How to Know If You Are On the Right Career Path – 8 Signs
You’ve settled into a job, but you start to have your doubts. Are you going in the right direction? Is this career a good fit for you? Should you keep pursuing it?
Having these questions is completely natural. After all, you’ll be spending 40 hours working every week – that amounts to a fourth of all the time you have! So, you’d love to ensure you don’t feel weighed down by your job. And you want to know you’ll love doing it down the road, too.
But how do you gain this kind of certainty? You’ll need to do some introspection. Don’t panic just yet. You don’t have to go it alone: a term paper writer service is here to guide you in it. So, think about your experiences – and see if these eight signs look familiar.
1. You Don’t Do It Just for the Money
The best job you can ever have is the one that doesn’t feel like one – at least, not in its traditional, “it’s just a way to make a living” sense. If that’s your case, the paycheck isn’t the only reason you get up in the morning and go to the office.
Not sure if that’s indeed your case? Ask yourself this. Would you do this job for free if money wasn’t a part of the equation at all? If your answer is a resounding “no”, this career is not the one you should pursue.
2. You’re Excited by Going to Work
Think about your Sunday evenings. How do you feel about your weekend ending? Are you sad, anxious, or spiteful? Do you regret your weekend ending “so soon”? Or are you embracing the idea of returning to work the following day with a smile?
If this career is your cup of tea, you won’t get Sunday blues. Nor would you be looking forward to your days off with the thought along the lines of, “Ugh, why can’t the weekend start sooner?” You’ll be excited by the prospect of going back to work, instead. If aviation is something you’re interested in because you believe you’ll look forward to getting behind the controls of an aircraft. You can always reach out to p6 Aviation flight training in order to make this dream job a reality.
3. You Don’t Mind “the Catch”
No job is perfect. No career is all-around fun 100% of the time. In other words, there’s always a tradeoff. Maybe, it’s the type of clients you can’t bear dealing with but have to sometimes. Maybe, it’s longer hours or increased workload.
The point is, there’s always something you don’t particularly like about the career you’ve chosen – and it’s natural. What matters is your attitude towards the catch. If you accept those moments you don’t like because you love most other aspects of your job, that’s a good sign you’re on the right track. Don’t let those moments get into your head!
4. You’re “In the Zone” at Work
Think about your usual day at your job. Picture it. Now, answer these four questions:
- Are you usually full of energy and laser-focused?
- Do you feel motivated to do the work?
- Does inspiration often find you at your workplace?
- Does your day seem to fly?
If you’ve answered “yes” to most or all of these questions, that’s good news! That’s a sign that you spend most of your hours in the zone. And that, in its turn, gives you that pleasant feeling of tiredness mixed with accomplishment at the end of the day.
5. You Feel That You Have a Purpose
For plenty of people, the first red flag they have about a career is thinking “What’s the point? It’s meaningless.” When you struggle to see your work as meaningful, how can you ever enjoy doing it?
Don’t worry: it doesn’t mean you’re supposed to feel like you’re changing the world every time you go to the office (although that can be your job’s purpose, too). But if this job is a good fit for you, you have to see some meaning in what you do. Otherwise, you won’t be satisfied doing it.
6. Your Curiosity Is Always There
If your curiosity seems to have kissed you goodbye, that’s a major red flag. It means your days at the office have become boring. You have no challenges to overcome. You have no potential for professional growth. In this case, it’d be a matter of time before you realize it’s time to quit.
But when the tasks that you’re presented with spark your curiosity, it’s a good sign. And it’s an even better sign when this keeps happening after your first year or two into the job. In this case, this career is stimulating and interesting for you – and that makes it a good fit.
7. Your Colleagues & Boss Appreciate Your Work
The environment you spend your 40 hours in matters. Of course, it depends on the employer and the company’s culture, first and foremost. But this isn’t just about how well you click with your colleagues and your boss.
If you get praised for the quality of your work, it’s a sure sign you’re good at it. And being good at your job – along with enjoying doing it – means you’ve found your career.
8. Your Life Outside of Work Is Great, Too
Even if your job doesn’t feel that much like a job, you still need to have a life outside of it. But your job can easily impact the quality of your me-time. Think about it: if you’re exhausted by the end of the working day and have no desire or energy to spend time on a hobby, is this really a healthy work-life balance?
So, think about how you usually feel when you leave the office. Do you feel like spending the rest of the day on a couch? Or do you feel like spending time on what matters to you? Remember: a healthy work-life balance is a sign this career is good for you.
In Conclusion
Even when you’re on the right career path, you might also feel scared sometimes because of the challenges coming your way. It can tire you out more than you’d like to sometimes, too. That’s part of the deal. But don’t let it convince you that you’re on the wrong path if all the signs say otherwise in the long run!
What if none of these signs above hit close to home? Well, you might want to reconsider the direction you’re going. Yes, even if your job doesn’t actively make you feel miserable. Remember: you’ll be dedicating a fourth of your life to it! Wouldn’t you want to enjoy your job, then?