There may be many careers that
fit with your personality and interests but it can be the values that help
differentiate which careers would really suit you.
Money is a good
example. If the potential to earn a large salary is important to you then this
is likely to exclude a lot of careers that might otherwise have been suitable
for you. Even if earning a high salary isn’t key I would always encourage
clients to compare the earning potential of different careers and to reflect on
the type of lifestyle that they want to achieve to make sure that the two
coincide.
As we go through
life, it is likely that what we value about work changes. In our 20’s we may be
more interested in travelling and developing our skills whereas as family
commitment increase work-life balance may become more important. Reflecting on
these shifts in values can also be very helpful for clients to understand their
dissatisfaction with their current situation.
I use a card
sorting exercise to explore which values are key for clients, whether its about
work life balance, the opportunity to develop your skills or the opportunity to
travel, exploring your values is a key part in the process of understanding
what is right for you.