Which subject area: Analysis

- What would be the best subject area for your job? What type of job would be best for you? Now we've already said there isn't a computer that can tell you the answer, but there are some things you can think about. And I divided this into what I've called analysis and then asking people things. So if we look at the analysis approach first, I think there are five ways you can analyze what's the best job for me. And the first one is to do a personal SWOT. What are your strengths and weaknesses particularly, but maybe any opportunities you think that are out there, but mainly what are your strengths and weaknesses that you have write a list of all those things, write a list of the things that you enjoy doing and the things that you are drawn to. So that's a systematic start. I got the idea of this from a famous book called "What Color is Your Parachute?" Which is very much based on strengths and weaknesses and trying to pair them up with jobs. It's quite a mechanistic approach, I'm not sure how well it works, but I think it's worth a look. The book's been around for years and years and years. So you'll be able to get a secondhand copy or find it in a library. "What Color is Your Parachute?" So do a personal strengths, a weakness in inventory. The second approach is to start with what are you good at and then just go for that, do that as your first job. And then after you've done the first job, you'll know a lot more. You'll know about what you enjoyed and what you didn't like about that job. And you might be able to home in on the parts that you liked. It's impossible to calculate what's going to to happen. So just weigh it in with something you're good at to start with, and then start thinking about which bits you enjoy. The third approach is personality tests, and we've already seen a computer, can't really link them to a job, but they'll certainly give you ideas, they'll give you a starting point. There are various theories out there like career anchors and also motivational maps. Google those, because you'll be able to find out a bit more about what drives you, and that might help you to start to think about yourself and the type of job that will be perfect for you, but it's only a starting point. And it's more about what you like rather than what job you should do, but it is a good start career anchors and motivational maps. My fourth idea is to make a list of which jobs that you like, the thought of and which ones you don't. And then you can start thinking about, why? Why don't I like that job? Is it because there's too much stress or I don't like doing presentations or whatever? Why am I drawn to those jobs? What have they got in common? Do they involve travel or meeting people or what is it? So you can start to think about what the pros and cons are of different jobs and what sort of things are important to you. And then my fifth idea is to think about types of organization as well as types of job. So how do you feel about working for the council? You know, some big complicated organization, 'cause there's lots of possibilities and areas within there. And the council is kind of a semi charity in that they're trying to make your local area better. There are people who care who work there. Or do you just think, "Oh, I wouldn't be able to make enough progress "working for them. "I want something fast moving." How would you feel about working for a law firm. or a garden center or a hospital or working in a factory? And then you could start thinking about types of jobs, within those places. Because, within a hospital or within a factory, there are all kinds of different jobs. So you might want to start by thinking about what type of organization would I feel comfortable in, and realize it's not all about the product. So I started out working for Westland Helicopters, that was my first ever job. And I was drawn to that because I like helicopters who doesn't? They're fascinating things. But what I found when I got there was actually, I didn't really care about the helicopters. So I ended up working in production control, which is where you try to work out when everything's going to be ready. And why things are late? And how can we organize the factory better? And I realized once I was there, I didn't really care what we were making. We could have been making washing machines or something. For me the fascination was the organization of the factory. So I only realized that after I'd started, it wasn't a problem because helicopters are full of interesting problems to solve when you're trying to build them. But actually, I would have been just as happy in a washing machine factory. I didn't need to limit myself to helicopters. So sometimes, I think it's useful to realize it's not about the product, it's about the type of work. So there are five things to consider, which I hope will help you start thinking about the ideal job for you. And those are all kind of analysis, logical approaches, but I think there's a whole other way that you could start thinking about your ideal job, and that's to talk to other people about the jobs that they do. And that's what we're going to look at in the next video.