Unless you have grown up with a talent or are keen on something that you can make a career out of, you need to consider certain things about yourself. What suits your personality? We are all different and just because your best friend wants to be a doctor, this does not mean that you should follow. You need to make an informed decision. This means thinking carefully about the path you need to follow to get that job. Are you willing to get the training or education needed? You must also consider why you really want to do it. If it's just because it's well paid, then sometime in the future you are going to feel 'empty', even with a healthy bank account.

Nowadays, there are plenty of online career sites, but the main part has to come from you. You need to be honest and measure your skills and talents realistically. Also, you may need to talk to your parents who have their own ideas, based on their own experiences, about what you should do. They have your best interests at heart. They don't want to see you having financial problems or being unemployed. But at the end of the day, it is your life. There is no point in being miserable for the next forty years just to please someone else.

(Adapted from Succeed in B1 Preliminary by Andrew Betsis and Lawrence Mamas)