Deciding about your future is not quite easy. The task becomes even more complex when you have so much information, so many people whose opinions you cannot ignore, stiff competition to encounter and so many pressures to cope with. I hope that this article will help you in this daunting task.

Everyone needs to straighten out thoughts concerning the future. What am I really going to do? Can I really get there? What are the risks? If I do not make it do I have any other career options? When? Where? Most of the students face this problem so why not begin the process of career decision making in a rational manner to eliminate any chances of regret.

The process of career planning stretches through the secondary and senior secondary years at school. It essentially requires an adequate understanding of oneself in terms of academic potentials, attributes, talents, interests, personality, values, expectations and resources. This basic understanding helps in location of suitable options.

Good career planning envisages a match between requirements for a job, aptitudes, interest, personality and expectations. Awareness of true motivation, aspiration, strengths, dislikes, limitations and weakness are essential. This awareness must be as specific as possible. It must be backed by actual achievements and behaviors and if required, supplemented by objective test results. The test results however are often used loosely for giving judgment on suitability of career options. I would caution students and parents against the singular use of testing results for career decision making.

When you are choosing a career, you have to consider what you expect from your job- power, money, status, discipline, command or challenge. Interest in the job is absolutely vital for growth in any profession. Progress comes with determination as well as concentrated effort. Success leads to what is generally termed as “job satisfaction”.