Everyone needs to have a career at some point or another. This is more than just a job you have to pay the bills. It’s something you’ll want to do for the rest of your life. As natural as a step as it is, starting a career isn’t something that should be taken lightly.

Since you could end up in that career for the rest of your life, it’s worth putting some time and attention into picking the right one for you. Whether you’re considering the top MBA careers or something a little more creative, it’s worth paying attention to a few specific factors.

Starting a Career: 3 Factors to Consider First

1. Expected Salary 

Naturally, salary will play a significant role in your career. It’s worth figuring out how much you can expect to get paid in any career you’re considering. Naturally, this should get higher and higher in time, but this depends on quite a few factors. You’ll need to be aware of that.

Some careers will offer noticeably more money than others, and it’s always worth keeping that in mind. While that usually means working harder and for longer hours, it could be worth it if you’re mainly focused on making a good living, especially in the later years.

2. Lifestyle

It’s always worth considering what kind of lifestyle you want before you start a career. Some careers will be much more demanding than others, and you could have to work countless hours every week. Others can be much less work and let you have a much better work/life balance.

Try focusing on careers that let you lead the lifestyle you want, especially in the long-term. Keeping your life goals in mind could be a large part of this. It could be worth working hard in the short-term to have the lifestyle you want in the long-term.

3. Job Availability

When you’re starting a career, you’ll naturally want to make sure you can stay employed. This doesn’t always depend on you, with the overall job market playing a vital role. It’s worth making sure there’s a decent job market out there, especially for after you’re done college. The more jobs that’re out there, the better.

Since this can fluctuate quite a bit, it’s worth going with the average number of jobs out there. That way, you can make sure finding a job in your chosen career doesn’t have to be too difficult. If there aren’t many jobs out there in your career, it could be more stressful to find one.

Starting a Career: Wrapping Up

Starting a career is one of the most important steps you’ll ever take. It affects all aspects of your life, and it could do that for the rest of your life. You shouldn’t just go with the first one you think of. Instead, it’s worth taking the time to think about.

What’ll be the best career for you? By considering a few particular factors, you shouldn’t have a problem figuring this out.