Frequently Asked Questions About Choosing a Profession

Choosing a future profession is a serious matter that requires thoughtful consideration. Let's think about it, but not chaotically, but systematically.

Principles of Choosing a Profession

You need to have a clear idea of the profession you will pursue. You should clearly understand the path into this profession and the path within it, its "pitfalls," and the tree of its possibilities—logical and happy transitions to other professions from this one.

You should enjoy the very subject of work in this profession, and your actions with this subject should also be enjoyable. These actions should be manageable for you both intellectually and physically.

Don't go for a high-paying profession if it doesn't interest you or is beyond your capabilities. You won't succeed in a profession that doesn't interest you, and you'll eventually quit it with disgust.

Now, how do you understand whether a profession is interesting or not, within your capabilities or not?

Steps in Choosing a Profession

First, ask yourself: should you consider entering the profession of your mother or father, grandfather or grandmother, uncle or aunt? After all, you have a clear idea of what your close ones do in their professions, right? If not, inquire, ask, work a bit in their companies during the summer—help in any way you can. If it interests you, you can start delving deeper, look into universities and colleges that train professionals in the field you're interested in.

This experience would be very helpful. But if it doesn't help, ask yourself the next question: do you want to work more with your hands or more with your mind? If you're irresistibly drawn to working with your hands—ask yourself, what exactly do you want to do with your hands: cook, draw, fix devices, cut and style hair...

Craft professions are very viable, and there's no shame in going to college instead of university. There are many good colleges. Skilled manual labor professionals will be able to earn decently in the future.

If you want to exclude manual labor, think about which field is closer to you: humanitarian or technical, natural sciences or artistic. Although... artists, musicians, sculptors, dancers, actors, and engineers work with both their minds and hands, and sometimes their entire bodies.

You're a techie if you enjoy understanding technology and easily grasp the principles of technical devices: cars, mopeds, computers, electrical devices... If not, it doesn't automatically mean you're a humanitarian.

Humanitarians work with text and are interested in people and society. These professions are not any easier. They require the ability to work with text, words. And they require an interest in literature, history, philosophy, culture, psychology... Can you earn in the humanitarian field? Absolutely.

Natural sciences—chemistry, biology, and physics, especially at the intersection of these sciences and especially in contact with information technology—provide incredibly vast opportunities for creativity and the realization of bold ideas.

But if you've been drawn to the business sphere since childhood, and your thoughts are always focused on trade, consider business education. It includes: commerce, marketing, economics, finance, logistics, service, hospitality, and restaurant business.

Understand that everything in the world can be a business: education, medicine, engineering, baking, dancing, information technology.

This means that you can start your professional journey not with business education but with specialized education (doctor, teacher, technologist, hairdresser, programmer), and then add business education to it. And on this basis, you can start your business in a field you are familiar with or in another field. For example, if you're a medic, you can open not only a clinic but also a business selling medical supplies.

There are many artistic professions: musicians, directors, designers, sculptors, actors, choreographers. Here, both colleges and universities can help you.

Most In-Demand Professions

Every era requires new professionals. In recent years, dozens of internet marketing professions have emerged. The demand for computer programmers is still growing. Does this mean you should become a programmer or internet marketer? Only if you enjoy it and it's within your capabilities. But if not, there are other rapidly developing fields: biochemistry, genetic engineering, agricultural chemistry, materials science, green energy, nanotechnology. And if you're not inclined towards natural sciences, let's say you're a communicator, don't forget about traditional professions that are not going anywhere: lawyer, teacher, journalist, HR manager, psychologist, neuropsychologist, doctors, exhibition organizers, hoteliers, restaurant administrators...

For introverts, there are also many opportunities in traditional fields: cinematographer, tailor, jeweler, economist, mathematician, sound engineer...

Let's remember: the world of professions is rich and diverse. You don't have to go where everyone else is going. Be attentive to yourself, study yourself and professions—with the help of ProfGuide and the methodologies we've developed.