You might think this was the advice my guidance counselor offered. Not so. It is true, choosing a career in a field at which you are good will help you earn a living and pay the bills. It does not mean you will automatically be happy. If you are not happy day in and day out, month in and month out, year in and year out, it will show in your attitude, your work output and ultimately in your career advancement.
Example: True example of a terrible career choice: Early in my career, I was interviewing for a plant electrical engineer (EE) position. The applicant who interviewed the day before had been raised and educated in another country. The HR rep and the head electrician took him on a tour of the electric centers. The interviewee was not familiar with the concept of a motor starter (typically not taught in college EE courses). The electrician opened a size 5 starter door with the cheater screw to show him the components within. Before anyone knew what was happening the interviewee had grabbed one of the live 480V cartridge fuses and asked, “What is this?”
Read more: NOC technician jobs
The head electrician told him to be calm and not move a muscle. He killed the feeder breaker, taking part of the process area down. Later, when asked why he had chosen EE (the plant concluded he did not have an innate propensity towards the subject) he replied engineers are considered an elite class in his country, on a level with doctors and lawyers. He checked local sources, and in his country, EE paid the best. So he picked EE for the potential pay. His chances of being happy, successful or promotable seem low.