How to choose a profession you like: detailed guide + valuable tips

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The article explains:

1. The main questions when choosing a profession
2. Formula for choosing a profession that suits your liking and budget
3. Advice from psychologists on choosing a profession if you don’t know what you want
4. Mistakes and tips for choosing a profession after school
5. The best tests for choosing a profession
6. Nuances of choosing a profession after 9th grade
7. Tips for choosing a profession after 11th grade
8. Features of choosing a profession for life
9. TOP 7 professions that will be in demand in the near future
10. 5 final recommendations for choosing a good profession

Nowadays, it is not so easy to figure out how to choose a profession that will bring good income until retirement. Technologies have a strong place among us, some specialties are disappearing, others are appearing, and others are being transformed. In addition, it is not always clear what kind of business or activity truly makes you happy, so that you can focus on this internal beacon.

First, it is important to understand that you are not alone in your quest. A huge, simply gigantic number of people try every day to figure out what field they should go into to work. And it is for them that we have prepared a valuable article. Instructions for finding your life's profession await you. With this information, you can cut through the fluff and see the things that matter most to you about your job so you can start taking concrete steps in its direction.

The main questions when choosing a profession

1. What criteria are important to you when choosing a job? Everyone's criteria are different. For one person, salary comes first, for another it is a convenient schedule, for a third it is important to have the opportunity to quickly move up the career ladder. Make a list of criteria and, based on it, choose a profession.
2. What types of activities do you prefer?Activities can be individual or group. Some people want to work alone, relying only on themselves, while others prefer to work in a team of like-minded people. Even at the stage of study, you will understand which option is closer to you.
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   You also need to answer the following questions:

   • Do you prefer mental work or physical work?

   Will you have to communicate a lot with colleagues and partners during working hours?

3. What function will you perform: performer or organizer?
4. What approach to work is expected of you: strict fulfillment of duties or a creative approach?

Having received the answers, it will be much easier to decide on a profession, since many specialties simply do not fit your criteria.

For example: A person dreams of becoming a teacher, but does not want to spend hours every day communicating with people. Or he wants to work in a bank, but did not take into account that he will have to work in a large team and follow the instructions of his superiors.

5. What type of work are you interested in?Today there is a lot of work around, and it is different. You don't have to sit in the office all day to earn money. So, income can bring:
   • Work in a company.

   Opening your own business.

6. Freelancing.

A person choosing a profession must clearly understand how he wants to work. If he prefers freelancing, then he won’t be able to be a chef, for example, but he can open a culinary school online.

What specialty should a guy choose?

If a girl can find her calling in the family, and not in work, then for a young man, most often, professional activity is the main way of fulfillment. A young man can choose from a whole range of professions, a variety of profiles: ✔ information technology (programmer, tester, process automation specialist, Internet project manager) ✔ engineering (service engineer, nuclear physicist, machinist, builder) ✔ financial -economic (financial consultant, SMM manager, marketer) ✔ natural science (biologist, geneticist, meteorologist, pharmacist) ✔ production and technological (production technologist, welder, occupational safety engineer) ✔ social and humanitarian (journalist, conflict specialist, TV and radio presenter , speech therapist) ✔ creative (film artist, artist, critic, decorator) ✔ military-sports (policeman, fireman, military pilot, fitness instructor)

Vyacheslav Vysotsky:
Of course, I am against the gender division of specialties.
But I recommend that a young person choose a “career” specialty, that is, one in which there is no limit to development and career growth. Society asks men to be leaders and workers. Kirill Kuznetsov:
Engineering, IT, and military specialties are considered masculine. Usually a young man is looking at which technical or petroleum specialty to choose. But it is interesting that in areas where there are traditionally more women - pedagogy, psychology, philology - men achieve significant career heights.

Formula for choosing a profession that suits your liking and budget

The formula for choosing a profession consists of three elements: I want, I can and I must. What does each of them mean?

