Concept

Career orientation is when we make our own choices that determine our work and
future plans. You need to set out the right directions, specific goals and try your best
to achieve it.
Difficulties encountered when orienting career
Navigating a career is often akin to traversing a labyrinth, fraught with numerous
challenges and obstacles. One of the most common difficulties encountered is the
ambiguity surrounding career choices. With the plethora of options available in
today's dynamic job market, individuals often find themselves overwhelmed and
uncertain about the right path to pursue. Moreover, the rapidly evolving nature of
industries and technologies exacerbates this uncertainty, as what may seem like a
promising field today could become obsolete tomorrow. Another significant hurdle is
the struggle to strike a balance between passion and practicality. Many individuals
grapple with the tension between pursuing their true interests and adhering to societal
expectations or financial obligations. This internal conflict can lead to feelings of
dissatisfaction and disillusionment, as individuals may find themselves trapped in
careers that fail to fulfill their intrinsic desires. Additionally, the competitive nature of
the job market poses a formidable challenge, with qualified candidates vying for
limited opportunities. As a result, securing meaningful employment often requires
navigating through countless rejections and setbacks, which can take a toll on one's
confidence and morale. Furthermore, the lack of mentorship and guidance exacerbates
these challenges, leaving individuals to navigate their career paths alone. Without the
support of experienced mentors or advisors, many find themselves groping in the
dark, unsure of how to advance or make informed decisions. Finally, the prevalence of
work-life balance issues adds another layer of complexity to career navigation.
Balancing professional aspirations with personal responsibilities and wellness can be
a Herculean task, particularly in today's hyperconnected world where boundaries
between work and personal life are increasingly blurred. In sum, while embarking on
a career journey is undoubtedly exciting, it is not without its share of trials and
tribulations.
Meaning
Career orientation is where each individual sets their own future career choices. These
options need to be consistent with abilities, interests, personality, family conditions...
and other factors such as income level and job opportunities.
Although everyone knows career guidance is necessary, not everyone understands its
importance. In our opinion, career orientation brings enormous values:
• Career orientation will help you work in a job that suits your interests and abilities,
thereby ensuring the quality of life in both material and spiritual aspects. Making the
wrong career decision will make you feel depressed, helpless, stuck and lose faith in
yourself.
• Correct career guidance from the beginning helps you reach success faster because
the job is right for your strengths and passions.
• Correct career orientation will reduce the risk of quitting your job, working in the
wrong job, working in many different jobs, and even becoming unemployed.
• With the right career orientation, you will plan your studies more effectively. You
know clearly what you need to improve, thus saving time and money investing in
studying inappropriate courses and occupations.
Where do you base your career orientation?
Personal bias: Each individual has their own unique characteristics, strengths and
weaknesses. Therefore, career orientation must first come from your own talents,
interests and inclinations. When you rely on yourself to orient your career, you will
find balance in life and satisfy your own desires.
Being able to do work that suits your strengths and development tendencies also helps
you acquire knowledge quickly and complete work more effectively. Being reluctant
to pursue an unsuitable career is like swimming against the current, you will feel very
tired, exhausted, stressed and under great pressure when working.
What you really want to do: Each career will require you to have unique skills and
abilities. Therefore, after determining your talents and inclinations, you should list the
careers that are suitable for you, then consider carefully to realize which career you
really want to do.
Consider economic and financial benefits: In choosing a field of study and a job,
the financial promises that the profession brings are always carefully considered.
Once you have identified a job that suits your calling, you need to find out if the
financial benefits from that job meet your expectations? After all, money not only
solves life's most basic needs but also stimulates people's ability to work.
Job development trends: Society is developing very quickly and is constantly
changing. Therefore, in addition to observing yourself, career orientation must also be
based on the development trend of the job market. Grasping job trends quickly will
help you access many good job opportunities and have high promotion potential in the
future. Many people, after graduating from university, have realized that they are not
really suitable for their current major and want to move to new, more suitable fields,
but are still hesitant and lack orientation about the new development path. Studying at
university in Vietnam is not necessarily the only decision. We can absolutely study
vocational programs or study abroad in countries with the world's leading education
systems, creating opportunities for ourselves to reach further.
Things to note when orienting your career
Overcome family career orientation and don't follow trends
Many young people are influenced by the career orientation of their parents and
relatives. Although the advice of your predecessors is very valuable, you need to be
clearly aware of your own interests and desires and view your family's opinions from
the most objective perspective. If you find that these directions are not suitable, you
need to be steadfast in your point of view.
Besides, you should also avoid choosing a career based on crowd psychology. If you
see a profession that is hot and easy to make money, then follow that profession
regardless of whether you are not suitable for it. You should also absolutely avoid
choosing a career using mystical methods such as palm reading, handwriting,
physiognomy or astrology.
Get to know yourself
There is an ancient saying: "If you know others and know yourself, you will win a
hundred battles." Orienting your career can only be accurate when you take yourself
as the center and take the time to learn about your personality and thinking. You can
practice self-orientation through the following questions:
• What are your talents and strengths?
• Which activities are you most satisfied with?
• What types of mental activities can move you forward?
Learn about different types of careers
Think about all the careers that you feel fit your talents and interests. In each
profession, you need to learn the following specific information:
• Occupation name and other related professional occupations in the same field
• Human resource needs for occupations in the labor market
• Necessary skills and qualities to pursue the profession
• What is the content and training goals of the profession?
• Units and organizations currently providing vocational training, vocational tuition
fees and training methods and duration.
• Places where you can find a job after completing your studies
• Determine what abilities and skills you have that are suitable for the profession
Cultivate the skills necessary for your career
In fact, successful people only apply 25% of their professional knowledge at work,
the remaining 75% is based on the soft skills they have learned and practiced.
Therefore, besides specialized knowledge, you need to continuously add useful soft
skills.
Currently, there are many skill courses at universities, centers, clubs... for you to
register to participate in. When you spend time studying and researching a skill in
depth, you will be able to orient your career more clearly and accurately.
Don't be afraid to experience and challenge
The best way to know whether you are suitable for a certain career or not is to
experience it yourself. Right from the time you are still in school, you should look for
opportunities to do the jobs you are interested in to better understand that career as
well as determine whether you are suitable for the profession or not.