The classic way of going about career decisions is to take your top interest and match it to a career that involves that topic. Sounds simple, right? And I think maybe decades ago it might have been easier. Today, we’re trained to have many interests, sample many extracurricular activities, and be “well-rounded”as we travel through middle school and high school.
The down side of expanding your interests for most of your youth, though, is once you have made it to college, you have to choose one or two, and the decision is surprisingly tough for some.
Why? Dr. Dan Ariely’s research shows that we irrationally like to keep our options open, even if we’re positive that we know the right choice for us. Read about the professor’s work here.
For our career decisions, then, we may want to keep our options open, even when we know that doing so will block our progress toward success in a given field. So keep an eye out for this inclination when you’re considering your own options. Are you holding on to options just for the sake of having options? Is that the best move?
