What do people think about when choosing a career?  Most people's future educational paths and careers are decided by looking outward to the influences of society and economic conditions, and not inward to their own personalities and preferences.  That is, most people choose their educational paths and careers based on the influences and pressures put on them by society, and not completely by what they want for themselves.  

Think about the last time you discussed career choices with your friends, parents, or teachers.  You probably focused on such topics as future growth for that career, demand in society, prestige and honor for that profession (which depends on the culture), educational path, working environment, and of course MONEY.  These kinds of discussions show how the society around you is approving or disapproving of your career choices.  Obviously, they can be very strong pressures on your choice.  

Society will also direct you into certain careers and steer you down certain educational roads before you are even old enough to think about your dreams and career plans for yourself.   How well you do on institutional test scores, for instance, can determine who gets into the various educational programs that mark one for a certain career.  Often it's the case that a student "wakes up" one day at a university, working toward a degree, and he doesn't even know why he is studying that subject.  It seems that he didn't even choose the subject.  Somehow between his parents, teachers, test scores, university admissions officers, and what society "needs", there was a decision about his future.  He may even continue in that career all his life, hating it, but staying there because he thinks he is powerless to control his future and his fate.

Well, actually, all that focus on outward influences on a career by society is important.  This Web site would not have a section on Future Trends if these topics were not important.  However, we really need to focus more on the inward influences on career choices as well.  What good is a career choice based on the outward influences of society if that choice will make you unhappy in life?  That career choice might even make you rich, but remember, there have been a lot of rich men and women who have regretted the way they had lived their lives.  Money is a key ingredient to happiness, but everyone knows it is just a small part of the equation.  

Career happiness comes, to a large degree, from the inward influences!  What's the difference between "slaving away at a job" and "living your dream"?  Often, it relates to the match between your personality and preferences and the nature of your career choice.  If, for example, you have a shy, introverted personality, and you are pushed into a career in Marketing and Sales, you may find it difficult to enjoy the type of work that professional Salesmen and women are involved in.  Power lunches, conferences, telemarketing, CRM (customer relation management) applications, and people, people, people, may not match your personality well.  For some personalities, this kind of work is a dream.  It's fun, involving, challenging, and some people just love to be around new and interesting people all day.  So you can see, any consideration about a future career in Marketing and Sales must balance the discussion of society's influence with the influences of your own personality.  

Here's a little story to keep in mind when you are considering your future career directions.  This story was written a couple hundred years ago by a German poet named Heinrich Heine.  The quick paraphrase goes like this:  Once upon a time, there was a simple fisherman sleeping in his small boat.  A rich, powerful businessman came up and saw him there.  The rich man asked him why he was not out fishing since it was only early afternoon.  The fisherman told him that he had already caught enough fish for the day.  The businessman was confused by this attitude and began to lecture him.  "But if you work all day, then you can make more money!", the rich man said, "And you can buy a bigger boat.  Then you can hire other men, catch more fish, and then make more money."  The fisherman looked confused and asked, "Why would I need to make so much money?"  The rich man replied, "Then you could retire and not have to work anymore."  The fisherman then looked at him with a smile and said, "I'm not working now."

Life is also long and careers are often not.  In America, the average person will make 5 major career changes before retirement.  This tells us that life is a learning experience.  Often our first choice for a career may be completely different from our final career.  They may be in the same "general" area, for example Engineering, however the exploration within Engineering may take you all over the career map.  And this is for the average American.  Silicon Valley careers often see many more changes than this.  The point here is to remember that careers are explorations.  

Careers are life-long, full-time pursuits.  They are a marriage between people and activities that will change and evolve over the years.  Just like a marriage between people, the way your wife or husband looks, behaves, and thinks at the beginning of the marriage may be totally different when you retire together.  Just as your husband or wife became a completely different person over your 40 years together, so too will your career flower and grow, age and mature, change and branch into different interests, and settle and become more fitting and comfortable.

So, as your career counselor, I encourage you to marry for a good personality match and not for money.  And after you marry a career, allow it to grow, and change, and mold itself to fit you comfortably.  Explore different areas of that career, and pursue your interests and strengths.  Love your career and you will love your life.  Remember, you will spend far more time with your job than with your family.  Make sure you can love it and grow with it!

Quick Personality Test
A good, quick, MBTI test.

David Keirsey's Page
This site is from the creator of the MBTI temperment sorter.

Career Toolbox
Take the "Work Interest quiz" for an interesting look at career directions.

Career Key
Click on the "You" and take the "Career Key" quiz.

Career Interest Game
This is a fun, yet informative game to match your interests with career directions.

Transferable Skills
For career changes or those who know themselves well, see which skills can transfer to other careers.

Personality Sorter
This requires some personal information, but is a good test overall.

Princeton Review Test
24 questions which will give you a general idea of the best job environments for you.