Lance Corporal Doaneye Francis (left) of the Jamaica Defence Force fits a helmet on student Kelly Green at Denham Town High School’s Career Health And Wellness Fair.
Choosing A career can be as easy as 1-2-3, or it can be very scary; it just depends on how you approach it. You will always have more than one career in mind, and this is where it could become a bit confusing when you don’t know which one to choose. This is where you will have to join the dots correctly in order to clear your confusion and prioritise your goals and ambitions. Remember also that sometimes, something which you are very interested in and passionate about can actually be developed as a hobby, pastime or something which you can do on weekends, either for your own joy and satisfaction and/or to earn you extra cash. Nonetheless, you will initially need to narrow down your options and to start making your plan towards the career to which you will apply yourself first.
For whatever jobs you are considering, you will need answers to questions such as:
• What kind of training do I need? Is this training available to me locally? If not, how can I pay the cost if it can only be done overseas?
• Am I working hard enough to get a scholarship?
• Does this job fit in with my values and those of my family, community, church, etc.
• Does it suit my personality?
• What is working in this job really like on a dayto- day basis?
• How much does it pay? How hard will it be to get one of these jobs? Are there other jobs like it that I should consider?
HERE ARE SOME OF THE MANY WAYS TO ANSWER QUESTIONS LIKE THESE:
• Go to your guidance counsellor, teacher, parent, older sibling, the Internet or the library and ask for help.
• Interview people in the area of work you are considering. This is called ‘information interviewing’ and it is a valuable strategy.
• Do volunteer work in your area of interest.
• Follow and observe a person as he or she works. This is called ‘job shadowing’ and is a good way to learn about a job.
• Participate in internship or work-experience programmes.
• Take a part-time, temporary or holiday job in your area of interest.
Write down what you learn about each occupation, as well as your thoughts and ideas and add them to your career portfolio or vision book under headings such as occupation, nature of work, working conditions, employment, earnings, training and other related headings.
Use the CHOICES website at www.choices onlinejm.com to help you in your research.
Angela deFreitas is general manager of CHOICES Career & Education Advice, publishers of ‘The Career Key’ and ‘CHOICES Career & Education’ magazines. email: info@choicesonlinejm.com. Send us your comments and suggestions on what you want to know more about.
