What you value or your ‘value system’ is a fundamental part of who you are. Your values are what you feel are the important things in life, they help determine what your priorities are and often guide how you live your life. Our value systems are influenced by many things such as family, friends, school, the media etc.

Your values can also affect a lot of the decisions that you make. For example, you might feel very strongly about protecting the environment. The value you place on this will likely influence a large number of things you do and don’t do, such as- your mode of travel, what you wear, what you eat, the products you buy or don’t buy and much more. When the things that we do and the way we behave match our values, we are generally happier in ourselves and content. However, when what we do does not align with or goes against our values then this can lead to discontentment and unhappiness. This is why choosing a career that aligns with your values is so important.

In terms of investigating potential career paths, it is important to consider that values can vary greatly from person to person and, as such, not everyone looks for the same things in their jobs. Of course there are some common desirables such as earning a good income and having an agreeable working environment. However, there are other values that are more person specific. For some people job security is very important, others might insist on being able to be creative in their work. Some people might want to interact with people while others may prefer to work alone. Some will look for prestige, while others might want a job that helps others or one that might make a difference to the world or to people’s lives. The list of career values can also include the chance for promotion and increasingly flexibility or the opportunity to work from home. These are just some of the values which different people find important, and these may all influence your chosen career path.

What we place a value on can also change as we go through life. For example, in the early years of our working life when we are young, we might place more value on earning money. However, as time moves on and our lives change, things like work-life balance and family time may become more of a priority.

Therefore, it is essential to understand the unique makeup of your value system. Many career theorists believe that this is one of the most important considerations when looking at career options. Work that lines up with your values will be more meaningful to you and you will be more likely to be happy and therefore invest your energies in the career and achieve success.

Once you take the time to work out what you value, you will be closer to understanding what motivates you and what you want out of a potential career and you can then use this knowledge to guide your employment choices.