1. “I want” is your desires, interests.Desire is the most important aspect in choosing a profession. Don't try to please your loved ones, listen to yourself. The chosen specialty will become your companion possibly for life. There is little good in working for many years in a job you don't like. Can't decide? Then you need to answer the following 2 questions (there can be no more than 3 answer options). First question: who/what would you like to do business with?
   • people (students, buyers, clients, passengers, spectators, etc.);

   information (texts, tables, graphs, drawings, formulas, diagrams, programming languages);

2. finance (money, deposits, interest, loans, shares, funds, etc.);
3. equipment (various devices and mechanisms, production machines, machines);
4. art (literature, music, dance, theater, cinema, painting, arts and crafts, etc.);
5. animals (their treatment, study, breeding, use in professional activities);
6. plants (agriculture, garden, vegetable garden, greenhouse, etc.);
7. food products (food production, cooking, confectionery, etc.);
8. products (tailoring, shoes, bags; manufacturing of jewelry, stone, wood and metal products; production of cosmetics and medicines);
9. natural resources (fossil deposits, forests, mountains, rivers and lakes).

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Second question: what type of activity is most interesting to you?

• management (managing the activities of other people);
• service (satisfy consumer needs);
• education (raise and teach children, teach adults any skills);
• health improvement (prevent diseases and treat them);
• creativity (creating works of art, performing on stage, conducting creative master classes, etc.);
• production (production of any product);
• design (design and creation of individual objects, parts, elements and models);
• research (scientific study of any objects, phenomena and aspects);
• protection (protecting someone or something from hostile actions).

The Motherland is calling!

One of the most important points concerns the demand for the profession. Many guys choose a university and future field of activity for reasons of prestige. From time to time, a fashion arises for certain specialists (“it’s cool to be a lawyer or a TOP manager”). Alas, it does not always comply with the requests of the state. And here it is important to clearly grasp current trends.

In the middle of the 20th century, the country's industry was actively developing. Factories and factories were built. The state needed engineers and technicians. They were paid well. Accordingly, the high value of engineering education was positioned.

In the 90s, a crisis broke out. Perestroika began. Most construction projects were frozen. Engineers who were once in demand found themselves out of work. In order to somehow feed themselves, people went into business. There was an urgent need for lawyers and economists. Priorities in education have changed.

In the 10s of the 21st century, Russia faced sanctions. The state stopped receiving imported equipment. Then the country reoriented itself to the development of its own mining and processing industries, mechanical and instrument engineering. Once again the need for competent engineers arose. The demand for “fashionable” lawyers and economists has fallen. Many people with diplomas were left without work.

So, depending on the development of the economy and society, the demand for certain specialists decreases or increases. To be “in the know” and choose a relevant, in-demand profession for yourself, you need to track these points.

Advice from psychologists on choosing a profession if you don’t know what you want

If you are struggling with choosing a specialty, check out the following methods.

1. "I do not want anything"How to choose a job if all professions seem unsuitable and if you are not attracted to anything? Finding yourself in such a situation, you can act in two directions:
   Explore all available professions. It's difficult to make a choice when you don't know what to choose from. Watch channels about professions on Youtube, listen to what experts say on this topic, visit all kinds of platforms and sites, there are now many of them (Atlas of new professions, Navigatum, etc.).
2. Seek help from a career consultant. He will study your abilities and help you choose the ideal direction of activity, and maybe even develop an action plan for the next 5 to 10 years in order to achieve certain goals in your profession.
3. “You like something that you can’t earn much from.” You can never know in advance what will bring you income and what will not. Once upon a time, knitting was the craft of grandmothers and brought in very little income, but now, if you have knitting skills and good taste, you can earn good money from it. It’s definitely worth a try, but it’s better to have the option of a related specialty.
4. Remember a few important points:
   Don't think that the more complex your activity, the more you will earn. This principle has not worked for a long time. Now you can take courses in any beauty industry and in a couple of months have more income than specialists with honors.
5. In pursuit of a dream, do not forget about reality. Do you think that if you have the talent of a musician, you can easily get on stage and earn millions? This is wrong. Fame comes to only a few, but thousands of talented people simply couldn’t break through. Consider your options.
6. Think about what activities bring you positive emotions? Many hobbies can be monetized and turned into your main profession.

Mistakes and tips for choosing a profession after school

The question “How to choose a future profession” is best asked in high school.

In elementary school, you are just learning to manage your time and be independent. In secondary school (grades 4–8), you are already quite self-organized, free time appears, and you begin to look for activities for yourself: clubs, sections, etc.

