  If you build your career doing a job you don’t like and you lose your job, your resume will only contain skills may hate performing.
3. Choosing a job because it provides a good title.  No matter what your title is, job satisfaction comes when you do something you are good at and which you enjoy.
4. Taking a job just because management offers it.  You may be better off expanding your area of responsibility in your present job, instead of moving away from your skills and area of expertise.
5. Choosing a job because that's what your parents do.  Job seekers should consider what they are good at.
6. Choosing a job to fulfill your parents’ unfulfilled dreams.  Fulfilled individuals follow career paths that best fit their personalities and interests.
7. Choosing a job just because you have the minimum ability to do it.  Most people do not stay in jobs which do not challenge them at all.
8. Choosing a job or major without any serious study of yourself.  Using an evaluation tool such as Career Direct or Career Test may help you determine what types of jobs you are likely to excel in.

Dickie concludes his article with advice to those considering a college major or a career choice:

“It’s time to consider new tools for reaching our potential and to be as deliberate in our choice of majors and jobs as possible.  With one in two new college graduates jobless or underemployed, we need to utilize our intellects to create lasting opportunity.  Primarily, we need to understand who we were uniquely created to be before we can fully understand how to best spend our energy over a lifetime.”

Robert Dickie, III, is president of Crown Financial Ministries, a non-profit whose stated mission is to help individuals integrate values with financial practices for a well-rounded success that impacts more than just the bottom line .