Every young woman wants to be a success in her personal life and professional career. But the path to success can be tricky and navigating it requires that you be proactive in several aspects of your life.

But with some dedication and by following some key tips, you will pave the way to personal and professional success. However, even with these tips, you will need to put in a lot of work to get to the top.

This article is filled with expert advice and suggestion to help you attain success as a career woman. Lets now get into it.

• How do you Describe your Career as a Woman?
• What does Every Girl Need to Know About Career?
• How can I be Successful in my Chosen Career?
• What is the Best Career for a Woman?
• How can a Woman Become a Successful Career?
• How do I Choose a Career?
• How do I Become a Working Woman?

How do you Describe your Career as a Woman?

A career woman is known as a woman whose main priority in life is achieving success in her career and profession. These women can also be described as more interested in her career than in being married and having children.

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 The female-to-male earnings gap is still present. In fact, 2017 US census data defined this ratio to be a shocking 80.5 percent. In other words, for every $100 a man makes, a woman will make $80.50. And at the rate the wage gap is narrowing, women won’t receive equal pay until 2059.

What does Every Girl Need to Know About Career?

What do you want to be when you grow up? Chances are, every young person has been asked that numerous times by parents, friends and teachers. But it’s a question that can come with a certain amount of baggage for young girls, as they begin to discover that their choices can be influenced by the limits society puts on their career goals.

Here are a few things to share with your daughter – or son – as they begin their journey.

1. Don’t let anything – or anyone – limit your goals. Dream big. This doesn’t mean having unrealistic goals, but don’t let anyone’s thoughts (including your own) or any circumstances put a limit on what you can achieve with your life.

Frida Kahlo was studying to become a doctor (not a popular pursuit for women in the early 1900s) until an injury forced her to drop out of school. She began painting during her rehabilitation and became one of the most famous artists of the 20th century.

2. Don’t let gender define your goals. There aren’t any careers that are “just for boys” or “just for girls,” although society – and the media – often attempt to make it seem that way. For example, women remain underrepresented in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers, partly due to the negative stereotypes about girls’ intellectual abilities. But things are changing. Recent statistics show that more women have entered STEM careers over the past 40 years than any other field.

3. The paycheck isn’t everything. Money shouldn’t be the defining factor in deciding on a career goal. Although earning potential is always a concern when deciding on your life’s pursuit, more important questions to ask would be: Would that paycheck come at a high personal cost? What sacrifices would you make in your home life and relationships for a higher salary? It’s important to put your happiness – and your health – at the top of the list.

4. Don’t shun the arts. If you have a passion – and a talent – for singing, dancing, painting or acting, don’t let anyone tell you that these aren’t viable career paths or that these pursuits are “just hobbies.” Many people have a successful – and fulfilling – career in the arts. Just know that, like any career, it takes lots of hard work and discipline, and shouldn’t be looked at as an “easy way out.”

5. Take a good look at your “dream job.” Do you have a dream job? Have you thought about what exactly it is that makes it your dream job? If you’ve dreamt of becoming a lawyer, decide whether it’s the prestige and money that attracts you, or if you have a love for the law and a desire to help people. Likewise, if your fantasy is to become a famous pop singer (see No. 4 above), look at whether it’s the fame and attention you desire, or whether it’s your overwhelming passion for making music that is driving you.

6. Find out what your passion is. Take a good look at the things and the activities that you love, and use them to try to tailor your career goals. Your love for animals might steer you toward zoology or veterinary medicine, or your obsession with computer games could lead you to a career in game design or programming. Make a list of all the things that you have a passion for, and a school counselor can help you sort through them and home in on a viable career path.

7. Ask for help. Don’t hesitate to ask for help in defining your goals. School counselors, parents and adult mentors are valuable resources for career advice, and no doubt have faced many of the same issues you’re facing now. Another important resource: people working in fields you are interested in.

8. Identify your professional heroes. Who are the people who have the jobs you want? Look around you and decide who is living a life you admire. It could be a teacher, a celebrity or a politician. Then study their career paths and how they got to where they are. Reach out to them, if possible, and ask questions about what their position entails, how they got started, as well as the ups and downs of their jobs. They can give you valuable insight.

