15 April 2012

How To Determine Your Ideal Career or Vocation

Have you ever wondered why certain people got into certain professions, for instance, politics, journalism, medical, law, engineering, healthcare, recruitment and training and you could go on forever..Well it is a key question that i come face to face with almost on a weekly basis when working with young people and also seasoned and experienced professionals who are now perhaps considering transferring or changing careers.

If you were to ask any of the people you know or those working in the professions listed above, it may well go along the lines of, "well i wanted to go into politics as i wanted to serve my local community, i wanted to give something back to society or get involved in the politics and policy making which shapes local people's lives." A medical doctor may say, "i decided to become a medical doctor as i saw the care and bravery of the medical team that took great care of a family member of mine and so i was inspired to one day dawn the white overalls and become a doctor." A humanitarian may say something similar, "i was disturbed and felt guilt in the way people in my community were being treated, and so i felt i had to do something, to provide a voice for the oppressed."

Though, this is by no means a panacea, especially as there are other factors that assist with determining career choice, such as environment, education and family, however, following this theory and thinking can certainly enhance your chances of selecting a career or profession that you will enjoy and thus gain fulfillment. And so, it is whose 'pain' you feel the most, who do you feel most affinity with or what thing in fact, as the object of your pain does not have to be a human being. For example, if you have been in a situation where you have experienced pain or observed pain with people being made redundant in their jobs, becoming disconnected with their love ones and community, then maybe your ideal career lies with people who are going through something similar. Indeed, if your experience has been with people who have lost everything due to non existent financial education and bad lending financial practices or advise, then maybe your vocation lies within the financial profession, indeed i know of a very successful franchise turning over £multi millions of pounds each year, whose founders based on their massive collective experience within the industry, built the core tenet of the business on helping individuals and families become better financially educated.

Or what if the object of your pain is not people, well it could be animals, so maybe that is where your vocation lies. Though this may not apply to everybody it is certainly a good way for choosing a career now or indeed in the future. If you are a business owner you would have heard the expression, to succeed in business, follow your passion. Well similarly, this is what this article is about, following your pain could lead you to your potential goldmine. It is certainly much harder to teach or convince other people something you personally have not experienced, perhaps the reason why some politicians find it hard convincing certain members of our society today.

Just take for instance these people, Steve Jobs - computers; Bill Gates - software; Mother Theresa - street children / dispossessed children; Nelson Mandela - Oppressed people; Warren Buffet - private investors; JK Rowling - story telling; Mark Zuckerburg - software; Oprah Winfrey - vulnerable people; David Attenborough - animals, to name a few, in these things lay the object of their pains and passion, in them, laid the foundation for their fame and fortune.

No doubt, money is a key motivating factor, and especially in times of need people are less likely to be selective and keen to take on any job. Indeed a lot of people have been swayed to move to the big cities to make their fortunes, and have done very well. Nonetheless, if you find yourself at a crossroads, looking for a career change or starting out in the world of work, then this should help your decision making process, in that following what pains you the most will lead you into a career or vocation where as Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple Computers inc, said, you could make a dent in the world.

Best of luck with your job hunting,

Femi Yusoof


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