What is Your Profession? How to Choose the Right One

What is Your Profession? How to Choose the Right One

At some point in your career journey, you may ask: "What's my profession?"

Learning your profession helps you turn what you know and can do into possibilities. It eventually leads you to land a job that will jumpstart a successful career.

What is a Profession?

A profession is a job based on education, knowledge, training, and behavior. It's the product of your knowledge and experience. To put it simply, a profession is what you do. You may be a doctor or an engineer, and whatever profession you are doing within a specialized field.

Having a profession helps you develop the abilities you need for any future job you choose to take. It includes:

  • Improvement in what you can offer by knowing your strengths and weaknesses
  • Knowledge expansion by using your existing understanding of things while learning more along the way
  • Enhancement of your self-discipline and management skills by working with time schedules and goals
  • Strengthening your personal development and social relationships

Knowing what your profession is matters in every job hunt. You can assess your knowledge and skillset and use them in landing the job that suits you best. These things should guide you in answering the question, "What profession should I choose?"

What Profession Should I Choose?

  1. Ask yourself: "What do you do?"

    A profession is what you do or your current line of work. There are instances, however, when you are confronted with a decision to grow and switch to another profession. Whatever stage you are in your career path, it is always better to ask yourself first what you do and whether you want to explore more opportunities. This is essential to choosing the right profession for you.

    Note that there are no right or wrong ways to assemble your professional career.

  2. Check your interests

    Consider your preferences if you still don't have a clear answer to the "What profession should I choose?" question. These preferences should include the work environment and a profession's direction.

    Doing so delivers improvement in your job satisfaction. It also motivates you to develop your skills and a stronger sense of self-awareness. It creates a sense of fulfillment of feeling productive by choosing something that makes you interested.

  3. Consider your past work experiences

    Consider your previous experiences by listing your answers to the question, "What is your profession?"

    It'll help you filter the types of tasks you like and dislike. You can use it to decide on the right profession for you. Reviewing your past work experience also allows you to evaluate your ability. Can you perform a role successfully and contribute to an organization?

  4. Explore industries and sectors

    Explore your job possibilities in other industries as long as they interest you and have enough compensation. Research major roles, career directions, and the expected growth in your prospective sectors.

    Identifying what profession you should choose can also involve exploring jobs in a different sector. Private employment offers better opportunities for personal and career growth. Meanwhile, working for the public has more potential stability. If you're looking for a more meaningful profession, check out non-profit organizations.

  5. Ask for help from professional sources

    If you find it challenging to choose the right profession for you, employ the help of professional sources. They can provide an outside perspective to help you assess your situation. They'll guide you to find the right profession for you based on your interests, past experiences, and willingness to explore.

Check the Possibilities of Your Potential

Answering the question, "What is your profession?" will eventually help you arrive at an apparent response to the other question, "What profession should I choose?"

Work to figure out the best combination of what you want, what you can, and what you're willing to explore.

Do you already have a profession in mind? Check the possibilities of what you can do with Career.com.

Written by Career Specialist May 29, 2023
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