Is It Better to Follow Your Dreams or to Investigate the Job Market When Choosing a Profession

It is a difficult process to decide which profession is right for one because there are a number of factors that they need to consider. The choice of a profession depends on whether the individual knows what they want in the market and whether they will enjoy what their profession calls for (Hempe, 2015). There are countless career options that one can choose to base their profession on but it a huge task to narrow them down to what one likes.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

Before one jump head first, into a job opportunity that comes their way, they need to take time to research the position and the industry. They need to have a better understanding of the position, the overall industry, general responsibilities, the compatibility with their interests, their strengths and different personalities (Granovetter, 2018). These help to dictate the necessary position they should take because they will ultimately be glad to be there. It is important to have a realistic career plan in place because it is an essential part of personal growth and development (Swanson, et al. 2015). When one does not have goals to strive for, they find it difficult to stray from the easy norms or even gain the necessary skills that make them more valuable commodities in the business world.

The essay will discuss two factors to consider in career research and determine which is better to consider for evaluation than the other (Stoodley, 1997). Some of the factors that one needs to consider in career research include their interests, evaluation of the skills, the attitude of work, training and education and the availability of the job (Cottrell, 2015). However, the discussion will narrow down to two factors which are the dreams of an individual and the investigation of the job market when choosing a profession. The essay will consider which is better to follow and the reasons why it is the better choice.

Is it better to do what one loves or what pays? Investigations of the job market happen to be the choice to follow because it is advantageous to consider the important factors that save one's money and time (DeVellis, 2016). The job market investigations will allow one to assess the compatibility of the profession with their education levels (Boxman, and Henk, 2015). If one is searching for the job of their profession, they need to be keen about the job opportunities and the work environment such that they make sure they are compatible with their personality and skills as well.

Investigating the job market helps to find out what jobs are available. One has to investigate what the job market is going to be like for someone with their credentials before they can think about starting an active job search. (Cottrell, 2015) Job search is a personal endeavour and even the aspects of a good market overall may not ultimately translate into success if one lacks the top skills that the employers are looking for in the employees and applicants (Boxman, and Henk, 2015). It makes more sense to spend much time doing the research if one does not have to find the job immediately.

The job market investigations help an individual decide which factors to consider. The investigations become the initial strategies that one needs to attend to so that they will be aware that the rate of unemployment is not a factor to consider (Segris, 2009). They should focus on what the market is like for a candidate that has the skills, experience as well as good levels of education and where they fit so that they are not disappointed if they do not meet the criteria of the employees (Jain, et al. 2015). There is a wealth of data online that one needs to use to discover what they are worth, the salary they need to be looking for and the companies hiring people like them.

One needs to know how they should check up for the job market. They should first figure out what they want to do. They may be thinking about a career switch or a similar position to the one they have. Once the individual has a lost of options, they will be able to determine how easy it is to find a new job in that field (Reed, 1984). Applicants also need to consider how long it will take to find the new job. The more the earning, the longer the job is likely to take (Hirschi, 2014). The qualifications should match the jobs that they are applying. They also need to check out on the job listings to discover the job title, experience, education, location, type of position and so help to narrow down to the options (Hempe, 2015). It is also important that they start networking because this is the way to learn more about the job market and it can help get hired.

The passion trap is a bad advice to follow. It is a trap because the more emphasis that one puts into finding work that they love, the unhappier they become when they don't love every minute of the work they have (Kwon, 2017). One needs to consider a few things about the job they are applying for in the area they say they are interested (Jain, et al. 2015). One needs to consider whether it will still be their passion once the job becomes full-time. One may be passionate about things like cooking and baking but when it becomes monotonous, they seem not to enjoy it. Thus, one gets discouraged about the work and is now thinking of quitting.

It is necessary to consider whether one is actually good enough compared to everyone else who has the same passion (Henry, 2015). Passion more so goes to many creative industries were there many people competing to become top known for performing arts yet many of them are not as good as they may think (Swanson, et al. 2015). The passion in the industry is not a guarantee that they have the ability or skills and one finds that there are others better than them. One crucial thing for consideration is whether the passion they have it is only for a moment of their life and that it is likely to change at a later date (Manroop, et al. 2018). Thus, it becomes a tricky case to consider and follow.

Conclusion

In conclusion, there are more benefits of first investigating the job market rather than considering one's passion. It is because passion raises many questions on the demand of the work, the time frame of the passion, abilities and whether one can work to sustain the lifestyle they want (Baird, 2015). These are temporal and may land one in uncomfortable situations. Individuals need to search for what the job market describes the work for people with credentials like theirs and the requirements. It is better to consider investigating the job market when choosing a profession than following dreams and passion.

Works cited

Baird, Brian. Internship, practicum, and field placement handbook. Routledge, 2015.

Boxman, Ed, and Henk Flap. "Getting started: the influence of social capital on the start of the occupational career." Social capital. Routledge, 2017. 159-181.

Cottrell, Stella. Skills for success: Personal development and employability. Macmillan International Higher Education, 2015.

DeVellis, Robert F. Scale development: Theory and applications. Vol. 26. Sage publications, 2016.

Granovetter, Mark. Getting a job: A study of contacts and careers. University of Chicago Press, 2018.

Hempel, Mary-Ellen. "Career development workshop: Choosing your career." Ideas for Career Practitioners: Celebrating Excellence in Career Practice (2015): 106.

Henry, Michele L. "The musical experiences, career aspirations, and attitudes toward the music education profession of all-state musicians." Journal of Music Teacher Education 24.2 (2015): 40-53.

Hirschi, Andreas. "Hope as a resource for self-directed career management: Investigating mediating effects on proactive career behaviours and life and job satisfaction." Journal of Happiness Studies 15.6 (2014): 1495-1512.

Jain, Neetu, and Prachi Bhatt. "Employment preferences of job applicants: unfolding employer branding determinants." Journal of Management Development 34.6 (2015): 634-652.

Kwon, Eugena. "For Passion or for Future Family?" Exploring Factors Influencing Career and Family Choices of Female Medical Students and Residents." Gender Issues 34.2 (2017): 186-200.

Manroop, Laxmikant, and Julia Richardson. "Job search: a multidisciplinary review and research agenda." International Journal of Management Reviews 18.2 (2016): 206-227.

Reed, Jeffrey G. "Career planning and exploration: An exercise for use in industrial psychology courses." The teaching of Psychology (1984).

Segrist, Dan J., and Laura A. Pawlow. "Who do you know? Demonstrating networking in a careers in psychology course." Journal of Instructional Psychology 36.4 (2009): 352.

Stoodley, Martha. Information Interviewing: How to tap your hidden job market. JG Ferguson Publishing Company, 1997.

Swanson, Jane L., and Nadya A. Fouad. Career theory and practice: Learning through case studies. Sage publications, 2014.