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How are you choosing a career path in today’s society?
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Are you following your dream job or or a career path of what other people want you to do?
As kids, we start dreaming and thinking of what we will be when we grow up. A fireman, teacher, policeman, are a few I remember kids saying what they wanted to be.
I wanted to be a dancer, and an accountant when I was in high school. I ended up following the accounting path, but as I got older decided to go into real estate and be my own boss!
As we grow what we aspire to be may change several times, as we go through high school and college. My younger son changed his major several times while in college and now is going towards a business degree.
Getting career counseling can help you pick a path that best suits you.
Once you graduate from high school, college, or trade school, you now need to make the decision to follow your dream job, the same career path as your parents, where the money is, or what your parents think you should be.
Many times we start a path we thought we wanted and change as we go through life. In previous generations, they found a career path and stayed there until they retired, with a pension.
Career paths have changed over the years in the job market
I see the younger generation, hop from job to job as if they aren’t sure what direction they want to go. Others feel stuck in a low-paying job, as they only have a high school degree.
Many people work at a job where the environment is full of negative employees who feel underpaid, overworked, and unappreciated with infrequent raises, creating low morale.
When I graduated from high school in 1970, the minimum wage was $1.65 an hour. Wage increase has been a slow process to get where we are today.
You had full benefits the company paid for, and people took certain jobs because of the benefits. You felt appreciated as an employee!
Many companies are cutting back on benefits and taking more out of our pockets to pay for them. All the perks keep disappearing!
Where are the incentives today? Maybe this is why there seems to be no loyalty to a company or work ethics seem more cavalier than in older generations.
There are some large companies that listen!
According to Balance Careers, people change jobs on an average of 12 times a year! Yes, there are some large companies that listen and are great to work for.
You might be surprised by some of them! Here are Glassdoors top 10 companies to work for in 2019:
- Bain & Company
- Zoom Video Communication
- In-N-Out Burger
- Procore Technologies
- Boston Consulting Group
- Lululemon
- Southwest Airlines
In Summary
Yes, financial security, benefit options, incentives, and length of commute have changed how people make a career choice.
College grads are stuck with student debt, they may not be able to pay for it, and will they be able to get that job that will provide them with financial security, and a retirement plan they can survive on when they retire?
Will they have to work 60-70 hours a week, taking away that precious family time? Will they have a commute time of up to 4 hours or more a day?
Are they in a positive work environment with encouragement and praise for a job well done?
Life is supposed to bring us happiness and security, so if your career path isn’t fulfilling your needs, don’t be afraid to up your skills and pursue a different path, and be the best you can be!
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Here are some other posts you might enjoy – How Women’s Pay Is Still Less Than Men’s
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See you soon, Denise
Below are a couple of books available from Amazon that might be helpful in making choices.
Posts may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases and collect a small commission at no cost to you. This helps my blog to keep going. Thank you! For more info, read my disclosure policy.
This post certainly will help so many students out and aspiring candidates out there. Lots of valuable info and a insightful post. Thank You so much for this post.
Thank you for your feedback Nilakshi! It is so different from when I first applied for a job. Candidates now are lost on the internet among hundreds to thousands of resumes submitted to larger companies and are hired without a personal interview. Many smaller companies use temp agencies to help them with the hiring process. In my time we dropped off resumes in person and waited to be called back for a personal interview in order to be hired.
I went the traditional route of college and a professional career. I have only worked for a few places in my 20+ year journey.
I love what I do, but I don’t love working for other companies. Especially when my core values clash with theirs. That is why I’m committed to growing my business. So I can continue to do what I love but on my own terms.
There is nothing easy about starting a business, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I hope I am setting an example and teaching my kids to go after their dreams. No matter what.
Thank you for your comment, Shellie! I agree, and love being my own boss too and hated the politics of working for someone else.
Great post!
My first career lasted only a couple of years, my second was much longer at almost 15 years and my third is going on 6 years. After some time away,to focus on my little ones, I am starting to look at what my next career will look like.
Thank you, Tamara! I think you are a great blogger, so please keep doing that. You are so inspiring in your posts! It is interesting to see the different careers people go through in a lifetime, and how long they stay at a job they hate. Since I have retired I believe we should follow our dream of finding a career we feel passionate about.