You’re Never Too Young To Think About It
BCIS September 18th, 2007Passion or Job Security? Weighing Career Choices
By DIANE HESS
Question: Which do you go by when you’re looking for your future career, your passion for a field or job security?
– Jessica Reynolds, Kalkasa, Mich.
Jessica: Your dilemma is one that many college grads face when confronted with the reality of taking a first job. I know I did.
When I graduated from college eight years ago, it seemed like everyone I knew was following a well-worn path to law school or Wall Street. The road to a great job in journalism seemed much less clear. But I decided that it was worth taking.
Remember that if you hate your job, you’re not going to be good at it. So my advice, Jessica, is to think about what you love to do and try to find a job that lets you do it. The time to take a career risk is when you are young.
You may be able to increase your odds of success by thinking expansively about which industries may interest you and by being flexible about what job you might take within it.
Sometimes college students choose fields, such as music or entertainment, which they may feel passionate about, but in which their chances of finding a job that can pay the bills, let alone a lifelong career, are slim.
Choosing between the career of your dreams and a stable paycheck can be gut-wrenching for twentysomethings, as this article from CareerJournal.com points out.
Kate Wendleton, president of the Five O’ Clock Club, a career-counseling firm in New York City, suggests that students learn about different industries through campus events, alumni networks or online, on sites such as WetFeet.com, and consider a number of options. You also can find out about the future demand for a wide range of jobs in the Bureau of Labor Statistics’s Occupational Outlook Handbook.Then find an entry-level job in the industry you choose to try it on for size.
There are many options for people who want to turn a creative passion into a solid career. Read this article about a musician who did just that: “How I Got to Where I Am Today: An Orchestra’s Operations Director.”
Keep in mind that there really isn’t such a thing as job security anymore. The best strategy is to be excellent at what you do, keep your skills cutting edge and love your work.
