Career Path Octagon - Matrix to choose right career for you!

This is a Japanese philosophy, and it is derived from two words “iki” and “gai,”. Iki meaning life and gai meaning value.. It means your reason for being, your life purpose.

Now..How does it help you in your career choice?

Your ikigai embodies;

• First, What you love doing.

• Second, What you're good at.

• Third, What you can be paid for.

• Fourth, What the world needs.

When you combine. What you love doing and What you are good at - That becomes your passion.

When you combine. What you are good at and What you can be paid for - That becomes your Profession.

When you combine. What you can be paid for + What the world needs - That becomes your Calling.

When you combine. What the world needs + what you love doing- That becomes your Mission.

When your passion, Mission, Calling and your profession meets, your work won’t feel like work, because you will enjoy every moment of it!

When you identify with all of these concepts, you know what career is your true calling. If you pick the right career using this framework, you will embrace it no matter what challenges you face.

Ikigai is a Japanese concept that means your 'reason for being. ' 'Iki' in Japanese means 'life,' and 'gai' describes value or worth. Your ikigai is your life purpose or your bliss. It's what brings you joy and inspires you to get out of bed every day.

Before choosing a career, know where your affection is.

• Where do you see yourself getting most involved?

• What are the things you crave doing?

• What would you do, even if it doesn’t pay much? ( I am not saying pick a career that pays less, I am saying pick a skill where you don’t work only for money).

• What tasks will you keep trying even if you don’t get the results you desire?

Once you can answer these questions, you gain a clear picture of what career direction would be the best fit for you. The benefit of picking a career you have affection for is the career where you put in your best at all times, and you keep striving even when you don't get the results you desire. Your love for the work you do sustains you in your career.

For Amit, it’s coaching. Amit coaches a certain number of kids, even though they can’t afford his coaching. He does it because he would rather do that for free instead of a boring job which he has no affection for.

And We understand, Everyone is at a different stage of their life so add your context to this point and see what works for you.

1. You’re excited about it I’ve been so excited about things I’m passionate about that I actually lose sleep 0ver them. Although this isn’t a good thing, it’s a clear sign that whatever I’m working has my attention. If you’re in the midst of something that might become a “true passion” for you, try to measure and assess your own excitement level: Work on part of a task or project related to the passion. See how easy it is to “compartmentalize” after you finish. When you go back to your real life, is it to forget about the project? If it keeps bugging you, then you've found your passion. At one point, I wanted to be a full-time musician: playing gigs, selling CDs, and so on. But after years of practicing, rehearsing, and learning about the music business, I realized it didn't excite me as much as it once did. Once I discovered I was better at helping other musicians market themselves, a new passion took hold. And I spent the next few years building an indie record store, promoting the bands I loved. 2. You’re falling behind For me, how far behind I am on a passion-related project is a great barometer of how passionate I am about it. Sound strange? Well, hang in there with me… When I started writing, I had a great first run of success and then plateaued. I couldn’t figure out how to develop my characters, how to transition from one scene to the next, or how to create a believable story arc. I constantly felt behind, as if I was missing something important. After sticking with the process, I now have a 110,000-word-long novel, ready to be released. And I’m even working on another. With the second novel, I keep thinking of things I should be doing, things I've learned from doing it the first time. And the more I do this, the more behind I feel. Which could feel paralyzing, but instead it feels empowering. This feeling is important. Why? Because it tells me I care enough the project to worry about it. When analyzing your own passion, you may discover this same sense. It's a good thing, this behind-ness. It can be a boon to stave off procrastination and motivate you to be more productive. Understanding how far we've come but still how far we have to go is the only way we get better. 3. You can’t easily define it As a writer, I don’t see an end in sight. There’s no “sell a million books”-type goal that fuels me. Nor is there a specific genre I want to tie myself to or one day master. And frankly, I'm okay with that. If you’re dealing with a true passion and not just a fleeting “side project,” you’re probably going to have a hard time defining it. When someone asks you what you do for a living, you might shrug and say something like, “Well, I, uh, blog, and create stuff, and uh…” There’s nothing wrong with this. Feeling like you’re in a broad category of “creatives” or “artists” is totally fine. Keep your goal-setting and planning more to the project level. You can leave your core passion a little undefined. I’ve often had more than one passion in life. Some were seasonal, while others stuck around for years. A few even took thousands of hours to pursue. What always happened, though, is that each effort eventually led to a better understanding of my purpose. The same will be true for you. If you watch your excitement, keep striving to be better, and never give up (even when you aren't quite sure what you're doing), you'll find your passion, as well.

