How to Pick a Career for All the Wrong Reasons

Colorful street sign labeled career opportunity. Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.

Do you know what you want to do with the rest of your life? You do? That’s great!

Unfortunately, at least according to an economist named Neil Howe, 95 percent of us have no idea how to choose a job that’s right for us. Not really. We may think we know – we may even come up with criteria – but only 1 out of every 20 people gets it right out of the gate.

Why do we make such poor decisions? Because we focus on all the wrong things. And I’m not saying that in any kind of judgmental way, either, because I’ve certainly made my share of mistakes. It’s hard not to, because it’s not any one specific thing that causes this career disappointment. How varied are the paths to a job you don’t like? Read on.

Look for dollar signs. Making money may lead to personal security and freedom, but simply seeking out a high-paying profession and going for it doesn’t take into account a whole host of other things – like, say, if you actually enjoy the work. Moreover, we tend to spend up to the amount that we make, so unless you’re raking in millions, a high salary job might just mean that you waste more money.

Go for your passion. It may seem strange to people that I’m putting this on here as a bad thing, but there’s a very good reason why chasing your dreams can cause you to fall flat on your face. The thing about creative or very high-end professions is that only a very few people tend to have any success in them. And I’m not just talking about actors, writers, and athletes – not very many people become astronauts, either. But this isn’t a way of saying that you just might not be good enough – the reason highly-successful people become so highly-successful is usually because they are willing to sacrifice every other aspect of their life to achieve that success. If you’re not, happiness isn’t likely to follow.

Follow your friends. My first day of kindergarten, I made new friends so much that I followed them onto their bus so we could keep hanging out. Several hours and lots of tears later, the bus driver was still trying to figure out where the heck I lived. Choosing a profession based on what your friends choose is a lot like that. Don’t do it.

Swallow the marketing. Did you know that if you become a Marine you get to fight dragons?! At least, that’s what their marketing department would have you believe. Obviously that one is ridiculously far-fetched and no one (I hope) really believes it, but the same thing is true for, say, any profession you’ve ever seen represented on a TV show. Be a cop and catch all kinds of bad guys? Ha! Real cops say that the most realistic cop show was the sitcom Barney Miller. Doctor friends highlight Scrubs. Don’t be fooled into thinking a career is inherently going to be cool or fun or exciting.

Do what you’re told. How many of us have felt pressured towards a certain career or lifestyle by family and friends? There are actually a lot of good things that can come from this type of pressure, but you should never choose a profession solely because it’s what your parents want you to do. You’ll end up resenting both them and the work, and that’s no fun for anyone.

Do what you’re good at. This is another one that may seem odd, but just because you have a skill at something doesn’t mean that you want to be doing it every day for the rest of your life. I’ve been told that I’m a great salesman on multiple occasions, but the one true sales job I had made me sick to my stomach – even though I made a decent bit of money doing it. The point is, you need to be comfortable with something to make it your life’s work, not just skilled at it.

So, how do you choose the career that’s right for you? Experiment by taking temp positions in several fields that interest you. Research industries and specific jobs with a tool that lets you answer all kinds of common questions, including what the average salary is and what field of study you need to go into. Take some career assessment tests. The key is to find work that matches a combination of your skills and your personality, so keep looking until you find something that really stands out.

Josh Weiss-Roessler is a freelance writer and co-owner of Weiss-Roessler Writing. He frequently writes career advice and job search blogs and enjoys sharing his experiences in the working world. An Austinite by way of Los Angeles, you can usually find him hanging out with his wife, baby son, and two dogs when he’s not working. Learn more about his writing on Twitter: @weissroessler