I’m pleased to welcome a guest writer this week, Monica Gomez. Please see her bio at the conclusion of this article.

It’s not surprising to hear people complain about their jobs. Many people dread going to work each day. And, while the reasons for this can be numerous, it doesn’t have to be that way. According to Forbes.com, about 70 percent of employees hate their jobs. It all starts with picking the right career path from the start. If you’ve looked through a college guidebook and wondered what field you should work in, it may be time to spend some extra minutes considering a variety of fields instead of settling on just the first thing you thought about when you were younger. Consider a few tips to help you through that process.

It’s Not About the Perks

One of the worst ways to pick a career path, says USNews.com, is to choose a career solely based on the perks and pay it offers. You may select a position initially because you like the schedule or don’t mind the work or you like the perks and the pay is good. “I’ll do whatever they want for that pay.” While it sounds good at first, it often leads to disappointing outcomes. A remedy for this, the site says, is to make a list of pros and cons of any career path before selecting it, ensuring you look at both the positive and the negative aspects of the process.

Consider the Long Term Work Climate

One thing you may not think about initially is that you’re not likely to find the tasks of the job challenging. You may enter into the position eager and ready to learn. You learn all there is to learn and you do well. Then, you get bored. A key problem in this situation is that people don’t think about the long term. Ask yourself what the challenges will be in five years. Determine what steps you can climb to reach new opportunities. If the job doesn’t offer any options for advancement, you may want to choose another career. You may be happy at first, but in the long term you may be bored or disappointed in the outcome. For some, it is simply a better choice to choose a career path that offers changes and challenges for years to come. That’s important when you really want to love your job for a long time.

Choose a Career Path That Involves the Things You Love

How many people say they like to work with people and end up behind a desk answering phones? When you entered the field you may have thought that you would be working more hands on with actual people rather than spending your time struggling through the day.

Get to know the actual duties of the job you’ll be doing. Ensure you’ll love doing those things not just right now but 20 years from now as well. If you don’t want to travel for work, don’t enter a position where this is likely to occur.

When you find a career path that allows you to engage in activities that you love, not just like, you can easily improve your chances of being happy in that job for years to come. For example, if you love spending time with animals, consider a career that works with animals.

According to these 4 animal jobs listed on Carrington.edu, the tasks of these types of jobs consistently include working directly with animals and that’s likely to be the case for years to come.

Spending time and money on an education doesn’t have to lead to a boring job that you dread going to for the next 30 years of your life. If you take the time to focus your search from the start surrounding activities that you truly enjoy, you could end up in a position that’s ideal for you.

Author Bio: Monica Gomez is a published author and dedicated freelance writer who enjoys providing informative content on education, finances, and health care.