How To Choose Between Two Career Paths

Thinking about which career path to choose? Does your heart say one option and your relatives suggest another? It all comes down to considering which one you will enjoy the best.

Careers are an important part of our lives due to the purpose and motivation it gives us. The primary purpose of a human’s life is to find meaning or do something that helps them live satisfactorily. 

Are you trying to make up your mind about a career? Or maybe two? If you can’t make up your mind between two careers, it can be a challenge to know what the answer is. 

But with these tips below, you can navigate the decision-making process and develop the best path for you and the future you want. 

What Is A Career Path? 

A career path and a career goal aren’t the same. The cumulative experience you’ll have will take you to your career goal. The career path should have a structured plan outlining all the steps to help you achieve the ultimate goal before you decide to hang the gloves. 

You may think a career path has benefits – shouldn’t I just go with the flow? No, it’s not that simple, and you may endure hardships without a plan. 

Of course, life has its plans, too, but when you have a clear idea in your head, life will usually redirect you to a different path than you may have thought. 

Here are some benefits of having a career path: 

• Helps you understand your career trajectory and allows visualization of your growth. 
• Helps you identify career advancement opportunities that may be unclear without a career path. This is your cue to level up in your career.
• Helps you set and achieve professional goals – promotion at this point, salary should be an X amount 
• You can make strategic decisions better and have a clear path in mind. 
• Helps you maintain focus during challenging periods

A career path will help you progress through different or advanced roles in your professional space. 

Choose From Either Type Of Career Path

The classification of career paths depends on two factors – the direction you want your professional life to take or the expertise you want to develop along the way. These are: 

There are mainly two types of career paths based on progression: 

1. Vertical career path
2. Horizontal career path

A vertical career path helps you move through the different levels to a higher position from the initial step. 

You’ll choose a horizontal path if you want to move laterally within an organization or across multiple industries. 

No one is better than the other, as it depends on personal choice and goals. Thus, you must think about the goals thoroughly. It may be mimicking your idol in an industry you’re interested in, or it can be someone who is your co-worker. 

Types of career path based on qualifications

• Knowledge-based career path: For example, if you have a degree in Microbiology, you may want to continue in the field or explore other avenues that may or may not be in the area of knowledge.
• Skill-based: This career path considers your skills to take you through your professional life based on the skills you hone or develop. For instance, a photographer can become the best in their niche after improving their skills. Their goal may be to feature in a reputed magazine or receive a prestigious award. 
• Entrepreneur-based: this is for those with a business mindset. You may have a background in engineering, but your professional life can look completely different because of your entrepreneurial skills. 
• Freelance: A freelancer is not contractually bound to one organization. They are independent professionals who are hired on a short-term contract for a project. They can include several services, from photography to graphic design and consulting. 

Here are some tips to help you progress through your chosen professional goal. 

Tips To Build The Best Career Path!

Here are some useful – tried and tested – tips that can help you decide how your career path should look like: 

Research what you need to study.

Considering different career paths, it’s important to consider what kind of studies these careers imply. For some careers, years in college will bring you to the pinnacle of what your career could be. For others, studying at trade schools in Arizona is what can set you up for success. 

One career doesn’t necessarily mean more money than the other because of where you studied—although that’s something to consider. Your studies will take up a lot of time, and you want to be sure you’re making the right choice for your future. 

Network with people in the industries

A good way to get the inside scoop on specific industries and careers is to talk to people working in those industries for years. Try to network with people in the industry or talk to friends or family members you may have who have worked in the careers you’re considering.

With that kind of first-hand accounting of what the careers are like, it can be easier to determine the best path for you. 

Consider your talents

While thinking about which career to say yes to, you could also focus on where your talents lie. Perhaps you’re better you’re thing than the other, and in the long term, this natural talent will help you to excel in that specific career. 

For example, if you’ve always been good with people but have logistical and practical skills, instead of choosing the career where you’d only use the latter skills, consider the one where you could put both into practice. This could mean a higher-paying job in the long term, so it’s important to rule out what you’re good at and think about your interests.

Beyond your skills and talents, what interests you? While both careers may interest you, explain why they interest you. For example, if you love to create, you may find that a job that allows you to create all the time may be the perfect career path for you. 

Maybe you’re all about languages, and so you choose the career that will put you in touch with more access to use your skills in languages. At the same time, you shouldn’t choose a career based solely on what interests you. Choosing one with a lot to do with your interest can be the recipe for a fulfilling work life. 

Look at the lifestyle. 

The job you hold can have a lot of impact on your lifestyle. For example, someone who chooses the nursing path will find that while you work many hours on your shifts, you also get a lot of time off.

Some may think the idea of 3 days on and 4 days off is attractive to the kind of lifestyle that they want. For others, the ability to do their job remotely is another appealing lifestyle path.  

In Conclusion

As you strive to make the best decision for your future, consider these ideas above to make the best career path. From choosing what interests you to determining what lifestyle you prefer, deciding like this has much to do with what you want out of your life. 

Read Also:

• Ways To Ace A Career In The Finance Industry
• 5 Things To Consider Before Choosing A Career
• 7 Reasons You Should Consider A Career In Engineering