Finding the right career niche is crucial for your personal happiness and your professional success. But it is not always easy to find the “right place” where you can translate your passion, goals, values and strength into a paycheck. First, you must spend time thinking about what is important to you and what you want from life.
Then you need to be honest as to where your strengths and weaknesses reside. Finally, gather your passion and strengths to find a market gap that you are able to fill. The simplest way to do this is to refine what sets you apart from others that might have the same skills and passions.
Identify your personal values and life goals
Before you can find the right career niche for you, you must first know what is important to you and what you want to accomplish in life. In this way you will be able to identify if an opportunity harmonizes with your personal values and your broader vision for your life so that you can stay on a path that allows you to remain true to yourself. Otherwise you can take what appears to be a dream job only to find out after your new position does not give you the flexibility you need to spend time with your children, travel or do other things that can be all As important to you as your career.
Or, you might end up working for a company whose policies do not match your own values. Maybe you are a firm environmentalist and your company does not or does not want any sustainability practice in place. Maybe you are offering a premium to offer quality customer service and your employer has a bad reputation for providing outstanding customer service. You will not be happy to work in any of these jobs.
Specify your passions
Some people seem to know what they are passionate about since they were old enough to know everything. But most of us need many years of experience and a good introspection to discover our passions. To find out which career, or career, makes your heart beat faster, ask yourself some of these questions:
• If you had a lot of money, a lot of time, and never worry about practicality, what would you do?
• Are you jealous of a friend’s job? If so, what is it
• What is the job, no matter what crazy or stupid, you really want to try it safely?
• If you could start a business selling absolutely a service or product, what would you sell?
• Who are your friends completely sick and tired of hearing you talk, but you never do?
• If you could work in any part of the world, where would you work?
Once you find the answers to these questions, you will know what you are passionate about, and you will be much closer to identifying your career niche. Your passion can lead you to a whole new career, but this is not always the case. Sometimes, discovering your passion can inspire you to specialize in your current field. For example, if you are an RN, learning more about your true passions might encourage you to pursue a nursing specialization and translate your clinical skills into a career in nursing or nursing leadership.
To know itself
To succeed in a career niche, you must be brutally honest with yourself about your strengths and weaknesses. If you are not sure, you can conduct personality or fitness tests online to help you identify your strengths and weaknesses. This way, you will not end up pursuing something you might be passionate about, but who have absolutely no talent.
If you have time to think, you can keep a journal and note when you feel particularly happy, successful and empowered, as well as when you feel stressed, distressed and unhappy. This will help you identify the things that you are best at and the most accomplished accomplishment, while helping you avoid career paths that will only lead to misery.
What makes you unique?
The last step to identify your career niche is to know what sets you apart. For example, many nurses have a passion for helping others and want to make a difference, but what makes you different from most other nurses? Maybe it’s your strong leadership capacity or your commitment to mentoring young nurses. Many entrepreneurs are fiercely independent and passionate about business, but what sets you apart from other entrepreneurs?
Maybe you are not very outgoing and would like to secretly start a business to help other introverts realize their own small business dreams. While it makes sense to try to address a more general market, you will enjoy more success if you need a specific group of people with an unmet need.
If you want to enjoy a successful and fulfilling career, you will have to find and occupy your niche. While it sounds intimidating, it’s really a matter of knowing what you want and what you’re good at, and finding a way to translate these things into a marketable skill. Of course, it may take a little more effort than drifting from one job to another until it’s time to retire, but you’ll be glad you made the effort when You expect another day at work.
About the Author
My name is Ashley and I am a freelance writer from Newyorkessays.com. I am a graduate of Psychology from the Columbia University in the City of New York, where I edited the literary journal and tutored students in writing. Worked in a wide range of areas related to writing, psychology, education, public speaking, essay and the psychology of technology.
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