Here we become more practical. We've established that you have a career direction you're passionate about. Now, what kind of skills does that career require? Do you have them or is it fairly easy for you to develop them?

For instance, a person who is passionate about teaching, let's say kindergarten, should have basic classroom skills like patience to deal with kids, the ability to communicate effectively with children, parents, and colleagues, creative skills and the ability to multitask and plan.

The majority of skills you can develop, but it can be smart to find a career that suits well with your natural abilities and skills. If you have hard time writing, it might not be a great idea to be a writer. If you are a good communicator than starting a podcast or working in a client facing job would be better for you. Consider the jobs where your natural skills works in your favor not against you.

4th Qualifications:

Qualifications are different from skills. Determine if you can be qualified for the position you are dreaming about.

Qualifications determine if a person is fit for a certain position. While some qualifications can be acquired, others cannot.

Be mindful of your physical capabilities when trying to be qualified for a job.

• For example: Do you want to be an NBA player? An average height of an NBA player is 6.6 Feet.

Some jobs require a high level of education with Certifications and licenses.

Knowing the requisite level of qualification in your prospective career is important.

• Do you want to be a Doctor? It requires 6 to 12 years of education to be a doctor.

I am not trying to discourage you and There are many qualifications that can be acquired but are you willing to go down that path? Ask yourself this question before starting a path that can be longer than you might think.

Salary is not as highly valued as career fulfillment and should not be the only deciding factor for choosing a career, but it is still worth considering. Your salary should at least level up with your expectations.

You should research the salary structures for people who are already working in your dream jobs and have an idea of what you could get paid. Maybe money is more important for you than some other factors and not all jobs can pay as high as you might think, even in the future.

Another question you need to ask is, Is the income worth the effort and time you will put in at work?

I have worked with many colleges and mentored many professionals who regret choosing a career because in certain fields the potential salary doesn’t cross a certain amount, no matter how hard they work or how smart they are.

I have also seen colleagues who are millionaires but they are miserable in their life because they chose a career only for money. You can only answer what matters to you the most and act accordingly.

Money may not be the most important thing for you but it does affect the majority of important things.

You might have heard 'work-life balance', but work-life harmony is even more important. Work-Life Harmony means that you find fulfillment and enjoy your career, and it creates harmony with your life outside your career. You give out positive energy and create a suitable atmosphere for yourself and the people around you.

At the same time, If your work or career makes you unhappy and grumpy, people around you wouldn't like to be associated with you, Why? Because you bring all the bad energy with you, courtesy of your work life. So while choosing a career, you have to ensure that your work makes you happy and in turn, affects your family and your work environment positively.

Here, you consider the opportunities in store for you when you select a particular career. Think about the skills you'll learn, the experiences you'll gain, and how relevant they are in the long run. Consider how your career choice will lead to more advancement opportunities in your career field.

This refers to what is available in the job market. For instance, digital skills seem to be gaining ground in the career world and people with digital skills are and will be in demand for at least a few decades. In selecting a career, pick one which is on-demand, profitable, and relevant to current career trends.

So, Pick a career that is on-demand, profitable, and relevant.

Here, you consider the opportunities in store for you when you select a particular career. Think about the skills you'll learn, the experiences you'll gain, and how relevant they are in the long run. Consider how your career choice will lead to more advancement opportunities in your career field.

This refers to what is available in the job market. For instance, digital skills seem to be gaining ground in the career world and people with digital skills are and will be in demand for at least a few decades. In selecting a career, pick one which is on-demand, profitable, and relevant to current career trends.

So, Pick a career that is on-demand, profitable, and relevant.

Don’t go in a declining field.

For example, Telephone operators or Bank tellers are not the career that will keep growing and there will be fewer opportunities in the next 10 years than what it is now.

As you contemplate a career choice, bear in mind what are your life priorities and what kind of life you want to build.

• How does your work impact your life?

• Where do you see yourself in the next 2 and also in 10 years?

• What is your work style?

• Are you comfortable planning your own work schedule? Or do you like being told what to do?

• Do you like indoor or outdoor work environments?

• Do you want to travel and work?

• Do you want to do remote work or do you like working in an office?

Understanding your life priorities can help with the kind of career you choose.

For example, if you like working from home, don’t go to a field that requires your physical presence at one location.

Choosing your career is an important decision and you can make the right decision when you understand yourself!

You deserve a fulfilling career and all the happiness in life!

I want you to create the life YOU aspire to live and enjoy a fulfilling career.

Our journey doesn’t have to end here. If you have any questions please contact me at @CoachYoCareer wherever you get your content.