In the previous blog, I mentioned how we end up choosing a field on the basis of what our forefathers did or a field that has good monetary prospects. This is a big mistake that many young people make. Often lack of research and therefore inadequate information results in selecting a field that does not give you satisfaction.

A very interesting questionnaire given by Adrian Granzella Larssen, the Editor-in-Chief of The Daily Muse will help you find out if you are happy with your job/field or not:

1. If you could trade jobs with a friend, you would choose to be a _______________ because _________
2. You have always thought what it would be like to do _____________. It interests you because ______
3. If you had the required degree and skills, you would try _______________ because _________
4. If you could go back in life and decide to change your subjects you would major in ___________ because ___
5. Your friends always tell you that you are good at _______________ because _________
6. The thing that you enjoy most about your current job is ______________ because _________
7. If you were given the opportunity by your peer you would do more of _____________ because _________
8. When you retire you want to be known for _______________ because __________

Of course finding a new job is not something easy and especially if you are earning for your family. You will have to keep some savings in order to find your ideal job after you quit your current one.

Professor Eric Meyer is the director of graduate studies at the Oxford Internet Institute. He has observed that undergraduates often realize that the subject they loved as a teenager is not aligned with their long-term goals. Today many students start working after graduation in order to find out how suitable their career is for them. When they learn that their career demands a different set of skills and education, they change their subjects at the postgraduate level. Hence postgraduate level studies are often a means of realigning your education with your goals or completely changing your career to follow your dreams.

Sarah shares her experience who studied biological sciences at Oxford University. She eventually went into the field of advertising because she loved writing. After her work experience, she came to know what she enjoyed doing and therefore pursued her master’s degree in interactive journalism. According to Professor Meyer students at Oxford interact with other students from related fields and get a lot of insight into these fields. Students who have a degree in two fields end up having a niche in their career. For example, Sarah is now an online journalist and she focuses on science and healthcare due to her degree in biological sciences.

SO if you are planning to change your field or job, don’t be afraid of trying something new and don’t get offended by people’ negative responses like “Why are you doing this? You were so good at this and now you are quitting? Why are you leaving such a good job?” Conduct your research and see how you can use both your degrees or expertise to create a unique set of skills.