9. Look beyond the mainstream. Don’t limit yourself to the careers that you’re familiar with. Do some research, and seek out jobs and careers that might not be on anyone’s radar, but might just be the perfect fit for you. For example, you can actually make a good living retrieving golf balls, an ideal job for someone with a love of the sport or anyone who loves being out on the course.

10. You can have more than one career. Finally, just as you’re allowed to change your mind, you’re allowed to change your career! Don’t feel as if choosing a work path is a life sentence. There’s no rule that says you can’t have many careers and jobs in your lifetime. 

Ellen DeGeneres was a paralegal and an oyster shucker before becoming an actress and a super successful talk-show host. Julia Child was a CIA intelligence officer before she became one of the most famous chefs in history.

How can I be Successful in my Chosen Career?

Here are the top 10 career success secrets on how to excel at work.

1. Take initiative

Today’s career requirements are highly developed and require much more than someone who won’t take risks. In today’s competitive career landscape, employers are looking for individuals who can bring fresh ideas to the table and take initiative, start new projects, pitch new solutions and create new opportunities for the business.

2. Be your own evaluator

One of the best ways to achieve career success is to keep assessing your performance. Don’t wait for your annual appraisal – do it yourself. An ideal way to do this would be to identify quantifiable goals and set a timeline for achieving them. Start with setting short-term goals when you’re new to a job.

Create a detailed plan to achieve these goals. Break the tasks down into weekly or even daily tasks and fill out a small form at the end of the week to assess where you’re headed and whether you need to change your strategy. You can even show your own performance report to your managers at some point to show how you’ve progressed. This will show that you understand the importance of constant self-evaluation and improvement.

3. Be ready to learn

To excel in your career, you have to be willing to learn. No matter what university you graduated from or what grades you had, professional life will be very different from college. Be prepared to have a million questions pop up every day regarding what you’re doing. It might take you days to get a hang of your duties at your new job, so show management that you are coachable, paying attention and always willing to learn new things.

4. Anticipate needs

To succeed in your new job and achieve career success, you will have to be well aware of what your manager needs. Stay a step ahead of your boss by asking yourself, “If I were my boss, what would I want done next?” By making sure you get things efficiently done in time, and take the initiative to do them yourself, you will be showing a positive, go-getter attitude to higher management.

5. Communicate well

Communication is key to an employee’s and an organization’s success. If your manager has to ask you for a status report, you’re not doing everything you could be doing. The idea is to proactively communicate and let them know when a task is done, and move on to what needs to be done next.

6. Set goals to achieve

Remember you’re not being paid for ‘working hard’ or ‘staying busy.’ At the end of the day, what matters to your employer is how you’re contributing to fulfilling the company’s goals and mission, both short term and long term.

Therefore, keep in mind that you’re being paid to deliver on clearly defined goals that significantly impact the company’s performance and overall mission and vision. This goal-oriented mindset will help you achieve career success, no matter where you are on the corporate ladder.

7. Show, don’t tell

The value of action is far greater than that of mere words. Use this as a principle in your dealings at the office. Instead of bragging about all the things you can do, and then never actually delivering, you ought to show management what you are capable of.

8. Gain trust

This is one of the most important tips for success you need to ensure success when you start a new job. Think of it this way: the quicker you earn your boss’ trust, the sooner they’ll have less to worry about and hence more free time to focus their attention on other pressing matters. If your boss finds you trustworthy, they’ll delegate tasks to you.

Make sure you meet your deadlines and keep your promises. It’s critical, especially early on in your relationship with your boss, that you fulfill every commitment you make, no matter how difficult it may seem.

9. Create solutions

Everyone can turn their problems into their manager’s problems. Be the solution provider, not the problem creator. Great employees solve problems. If you don’t have the authority to give the final verdict on a problem relevant to your work or department, then make sure you offer solutions to your boss and try to help as much as you can, wholeheartedly.

10. Be compassionate

Being a good employee requires compassion and understanding that your manager, and fellow employees are doing their best. Throwing a tantrum is not going to do anyone any good, neither will constantly complaining about how much work you’re doing. At the end of the day, everyone is doing their fair share of the work they’re getting paid for.

