Skills, Interests, Values How to pick the best career for you

A person’s choice of career should revolve around one’s orientation in life, which comprises three factors: skills, interests and values. If you choose a career that enables you achieve success using your best skills, doing the kinds of work that relate to your favorite interests and in harmony with your core values, you will derive total job satisfaction in life.

Skills Consider the various skills you might have: Soft Skills (intuitive, creative and emotional right side of the brain). Examples: communications, getting along with others, leadership, negotiating, handling stress Hard Skills (analytical and logical left side of the brain). Examples: math, sciences, problem solving, reasoning, logic

Interests How do you find out your interests? Assume you have enough leisure time and plenty of resources ($); what would you do? How you like to spend your leisure time gives a clue to your interests. Will the career you choose enable you to satisfy your interests at work, or will you have enough time to pursue them on your own?

Values Values are your morals, ideals, ethics, help form your personality, influence your behaviors and attitudes. Examples: honesty, integrity, loyalty, prestige, happiness, friendship, family life, achievement, independence, education, power, money, independence, freedom

Your values are the most important and critical aspect of your career orientation. If you want to enhance certain skills, you can work on it. Similarly, you can change your interests, devoting time to those interests you would like to create, acquire or strengthen. Skills can be learned, interests can be developed, but values are intrinsic (or come from the inside of someone). It is very difficult to change your core values. You may compromise your values, but you can’t change them. Before you choose your career, you must determine the compatibility and harmony between the career and your orientation in life [your skills, interests and values].