Which career is right for you?

Finding the right career can be hugely rewarding, so it’s worth putting some effort into career planning. Start by thinking about what motivates you as a person, then identify careers that match your skills and interests.

Finding a career to suit you

While it can be tempting to skip straight to looking at specific careers, it’s often a good idea to first spend some time thinking about what motivates you as a person.

What are your interests, inside and outside work - and what are you looking for from a career? Once you’ve worked this out, you can start building up a picture of your ideal job - then find out which careers match it most closely.

Career planning: where to start

Unless you’ve got a clear idea of what you want to do, it can be difficult to know where to start. And if you do have a career in mind, how do you know whether you’ve considered all your options?

As a starting point, you could try sitting down with a piece of paper and listing:

* courses you’ve taken in the past, or are taking now
* any jobs you’ve had, including voluntary work
* interests outside work
* any other significant experiences, like travelling
Then ask yourself:

* why you chose to do them
* which parts you really enjoyed
* which parts you found frustrating or boring
* which parts you were best at
* which parts you found a challenge
* what other people have said about your contribution
* what other people have told you you’re good at

You should start to see some patterns emerging: the types of skills you enjoy using, the sort of environment you perform best in and the types of people you like working with.

You can use this knowledge to help pinpoint areas of work you might enjoy.

Online tools, like the Career Values Tool, can also help you work out what's important to you in a job.

Exploring types of careers

Once you’ve got an idea of areas you might want to work in, the next step is to check out some career profiles. These will give you information about the opportunities available in a particular line of work - and what skills and qualifications you’re likely to need.

You can also get information about careers in particular industries from Sector Skills Councils. Find the council for the industry you’re interested in through the Alliance of Sector Skills Councils. Visit site -
http://www.sscalliance.org/SSCs/LinkstoSSCs.aspx

Help with career planning

Talking to a careers adviser may help you focus on what you are looking for from a career - and work out how to get where you want to be.

Careers advice by phone or email

Call the Careers Advice Service on 0800 100 900. You can also book a free call back from an adviser, or send a question by email.

Visit here - http://careersadvice-findacourse.direct.gov.uk/pls/hot_ca/aff_page_pls_ask_advisor?a=260405&f=AI

Careers advice in person

Depending on your circumstances, you may be able to get free, face-to-face advice from your local nextstep service.

Visit here - http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/EducationAndLearning/AdultLearning/GetLearning/DG_071762

Career planning and advice for young people

Follow the link below for tips on career planning and sources of advice if you’re under 20.

Visit here - http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/YoungPeople/Workandcareers/Planningyourfuture/DG_066169

If you’re a graduate or you’re working towards a higher education qualification

Follow the link below for sources of information and advice on graduate careers.

Visit here -
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/EducationAndLearning/UniversityAndHigherEducation/ChoicesAfterYouGraduate/DG_4017755