Mistakes and tips for choosing a profession after school

This is the best time to expand your boundaries, gain new experience (participate in competitions, festivals, scientific projects, internships, camps with any focus). Having tried yourself in music, dancing, various sports, science, and reading a lot of books, after graduating from school it will be easier for you to decide what you are drawn to and what you are not.

1. Main mistakes when choosing a specialty:
   • Choose the profession of your parents and grandparents in order to continue the dynasty, the family business.

   For example, your parents are doctors. And whether you want to do it or not, they insist that you go to medical school.

   Enroll in the educational institution chosen by a friend.

Teenagers tend to be very attached to their school friends. After school, the children's lives change a lot, they want to keep close people close to them. But this is definitely not a reason to choose an unsuitable specialty.

• Choose a profession that is fashionable today, without making predictions for the future.

Those professions that are relevant now will not necessarily remain so in a few years.

Why is it so important to choose the right profession? It often happens that, even after entering an educational institution and studying there, a person has not decided who he wants to work with. The diploma has been received, but the problem of choice is just as acute for the graduate.

Professional self-determination usually comes to people after acquiring a specialty. And here, if you have chosen the right direction, you will be interested in finding a job according to your profile. And if there was no interest in this topic or it disappeared during training, then a period of despair sets in, searching for a job outside of one’s specialty. Of course, you can always relearn. But no one will return the time spent on education to you.

According to a survey conducted among job seekers with higher education, 41% of them work outside the specialty of their diploma. That is, they wasted about 5 years of their lives.

Therefore, it is very important to have a good understanding of your desires, abilities and capabilities, and choose the right path, because education can be an excellent springboard for moving up in your professional activity. In addition to knowledge, at the university you can gain useful contacts and connections that will be very useful in the future.

Solution. How does it ripen?

Children begin to dream about their future role in society as early as 6-7 years old. Some people want to become a truck driver, others want to become a famous artist or a doctor. About 4% of boys and girls remain true to these childhood dreams until they graduate from school.

The rest change their beliefs under pressure from relatives, social realities, and new knowledge. Sometimes dreams about a profession grow out of a love for a particular school subject. Humanities students are identified the earliest (at the age of 13-15). Future philologists, journalists, and linguists somehow immediately begin to feel their calling.

“Technical people”—mathematicians, programmers—identify themselves in the last 2 years of school. Both the deeper study of these subjects in high school and the pressure of having to make a choice have an impact.

The situation is much worse with the guys who have chosen specialties related to radio engineering, metallurgy and other “non-prestigious” areas. Often they enter the relevant universities because there is little competition or there are free places.

The best tests for choosing a profession

1. Determination of professional inclinations using the method of L. Yovaishi This test is very simple and reliable. It is suitable not only for schoolchildren or students, but also for adults of all ages. This method examines 6 types of people's inclinations towards different areas of activity.
2. DDO (Differential Diagnostic Questionnaire) E. A. Klimova One of the most famous and widespread tests in our country. Suitable for both adults and teenagers due to its simplicity. It allows you to fairly accurately determine a person’s predisposition to any type of professional activity.
3. Holland test This test is very popular in the USA and around the world. Often used in Russia. It helps to identify a person’s professional inclinations and correlate them with different professions. Suitable for people of any age.
4. Map of interests (A. E. Golomshtok) To determine a person’s interests, he should answer 174 questions, reflecting the focus of 29 areas of activity.
5. “Career choice matrix” by Rezapkina This methodology was developed by the Moscow Regional Center for Career Guidance for Youth. It will help you choose the right job or see new employment options.
6. “Career Anchors” by E. Schein
   This technique is a questionnaire that diagnoses the value component of professional activity. “Career anchors” in this case are a person’s value orientations, his interests and social attitudes. You will be presented with 41 statements, and by determining the importance of each of them for you, you can get the test result.

Recommendations from experts

In the vast majority of cases, the choice of profession is based on interests and hobbies that manifest themselves at school age. But even if you have a distinct hobby or favorite subject, you have to make a difficult decision. For example, a young biology enthusiast can equally successfully become an agronomist, veterinarian, scientist, teacher, or engage in other related professions.

A serious approach to vocational guidance involves a comprehensive study of four basic parameters that characterize a young person or profession:

• compliance with personal interests;
• personal abilities;
• personality traits;
• prospects for the future.

