Career decisions are pivotal choices in an individual’s life. The decisions taken in this phase tend to have a lifelong impact. However, things are not as siloed and rigid as they used to be. Career change is getting more mainstream and will soon be the norm, rather than the exception. Non-linear careers based on a strong foundational set of core skills will be the way to go forward. This article will look at debunking some more career myths for a more nuanced and realistic perspective on career planning.
Myth 1 – Your College Major Determines Your Career Path
Let’s say you’re a nursing professional who’s considering an advanced degree and stressing over MSN vs DNP. Well, worry not – a common misconception is that your college major will lock you into a specific career. Less than one in three college grads have jobs related to their majors. This is primarily because employers no longer fuss about what degree you have on paper.
Instead, they care more about what value you can bring to the table and what skills you are adept at. That is why you must identify a set of core skills (including soft skills like communication) that you think you can excel at and focus on building your competency over time.
Myth 2 – You Must Follow Your Passion for a Successful Career
Passion is indeed important. But it is not the only factor to consider. It would be impractical to pursue a degree in a field you’re passionate about, like mining engineering, that might soon be redundant. The market forces of demand and supply determine your compensation. So, factoring that along with your passion would be a wise choice. Additionally, you might not always be good at what you like. You must take a realistic assessment of your skill sets and ensure they are suitable for the career you wish to pursue. For instance, you might be interested in finance but weak in number crunching- a weak combination.
Myth 3 – High Salary Equals Job Satisfaction
Good pay is indeed great. While it might be a source of immense motivation at the beginning of your career, it fades away as time passes. A good framework to understand this would be Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.
Initially, good pay would satiate your basic physiological needs and give you immense satisfaction. After a while, you might start to appreciate the steady income, job security, and safe work environment.
As time passes, you might crave social belongingness and begin to foster solid relationships at work- focusing on co-working and collaboration. Creating a close-knit group of people would seem more satisfying to you.
After that, you might have ambitions of rising up the ranks. Recognition at work, promotion, and achievements would now fuel your drive to survive and thrive at your job.
Finally, you might crave purpose and innovation at work at the twilight of your career. Leaving a lasting employee and doing meaningful work would fuel your desire to work. Hence, selecting a career purely based on the pay could turn out to be a rather poor choice.
Myth 4 – Changing Careers Means Starting Over Completely
This statement could not be further from the truth. As stated before, your focus should be on building a core set of foundational skills that can be useful across domains. These transferable skills would eventually make the transition easier when you decide to make a pivot.
For instance, a Journalist wishing to work as a Content Strategist would find the same focus on building narratives, managing deadlines, and doing solid research in content marketing. Similarly, a Retail Manager transitioning into an HR Specialist would find out how leadership, people management, and customer service skills could be applied in the new role.
Myth 5 – Networking Is Only for Salespeople and Extroverts
References are a powerful weapon when hunting for jobs. A good chunk of jobs are usually filled through them. Hence, Networking is beneficial for all professionals, regardless of industry or personality type. Also, it would never hurt to have good connections in the field. Granted, the prospect of reaching out to strangers and trying to connect with them could be a daunting prospect for some. In such cases, try to find a networking partner. Having an accomplice could lead to accountability and also reduce fear. Additionally, preparing well before events and following up with new connections could turn out to be the missing ingredient.
Modern careers have shed the preconceived notions of rigidity and continuity. Professionals entering the workforce can maximize their progress by being aware of myths and rumors. Keeping an open mind and building strong foundational skills can be the starting point for a successful and fulfilling career.
