There is an unfortunate number of people who are unhappy with their choice of career. My belief is that more people would be happy if they picked the career that is right for them. So many of us choose careers for the wrong reasons. How many children are guided by their parents or other influential person in their lives? If I had listened to my well-intentioned father I would have been a teacher. As much as I would have loved having summers off, I can't imagine myself teaching for the other 10 months of the year. There are many people for whom teaching is the right career — I'm just not one of them.
Poor decision-making when it comes to career choice is something I think about frequently. I decided to write about it today after reading about a Gallup poll that showed that "Americans cite the medical field, more than any other profession, as the line of work they would recommend to both young men and young women looking for career advice." So, let me get this right. If someone comes to you wondering what they should do with their lives, you arbitrarily guide them toward a career in which they may have no interest or ability? I agree that it is important to choose a career that has a good outlook for the future, as the health care field does right now, but one also has to consider the person going into that career. If, based on your personal characteristics, a career isn't a good fit for you, you aren't going to be happy.