Building A Proper Career Mindset

Career development is a lifelong process. Your immediate goal should be to make the best career choices possible at this point in your life. Changing interests and personal circumstances, combined with the rapidly evolving nature of the workforce, will require you to remain flexible and make numerous career-related decisions throughout your lifetime. Throughout your career journey, it is common to experience confusion, anxiety, and fear since career decisions often impact many facets of your life. The important thing is to recognize these concerns and overcome them through perseverance and determination.

A Few Myths and How to Deal with Them

• MYTH #1: “The career I choose has to meet all my requirements.” FACT: A career includes all your life pursuits, both paid and unpaid. You can end up spending a great deal of time looking for “the perfect career.” Instead, find out what you are most passionate about and what is most important to you. With that knowledge, you can make decisions that affect who you are and where you’re going.

• MYTH #2: “I’m trapped in this major/degree program.” FACT: Just because you chose a major or graduate with a certain degree does not mean you are locked into that field. It is a degree that you selected based on information available to you at the time. We can help you explore your options. Despite the myth, employers do not hire majors – they hire people who have the skills necessary to do the job. That means you can choose to work in a field other than your college major.

• MYTH #3: “I have to make the right decision, right now.” FACT: There are no absolute right or wrong answers. We all travel through life and make decisions because they seemed like the best choice at the time. A couple of ways you can feel more confident about your decisions is to do some research and lift your concerns to the Lord. Knowing that you researched your options and that you have asked God to give you peace regarding your decision should lighten the burden.

• MYTH #4: “My job determines my worth.” FACT: UCLA basketball coach John Wooden defined success this way: “Success is a peace of mind that is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing that you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.” It is not about satisfying others’ expectations of what is good for you. You are the one who will be doing this job, not anyone else. Focus on what works for you. If you are happy, those who care about you will be too.

• MYTH #5: “My first job will determine my entire career.” FACT: Nothing is further from the truth. On average, people have between three to five career changes in their lives and it’s possible that those numbers will grow. You may start out in one area and realize it is not what you wanted and try something else or your first job creates a career path that was unexpected and takes you in a different direction.