First of all you should try to understand yourself, i.e. your personality type, strong academic areas, interests, hobbies etc. You should also think as to what do you want to do in life and why ?
Do not worry, these are not philosophical questions and there are no rights or wrong answers.
You must be honest with yourself as the idea is to understand yourself and then plan ahead accordingly.
Carry out your own S.W.O.T analysis. (Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) It may reveal that:-
- You have a good physique but are lazy.
-
You want to be popular but are shy.
-
You are fond of music and can play guitar.
-
You want to study further and do MBA after you B.Com but are not good at mathematics.
-
You are not sure which discipline to choose for MBA and what will be the best choice
-
Will the CAT entrance be too tough? You are afraid of failure and the loss of face.
-
Will the course be too tough?
-
You can study for long hours near the exams but are not regular.
-
You tend to get easily disheartened.
-
Your parents can partly finance your education.
-
How will be the job market after three years, when you can expect to pass out?
Note-This is just a sample and only part of the analysis. Your own analysis will be far more detailed and will lead you towards your career choices.
Be prepared to face the facts and do not be too self critical. Most beautiful actors, when asked their own opinion about themselves, find their nose bent, face too long etc. and far less than perfect than you would expect.
You can systematically work on improving your weak areas, while maintaining your strong areas through continuous attention.
The next step is to chose the correct line for higher (post school) education. While engineering and medicine continue to very prestigious, many new disciplines have gained prominence and can also provide good opportunities.
It is highly recommended that you should study mathematics up to school board examinations or else take extra coaching classes. This will help you in many competitive exams.
Today diverse fields like media, retail, hospitality, insurance and telecom also provide good career options .In every field dedicated hard work is required, even if some options like electronic journalism or television acting appear to be very glamorous from the distance.
There is no free lunch.
You should make choice of the field of education, keeping in mind your career aspirations and your abilities, interests, passion etc. Do not try to only copy others or follow a popular sentiment.
Please note that you must aim to be in the top five percent of your class and your career field to be counted. If not exactly there, keep trying to do better. Also keep trying to reinvent through training.
A well rounded personality will emerge with sound academics and participation in sports and extra curricular activities. You need not be the best in every activity, but a good participation will enhance your confidence and enrich your resume.
Think positively as attitude makes all the difference. Look at the glass as ‘half-full’ and move ahead without complaining.
A well groomed and neatly dressed person always gets appreciation and this will improve your own sense of well being.
Learn to be disciplined in your timings and commitments. The famous actor Amitabh Bachhan is praised as much for his punctuality and grace as for his acting.
Contribute for the wellbeing of your organization. Be respectful with your boss and cordial with your peers and juniors. No one likes an opinionated and a self centered person.
Conclusion
You need to therefore select that career option for which you are best equipped academically and which matches your personality type, interests etc.
Arun Vedhera
An Engineer,M.B.A with 34 yrs. of Managment Experience in the Industry. As a Top Management Professional,well versed with all the functional areas and the human dynamics. Passionate about management education and a satisfied customer of Life.