Selecting the Best Career Options after your Intermediate (12th)

After completing their intermediate studies, all students must select a field in which they wish to establish a future career. This juncture is often regarded as a critical point in one’s life, due to the impact it would have on all the future choices an individual makes. All around the world, there is a lot of focus given on choosing the perfect career that suits one’s personality, interests, and ambitions for life.

Unfortunately, in Pakistan, there is a lack of comprehensive guidelines regarding career counseling. Students are mostly left to their own devices to make this decision or rely on the preferences of their elders to decide for them. As a result, elders, whose own professions were chosen by their elders, tend to dictate their children’s future careers, leaving them without the ability to make their own choices.

Regrettably, during this decision-making process, these elders seldom consider the interests or personalities of their children. Instead, their primary concern is the perceived scope of the chosen field or how much money it can create for the family. Due to these social practices, we have a lot of students studying degrees that they have no interest in; ultimately affecting the quality of work that they do once they become professionals.

In reality, there are no hard and fast rules stating that one field or career option is inherently good while another is bad. It depends on the interests and future goals of the students, and the passion that they have for their goals.

In this article, we will discuss those parameters by which a candidate can find the best career option for him. So, if you are a student who is confused about making a career choice, or confused about finding your interest, this article will be a beacon of light for you.

Know Your Interest and Future Goals

Career choices primarily depend on your interests, which can be determined by understanding your personality and future goals. Some students easily identify these interests as they gravitate towards specific fields from an early age, nurturing their dreams over time. These students often benefit from a conducive educational environment that encourages them to explore their passions.

However, there is another category of students who solely focus on clearing exams and perceive studying as burdensome. These students lack access to quality education and are not guided to discover their interests. Consequently, after completing intermediate studies, they struggle to identify their inner passions and lack clear goals.

This scenario is common among many students in Pakistan. It is recommended that such students participate in career counseling sessions to explore their life’s purpose. These sessions, which can be organized in colleges and schools, aim to enlighten students about the diverse career options available in the market. By helping students uncover their interests, these sessions pave the way for them to choose a field that aligns with their personality and aspirations with greater ease.

If such options are not available where a student lives, he can try exploring different fields and their prospects on the internet. It is important to understand that you are not alone in your confusions and students all around the world undergo the same challenges that you do. Here is a video discussing similar ideas.

Research Career Options

Once you’re confident that you’ve identified your interests in line with your personality and future aspirations, it’s time to explore degree options that align with those interests. Researching career options is a pivotal step in life, requiring thorough investigation into various fields to pinpoint the best fit for you.

During this process, seeking advice from experts and utilizing online resources can provide valuable guidance. Try to find at least three-degree programs that meet your needs. Among these three programs, keep in mind that you should select the one that resonates with your future goals and also serves a need in society.

It is also essential to consider factors such as academic performance and financial feasibility. For instance, some students may discover a passion for medicine, but if they’ve scored poorly in their intermediate exams and can’t afford the high fees, pursuing this field may not be feasible. Therefore, when selecting your field or area of interest, it’s crucial to consider both your academic performance and financial circumstances.

Understand Markets and Demands

After selecting or making a list of degree programs that suit your personality, the next step is to research whether the selected degree program will be needed by society. Consider whether your services will have an impact on the community you are living in. If not, then it’s essential to rethink and potentially re-select the degree program.

In our perspective, there’s nothing as critical as societal relevance. Scope, in our view, simply implies whether the chosen degree program fulfills a societal need or not. If there is a demand for the degree you’ve selected, then it’s a viable option to pursue.

Every degree or program that is needed by the society to continue or improve its everyday life can never go out of business and will remain respected and needed in the future, regardless of how unappealing it might feel to any person.

Conclusion

In conclusion, choosing a degree program after completing intermediate studies represents a pivotal phase in one’s life. This decision should be grounded in thorough research and a deep understanding of one’s personality, goals, and ambitions.

Unfortunately, in Pakistan, a dearth of equal opportunities and career guidance compounds the challenge for students in selecting their future paths. Students in many part of the country lack the resources to reliably research, explore, and fin their ideal careers.

At the same time, familial elders often wield significant influence, further complicating matters. As a result, students frequently find themselves compelled to pursue studies in fields that hold little to no interest for them, leading to diminished job satisfaction and minimal societal impact.

Proper career counseling, coupled with the identification of individual interests and life goals, can significantly aid in selecting a path that aligns with one’s needs and aspirations. It is essential to prioritize both personal fulfillment and societal relevance when embarking on the journey toward a fulfilling career.