4 Factors that determine a successful career
4 Factors that determine a successful career
Background
Choosing a career is probably one of the hardest decisions that anyone can make in the modern world, second only to choosing the right person to marry! Most people in early career situation or even those wanting to change their path in mid-career stage, can find themselves extremely confused by the myriad choices that are available today. It is undeniable that today there are innumerable self-help articles, Influencer videos, Self proclaimed Guru talks, Industry expert opinions, ChatGPT suggestions, all ready at your finger tips, advising you on how to manage your career. But not many can actually help you choose “The Career“, as it a very personal decision that no one else can choose for you, because no one else can truly know you except yourself! On a lighter note, in many parts of the world, the moment you are born, your destined career choices of being an engineer or doctor are already made for you! 🙂 But I digress..
4 factors to consider
Although, I have stumbled across in my journey to finally arrive at my choice of career, sometimes forced upon me by circumstances, or sometimes by my one choosing, a pattern has emerged as to the factors that have shaped my decision making process. If we set aside personal circumstances such as marriage, divorce, birth, death, etc, and random events such as accidents, wars, pandemics etc which do also do play a big part in the jobs one might choose to do, the career path one takes, irrespective of the field, is based largely on very controllable factors. This is good news because it provides a lot of control to how one can really shape their wakeful hours on planet earth! So let me make an attempt to enumerate the 4 factors that play the most important role in one’s career choices.
1.Skills: What are you very skilled at? Or What can you become very skilled at?
2.Need: Will the customers pay for my skills? Or Does someone really need your skills?
3.Interest: Do you enjoy doing this? Or Will you not get easily bored doing this? Or Will you be able to learn to enjoy doing this?
4.Price: Will you be paid enough to make a good living? Or Can you grow this to make a good living?
Interaction of the factors that shape your career
As an engineer, I have always loved the simplicity of Venn Diagrams to explain the interactions of multiple factors. I have read that Kamala Harris, Vice President, USA, also loves Venn diagrams! That is a story for another time but here is a link to compilation of her Venn diagram stories on a lighter note!
Here is a simplified explanation of how to understand the interaction of these factors.
At the first level of interaction, we only consider the impact of 2 factors at a time:
1. Skilled, Interested but not paid well nor is there is a need –> Suitable as a Hobby
2. Needed, Skilled, but not paid well nor do you have interest –> Suitable for Charity work
3. Interested, Paid well, but you lack interest and skill –> Make this a Vocation
4. Needed, Paid well, but you lack skill and interest –> Time to change your field
5. Skilled, Paid well, but you don’t have interest and there is no real need –> This is just a Job
6. Interested, Needed, but you lack skills and doesn’t pay well –> Suitable for Part time Gig only
At the second level of interaction, we consider the impact of 3 factors at a time:
1. Skilled, Interested, Needed but not paid well currently –> Suitable to explore options as a Start-up idea
2. Skilled, Interested, Paid well, but not really needed –> Treat it as a dead-end job to pay bills
3. Skilled, Needed, Paid well, but not really interested –> Become a specialist, work on short duration gigs
4. Needed, Interested, Paid well, but not really skilled –> Get education, trained to get skilled
At the third level of interaction, we consider the impact of 4 factors at a time:
1. Skilled, Interested, Needed, Paid well –> Viola!! This is your Purposeful Career that pays well and keeps you going!
Not many are at the 4th level of interaction and might be in situations that are not ideal to be enjoying the benefits of that Purposeful career, but the central idea is to keep changing or evolving your controllable circumstances to push them towards the ideal that you have been looking for. Not doing anything, implies that you have adjusted to some of the lower levels of interactions and in the long run, it will leave you frustrated or poor or angry or unemployed! I have found this inward journey of decision making enlightening and at times confusingly tortuous because of the naked honesty required to evaluate the situation in the journey. This is an inward journey worth taking as our very lives depend on it!