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To select a realistic career option, one needs to analyze who one is and what one wants from life. Each person possesses a range of talents, interests and skills any of which could be the basis of a worthwhile career. One needs to rightly acknowledge these skills and try to develop them to the fullest. With greater clarity of oneself, one can now be able to look at the goals one can achieve and figure out the direction one needs to take for reaching these goals. Discovering who you are will help you think about what you are good at, what you are ok at what you are afraid of and what makes you happy. It is necessary to start the career decision making- helping you to work out what you want and don’t want, and pointing you in the direction in which you should be heading rather than wandering around lost and bumping into dead ends. The first step in this journey of self discovery is gathering information about oneself. You need to know what skills and talents you have. Get into the gear by taking a good hard look at yourself on certain aspects such as: Discover your Talent Everyone has some talents and a multitude of skills. Few people know what talents and skills they possess. They can identify some of them, but are often unaware of others. Each one of you has a unique set of talents and skills; yours are different to what your friend in class possesses. Talent is an ability that is inherent in you- you are born with it, and it usually doesn’t go away. A skill is an ability that is learned, and can get better through practice and application. Naturally, you will like to develop skills linked to the talents you possess. If you are a good sportsperson you will want to play your favorite sport and learn how to play it well. So some skills may be better developed than others. Skills can also change. You may also develop new skills. Knowing your abilities and developing the necessary skills can open up a whole new world of opportunities. You can then begin to build your career path on a solid base. Identify your abilities: it is also likely that your abilities may extend to more than one area. You could have technical and creative abilities, or even technical, reasoning, and verbal abilities. Pinpointing your abilities and skills will open up doors to new career opportunities. You need to know what you do well, so you can choose to use those abilities and develop the necessary skills in a career that will satisfy you. You may be great at singing but may not want to make music a career. You may instead prefer to use your creative abilities to develop new ideas in a field like advertising or television. Develop skills: There is a range of other skills that are learnt or developed over a period of time. They could be technical skills such as computer, language, gardening or cooking and personal skill like communication, leadership or management skills. Sometimes it is important to have these skills as they enhance your career prospects. Computer skills are required today for practically every job. Those who want to join the travel or airline business would benefit from learning a foreign language. Communication skills are important whether you are a teacher, computer programmer, manager or doctor. And if you plan to become a chef, your cooking skills will certainly come in handy. You can develop some of the skills through your daily activities. Students who participate in debate shows in school improve communication skills. Working together with classmates on a school activity can help develop leadership and management skills, while designing costumes and sets for a school concert can refine your creative skills. So take stock of your abilities and the skills you have developed. Think of your achievements- what you do well at home or in school, what gives you a sense of pride. Build a picture of yourself. While talking about developing requisite career related skills and abilities it is essential to understand the importance of life skills that enable individuals to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of life.