Choosing a lifetime career can be tricky. With so many variables, one may find themselves easily overwhelmed by such a decision.
Today marks the start of a new series, where we break down how to know if a career is the right choice for you! We are going to begin with environmental factors that might influence one’s career choice.
Culture
A career’s culture is a crucial element to consider when figuring out a long-term position. But what exactly makes up the culture of a career?
Personality/character types of colleagues: The way your colleagues tick in terms of character and personality are important. If you are a more soft-spoken individual, you may not enjoy working with loud, extroverted people. The same goes for vice versa.
Beliefs: Mismatched personal beliefs can be detrimental, so it is important to consider this when career-searching. For example, if you align one way politically, but the rest of your coworkers don’t, this may lead to arguments and infighting.
Behaviors and Attitude: Like personality, mismatches in behavior and attitude may be grating to deal with long-term. If there’s a plethora of different behaving individuals in a workplace, there may be contention or conflict. Additionally, if you wind up in a workplace full of people with poor dispositions, that may not be good for your mental health.
Mission of organization: If a company’s mission doesn’t align with personal goals, it may be difficult to work there. Make sure you’re keeping your own beliefs and trajectory in mind when choosing a place to work.
On Site VS. Remote
An on-site job is not doable for everyone. For many reasons, ranging from disabilities to personal preferences, remote careers may be significantly better suited. Each option has its respective pros and cons.
On-site jobs
Pros: team collaboration, new connections, productivity, work life balance
Cons: high stress, regular distractions, less flexibility
Off-site jobs
Pros: Fewer distractions, independence, reduced absenteeism, reduced expenses, increased productivity, more job opportunities
Cons: equipment costs, productivity risks, less workplace engagement and connection
Independent Contributor or Team Based Role
Independent Contributor: As an independent contributor, your work is independent of other workers. If you are someone who enjoys flexibility and autonomy, this might be ideal.
Team Based: In a team-based position, work is dependent on /in lieu of other workers. You may need to participate in more collaborative and team efforts. If you are someone who enjoys working with others and getting multiple opinions, this might be good for you.
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There are numerous things to consider when choosing a career, environment being a major one. Culture, roles and site type are all incredibly important facets of a career’s environment. Stay tuned for part two of this series!
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