Decision-making Models and Career Guidance | Report

Running head: RECOVERING FROM SELF-INFLICTED WOUNDS
Making better career choices
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

RECOVERING FROM SELF-INFLICTED WOUNDS1
With ever-increasing career options in recent years, making decisions on the same
has become extremely confusing. A variety of factors influence such decisions and
prioritising the most useful ones is essential (Gati, Levin, and Landman-Tal). It is of utmost
importance to make the most appropriate choice as it will continue to affect the person
throughout their life. Thus, it is imperative to beware of career wounds for correct decisions.
Two of such career wounds are inadequate research on the aspired career option and poor
selection of the board of directors (Parks-Yancy and Cooley). My experience with each of
these wounds is discussed in the paper.
Inadequate research on the aspired career option
Proper research and knowledge of the choice desired are important to reach the goal
successfully (Parks-Yancy and Cooley). In my personal experience, one such incident took
place in which a lack of adequate homework on the choice on my part caused trouble. I did
not opt for the subject biochemistry in my curriculum. I want to pursue medical or a
pharmaceutical course if I do not get through a good medical college. Due to insufficient
homework on my part, I did not realize that biochemistry is an essential criterion for
admission in most colleges for medical and pharmaceuticals. I just studied the scope of a
medical career and that it interests me without doing comprehensive research on the route to
get into a good medical college. The primary reason for this was negligence on my part and
lack of an understanding of the importance of adequate knowledge before taking such
decisions. As I did not study which subjects should be chosen and how to proceed towards a
medical career, I am facing trouble in understanding many concepts of biological courses.
This event led me to realise the importance of studying the background before taking
major decisions, specially career-related choices. After identifying your interest, it is vital to
accurately study the route to progress towards a career in it. The scope of the career and the

RECOVERING FROM SELF-INFLICTED WOUNDS2
requirements to get into that job is crucial to study. I realised my mistake after talking to my
seniors about the difficulty I was facing in understanding it. Then, they suggested me to do an
online course on biochemistry which will provide me with the basic concepts to understand
the other subjects well. A certified course will also be an added value to my resume. This
trouble could be avoided if my background research was strong enough or if I had consulted
people in the field previously. Seniors or people already in a particular field can give proper
assistance based on their experience and suggest ways to pursue a career in a better way.
Also, their mistakes might be a guiding light towards making decisions such that they are not
repeated.
As discussed in the provided chapter, making a major decision without a background
check on that subject can be very harmful to the future. Such decisions must be made with
proper research on the topic and how to reach the ultimate career goals. The Internet can be
an excellent means to collect an idea. There are various search engines and websites that
given extensive knowledge on different topics. Also, there are various student forums which
can be used to discuss queries and seek advice from professionals or senior students. Social
media may also be used to connect to people from different places and talk about the matter.
Another important way is to discuss the aspired career choice with seniors and other
significant people in the field face to face. This will help to get clarity on the way to proceed
towards the goal. Discussing the matter with seniors and taking their advice is helpful in the
long term (Vertsberger and Gati). Discussing with students and professionals already
pursuing the course gives a ground reality of the career, its scope and the difficulties that
might come along. Having a thorough knowledge of what we are going into helps to achieve
those goals better. A pre-requisite knowledge of the obstacles in the way keeps us mentally
prepared to overcome those challenges.
Poor selection of the board of directors