A Formal Approach to Making a Career Choice - Assignment Example

Formal Report: Career Choice Formal Report: Career Choice Table of Contents Introduction…………………………………………………………………………..3 Purpose, Scope and Limitations………………………………………………………3 Sources and Methods…………………………………………………………………4 Report…………………………………………………………………………………5 Introduction/Analysis…………………………………………………………………5 Recommendations…………………………………………………………………….7 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………….7 References……………………………………………………………………………..9 Formal Report: Career Choice Introduction Career choice is an important aspect of one’s life. There are many careers that any individual would want to indulge in. However, the choice of careers varies from one individual to the other, based on their interests. Interests are diverse, owing to the fact that individuals can be interested in the same career, but for different reasons. Career choices are the most influential decisions that people make. Different people make different choices of the courses they pursue, since their interests differ. Consequently, there are various factors that influence the choice of career that an individual chooses. The environment is a great influential factor. The environment that an individual is familiar with, in comparison with that required by a certain career, plays a significant role in the decision made by the individual. One’s personality determines the choice of career one decides to pursue. It shapes their interests and aptitudes, and thus the choice of the career is influenced. The initial pay of a career and most importantly, its earning potential, influences the decision of individuals towards what they want with their lives. The needs and way of life of an individual, will detect the amount of salary one requires to sustain those needs and as such, determine the course to pursue (Bingham, 2003). Before any decision of a career choice is made, an individual should first understand himself, what his interests, values and personality traits are. Purpose, Scope and Limitations The report seeks to explain the career choices that an employee, a client, and a professional contact would pursue. It focuses on two career choices; mechanics and engineering. The two career choices made, are limited by the parties; employee, client, and a professional contact’s abilities, their interests, their needs, and perceptions about the choices. In other words, the scope of this report is a categorical analysis of two possible careers, seeking to understand what are the benefits and the drawbacks of indulging in either of them and then, settling on the one most perceived to be beneficial, based on the interests, values and the personal characters of the individuals in question. The limitation to this report is the fact that career choice is a very contentious issue, since what may seem appropriate on one individual could not be to the other, even though the two individuals may possess similar interests and value systems. Thus, the report is limited to a single person application, and may not be generalized to other individuals, unless they possess the same interests, values, and personal traits. Sources and Methods This report follows a comparative study methodology, where it focuses on two career choices. The report assesses the suitability of each of the career choice to an employee, a client, or a professional contact. Based on the perceived pros and cons of the career choices, then a recommendation is given to them, on the suitable career choice that they should make. The report has been compiled after in-depth research about the two careers. The information was derived from a variety of sources and different techniques used in obtaining the information. The sources from which information was obtained include employers, professional societies and trade groups, guidance counselors and career counselors, internet resources, informational interviews, libraries, family and friends. Techniques used in collecting data include face to face interviews, observation, written and oral questionnaires among others. Written questionnaires were used to draw information about mechanism and engineering from friends and family members. The exercise was successful since information given with regards to positive and negative perceptions about engineering and mechanics lays a foundation of making recommendations. Employers in the engineering firms and mechanical industry gave basic information in relation to the two careers. Expertise information was gathered from persons already pursuing the two careers, through face to face interviews. The information obtained from the interview was of great importance, since the parties involved need not attend job interviews. Choosing a career is a difficult process. As such, in order to minimize on cost and waste of resources, we sought information from career and guidance counselors through interviews. Counseling sessions entail testing of one’s aptitude for a variety of jobs, to establish the career that one would comfortably fit in and rhyme with his/her skills. They also help to determine one’s strengths and interests and as such, give guidance to take a job in one’s field or to change to a different field. Most importantly, they give directions about training institutions which fit one’s goals (Brown, 2002). Most career information is available on the internet. Information about engineering and mechanics was easily accessible from credible sources. The resources, which included job listings, resume post services, information on training and local wages, assisted greatly in settling for the decision that mechanism and engineering were the best career choices to recommend for the employee, client and a professional contact. The library is a valuable source of information. Many institutions have libraries and as such, it was convenient to draw information. Report Introduction/Analysis Information obtained from the research process was analyzed and a detailed report compiled. It resulted in settling for engineering and mechanics. The likelihood for the three parties to succeed in pursuing either of the two careers is dependent upon self-understanding, and one’s personality traits (Tieger & Barron- Tieger, 2007). The employee, the client and the professional contact, were each interviewed separately to assess their understanding of self’s strength and weaknesses. Interestingly, they all shared common traits and thus, were best suited to pursue the careers. The shared traits that led to the conclusion include the fact that they all had a great interest in the way things work and for what reason do they work. The review of the interviews revealed that the parties will be extremely bored, if brought to work in a structured environment. Their performance in a structured environment is not promising. The professional contact for instance, gave an own experience, that he has for a long time felt stifled by the nature of the environment surrounding him (Koen, 2000). Important to note, is the fact that they admitted to having gathered facts about their environment and stored the information safely. Their outstanding ability to apply logic and reason to the stored facts, to derive solutions to problems and gain an understanding of how things work, is an amicable feature that clearly suggests that they would fit in either of the two careers. They are good theory masters and think theoretically. However, they are reluctant to participate in theoretical work, unless there is a practical application. They focus on present living rather than in the future and are action oriented. New experiences entice them and they all have a liking for varieties. Through observation made during the interviews, it was evident that they are self-confident persons aware of what they expect from their actions. They always love to see immediate results for their labor. Problems do not create barriers for them towards achieving their goals, since they are able to initiate solutions to their problems so easily and at a fast rate. The three parties shared their experiences from which it was evident that they love taking risks and succeed for every action they pursue. Evident from the interview is that they are friendly and out-going, determined and independent persons (Armstrong, 2009). Recommendations Talents and abilities should be utilized to the maximum. One ought to perform a self-examination process, which aids in understanding your potential so as to make an appropriate career decision. In addition, before settling on a certain career as one’s choice, evaluation of all the factors that influence the decision making process is done and a conclusion arrived at. This ensures that the decision of one’s career arrived at satisfactorily addresses their needs. Most importantly, before one settles on a single career choice, they should study other career options available so that upon failure to meet the requirements of the field of choice, they can direct their energies toward a different field rather than remain idle. They should also carry out a research on careers from all available sources, so that they are aware of what they are about to engage themselves in. It is important to note that self- assessment entails not only understanding who you think you are, but also helps understand who one really is. As such, one is able to understand how better to interact with others, in order to recognize the patterns in one’s life towards achieving one’s goals (Leon, 2008). Conclusion In conclusion, engineering and mechanics were the best career choices for the employee, the client, and the professional contact. This is because, the choices suit their interests as evident from the personal examination performed on them through an interview. They share similar interests and traits. More so, the two career choices do not offer a structured environment and as such, environmental factors that influence the decision are considered. Their personalities best suit such careers with high earning potential derived from past experiences. As such, they should choose to pursue either engineering or mechanics (Bingham, 2003). References Armstrong, T. (2009). Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom. London: Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development. Bingham, M. (2003). Career Choices: A Guide for Teens and Young Adults: Who am I What Do I Want How Do I Get It. London: Academic Innovations. Brown, D. (2002). Career Choice and Development. London: Josssey-Bass. Koen, D. (2000). Career Choice, Change & Challenge. London: JIST Works. Leon, K. (2008). Who do You Think You Are? Discover the Purpose of Your Life. London: Babypie Publishing. Tieger, P., & Barron- Tieger, B. (2007). Do What You Are: Discover the Perfect Career for You Through the Secrets of Personality Type. London: Little, Brown and Company. Read More