5 Questions to Ask Before You Choose a Profession
More than 80 out of 100 people pick a profession for the wrong reason.
They choose based on what people told them, what their friends are doing, or what seems popular right now.
Very few people choose a profession based on a real problem they want to solve.
A Short Story About an Assistant
A lady who works as a CEO's assistant once asked me a question:
"What skill can I learn online to make money?"
Instead if giving her a list of trending skills, i asked her one simple question:
"What problem do you want to solve?"
She looked confused. "I just want a skill I can make money with online."
I asked her again: "What problem do you want to solve?"
She paused and said, "I don't know."
I saw that she did not understand my question. So I tried a different way.
I asked her, "Why do you think your boss hired you as an assistant?"
She said, " She’s always busy and she needed me to manage her daily schedule and help her with basic tasks."
I asked, "Does she pay you for doing that?"
"Yes, of course," she replied.
"Do you think she pays you because she likes spending money, or because she needed help?"
She laughed and said, "Because she needed help."
I told her, "Exactly. She hired you because she had a problem. She needed to focus on the most important work. So she paid you to handle tasks that would slow her down. She pays you because you solve a real problem for her."
That was when she finally understood.
The main point here is that, It is not about finding a skill that makes money.
It was about finding a problem to solve, and solving it in a better way.
The Danger of Chasing "Highest Paying" professions
The biggest mistake people make is looking for the job that pays the most money right now.
When everyone rushes into the same job, the space gets too crowded. It becomes very hard for a new person to get hired or make any real progress.
Even worse, many people spend years learning a job, only to realize they do not like it at all.
I know people who spent years studying to become lawyers. But after all that hard work, they completely stopped practicing law and started doing something totally different.
The 5 Questions to Ask Before You Choose (or Switch) a profession
Before you pick a new profession, sit down and answer these 5 simple questions:
1. What problem do I want to solve?
his is what separates you from people who are just looking for quick cash. When you solve a real, painful problem for someone, money becomes a natural result.
2. Why do I choose this problem?
It is not enough to pick a problem; you must have a strong reason (WHY). Your WHY is what keeps you going when going gets tough.
3. What profession will help me solve it?
Once you know the problem, you pick the right profession to solve it. The skills is just a simple tool to help you do the work.
4. Will this problem still exist in 5, 10 or 15 years?
Do not just pick what is popular today. Ask yourself if people will still need help with this problem in 5 or 10+ years.
5. Does solving this problem make me feel happy inside?
Money can buy things, but money alone does not bring peace or joy. A person can make a lot of money and still feel very unhappy.
For some people, happiness comes from helping others get justice. For others, it comes from making simple tools that save time for busy parents. Find what gives your work real meaning.
What You Should Do Next
If you are planning to change your job, ask yourself these 5 questions first.
If you just finished school and do not know what to do next, let these 5 questions guide your choice.
It will save you from spending years on a path you might regret later.
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