The Oxford English Dictionary defines the word career as a person’s course or progress through life or a distinct portion of life. This definition relates career to a range of aspects of an individual’s life, learning and work. A career has also been defined by organizational behavior researchers as an individual’s work related and other relevant experiences both inside and outside of organizations that form a unique pattern over the individual’s life span.

When choosing a career that you think is best for you, there are multiple things to consider. Some of these include: natural talents, work style, social interaction, whether or not you are comfortable with public life, dealing with stress and how much money you want to make.

Choosing a career that is compatible with your talent makes it easy for you to excel in what you have chosen to do. For instance, if you can communicate well and give leadership, you may do well in a teaching career. If you are talented in public speaking and you are comfortable in public, you may take a career in the media/journalism. Consider work style; you like corporate dressing, you do not discuss people’s private affairs and can also cope with mathematics, you may do well to seek a career in the banking industry. If it is only money is your attraction then you may go for any career which will bring you money. This may not necessarily give satisfaction.

Do you know who you are?

From all we have said so far, it can be seen that a career is crucial to the life of a person, so it must be planned to fit his or her life. God has deliberately created and wired us differently. It is only when we do not know who we are that we act as misfits. Deciding on a course of study is a significant aspect of choosing a career.  choice begins at the point of preparation, that is, deciding on the course of study.

When students come looking for admission into the University and say, “I will not mind any course, just anything” you know that it is out of desperation and there could be trouble thereafter. People’s personalities manifest in four main temperaments, though a person may be a combination of two or more. These include: sanguine, choleric, melancholic and phlegmatic. We had discussed temperaments in greater detail in our 2018 edition. For now, we shall just link your temperament and career, so you can see that your temperament should influence your career choice.

If you are sanguine (predominantly) you are lively, optimistic, buoyant, carefree, adventurous, sociable, entertaining, creative, energetic, etc. But you are also unstable in your mood, chronically late, forgetful, talkative, cannot keep secret and disorganized. Careers that are compatible with your personality include; marketing, travelling, sporting, cooking, acting etc.

A phlegmatic temperament is loyal, hospitable, kind, quiet, friendly, does not get angry quickly, hates conflicts and is trustworthy but is also lazy, selfish, can be stubborn at will and can be destructive when angry. Ideal careers for such people can be teaching, nursing, counselling, charity services etc.

The choleric is goal oriented, social, charismatic, good leader and planner, keeps to time, self-confident, courageous and loves challenges but is also a dictator, domineering, easily angry, harsh, proud and aggressive. Careers related to this personality include; management, technology, engineering, business and politics. 

The melancholic person loves tradition, he is sociable, community builder, orderly, fantastic people manager, sacrificial and self-reliant. But also exhibits weaknesses; a slow eater, not sociable, too analytical, hard to please, moody and introverted. This person may go for careers in management, accounting, banking, social work etc.

As much as talents and abilities are necessary in career preparation and choice, the need to know your personality, why and how you are different from other people cannot be overemphasized. This is because if you choose a career that is compatible with your personality, chances of succeeding are more than failure and self-satisfaction is more likely.

It is important for parents to counsel their children on career choice rather than impose a career on them. This is partly why many young people have become school dropouts and/or very unhappy people in what they are doing. Get to know who God has made you to be, love yourself and go out there and impact your generation, doing what you love to do.