The results obtained are adjusted taking into account the external factors listed above. As a result, the applicant receives a more or less objective picture of the possible directions of his own professional development. Based on this, the final decision should be made.

Nuances of choosing a profession after 9th grade

How to choose a profession for a teenager after 9th grade? Many people mistakenly assume that after completing 9 grades, you can only get a blue-collar job: loader, janitor, etc. This is not true. If a student is well versed in modern technologies, is an active user of social networks, and understands how they work from the inside, he can easily complete the courses and work remotely: write texts, set up advertising on social networks, maintain his own blog, develop the design of printed materials, create websites.

In order to move along the right career trajectory, you need to:

• know yourself well, your capabilities and characteristics;
• understand the industry you want to work in;
• be able to correlate desires and possibilities;
• be able to build strategies and successfully maneuver from trend to trend;
• take responsibility and make decisions.

In order to have such skills by the 9th grade, it is necessary not only to study at school from bell to bell and do homework, but also to develop in every possible way, expand your horizons, read the right books, study the work of real companies, relate yourself to a particular profession. If a child is unable to choose a specialty on his own, he needs a mentor or tutor who will help him move to a new level.

Tips for choosing a profession after 11th grade

After graduating from 11th grade, a graduate faces the same choice; the same professions are available to him as after 9th grade, but there are much more opportunities, and there are fewer restrictions due to age.

If a student was not able to acquire extensive experience in club and project activities before the 9th grade, this gap needs to be filled from 9th to 11th grade. Having different experience, having become acquainted with many types of activities, it is easier to make your choice.

Tips for choosing a profession after 11th grade

Don't be afraid to start working at an early age. The sooner you enter the workforce, the more skills and experience you will acquire. Even just handing out leaflets on the streets, you will regularly come to the company office to pick them up, communicate with employees, be a member of the team, and make useful connections. This may help you in the future.

Let us give you some more useful tips:

• Pay due attention to physics and chemistry lessons. It often seems to schoolchildren that these items are absolutely useless and have no use in life. It's a delusion. Thanks to the exact sciences, a person learns to think, analyze, and apply a rational approach to solving problems.

What specialty should a girl choose?

The choice of profession should not be related to whether a person is male or female. Girls may well choose technical, military or “petroleum” specialties and become professionals in their field. But according to the law, women’s labor cannot be used in work with harmful and dangerous conditions. Because of these restrictions, girls will not be hired as tank drivers, truck drivers or miners.

Kirill Kuznetsov:
If a girl has not found a suitable profession, then she can choose universal directions - pedagogical or medical.
They will probably come in handy in life, at least in the family. Ekaterina Lukyanova:
If you still define some specialties as more “feminine”, then I would recommend psychology and pedagogy.

Features of choosing a profession for life

Choosing a profession once and remaining faithful to it for the rest of your life is a lot of luck and hard work. Here are some interesting facts:

• About 60% of people work outside of their specialty.
• Only about 30% of our country's population has higher education.
• Many of those who entered higher education do not have any practical skills in this specialty, but acquire them during the learning process.
• A person changes on average from 2 to 7 specialties during his life.

Psychologists advise people to start a hobby, so that in addition to work there is some kind of outlet, activities of interest, then, perhaps, it will be possible to stay in one place of work longer. But even after starting a hobby, most likely, after some time, you will begin to think about changing the type of activity.

This happens because the psyche gets tired of the same tasks and routine, your views on things change, and with them your priorities, the time comes to move on and learn about your new facets. Such changes are sometimes very necessary, they help you feel alive, make life bright and interesting.

If, on the one hand, working for many years in one institution means stability, on the other hand, it means boredom and dissatisfaction with life. Your psyche needs a variety of activities.

Of course, if you study for many years and finally get the long-awaited job, you will be very sorry to lose it. In this case, keep yourself busy with different exciting activities to diversify your life to the maximum. But it’s still better to change your job at least once a decade. This in no way diminishes the importance of obtaining an education and a diploma. But it is better to choose a specialty with which you could work in different places.

Think about your hobbies and interests

However, you should not focus only on what you are good at. Think about the things you really like. Perhaps you prefer to spend time in nature, travel, photograph people, compose music, film what is happening on a video camera, record your observations on paper, and so on.

Figure out the things that really bring you pleasure and start focusing on them when choosing your future profession. Believe me, work can and should be interesting and exciting.