Many of these traits and behaviors that can help you excel in your career are also found in great leaders. By keeping these 10 career success secrets in mind, you can put yourself on the path to true greatness and achieve your ultimate career goals.

What is the Best Career for a Woman?

In the push towards gender equality, women in the workplace face challenges that often feel out of their control — out-dated corporate policies, sexist colleagues and managers with subconscious hiring preferences, to name a few. But one of the few factors firmly in the hands of women is which career path to pursue.

By choosing one of the highest-paying fields, women can ensure that they’re putting themselves in the best position to earn as much as possible.

1. Chief executive

Number of women: 313,000
Median weekly earnings for women: $1,920
Estimated annual earnings for women: $99,840

Chief executive topped CNBC Make It’s list as the highest-paying job for women. According to BLS data, there were roughly 313,000 women working as chief executives in the United States in 2017. The median weekly earnings for women with this title is $1,920, which comes out to roughly $99,840 a year, indicating that very few women today are able to break that six-figure threshold.

When you compare these figures to the amounts that C-suite men are making, the gender pay gap is noticeable. The BLS reports that there were 2,415,000 men with this title in 2017 and their estimated median annual earnings were roughly $125,580.

The next highest-paying job for women is Pharmacist, a profession that actually has more women than men. There were roughly 147,000 women and 107,000 men with this job title last year. Despite the fact that the profession is dominated by women, men still earn more. The median weekly earnings for women is $1,834, while men bring in approximately $2,228 a week.

Several other jobs in the healthcare industry reported high earnings for women including nurse practitioner, surgeon and physician assistant.

2. Pharmacist

Number of women: 147,000
Median weekly earnings for women: $1,834
Estimated annual earnings for women: $95,368

3. Nurse practitioner

Number of women: 129,000
Median weekly earnings for women: $1,832
Estimated annual earnings for women: $95,264

4. Physician/Surgeon

Number of women: 352,000
Median weekly earnings for women: $1,759
Estimated annual earnings for women: $91,468

5. Lawyer

Number of women: 337,000
Median weekly earnings for women: $1,753
Estimated annual earnings for women: $91,156

6. Physician assistant

Number of women: 66,000
Median weekly earnings for women: $1,640
Estimated annual earnings for women: $85,280

7. Computer and information systems manager

Number of women: 165,000
Median weekly earnings for women: $1,629
Estimated annual earnings for women: $84,708

8. Software developer

Number of women: 265,000
Median weekly earnings for women: $1,543
Estimated annual earnings for women: $80,236

9. Psychologist

Number of women: 71,000
Median weekly earnings for women: $1,437
Estimated annual earnings for women: $74,724

10. Engineer

Number of women: 73,000
Median weekly earnings for women: $1,436
Estimated annual earnings for women: $74,672

How can a Woman Become a Successful Career?

Although every woman has her own definition of success, certain traits tie the most successful women together. The first thing those women do is surround themselves with other ambitious women who also share the same ambitions and strive to succeed.

If you are an aspiring career woman, here are certain traits you should possess and nurture:

Be Passionate About What You Do

If you are not passionate about what you do, no amount of skill or work will make you hugely successful. If you do not love what you do, you will not feel motivated to put in the extra work that is needed.

However, when you put passion, drive and zeal into your work, you will do the extra work effortlessly and move up the company ladder fast. People who love their careers go to work with a smile and that is the foundation for success.

Do Not Expect Perfection

Do not demand excellence from yourself or anyone around you. Wasting your valuable time trying to achieve the ever-elusive perfection, will only cause frustration, dissatisfaction and confidence loss. Beating yourself up over your shortcomings will only dampen your ability and willingness to work, and also affect your mental health. Successful women know they cannot do everything right all the time; they accept it and learn from it.

Be Your Own Boss

The most successful women have figured out that being the leader allows them to set their own rules. As you rise higher in a workplace, you will get more control which will ultimately lead to success. When you are in control, you can create a happier, more organized and more balanced workplace for yourself as well as your employees.

Believe in Yourself

Believing in your success is an integral part of achieving it. No matter how crazy your ideas might seem right now, believe in your abilities and fight to get your voice heard. Doing so will give you the confidence and the drive you need to carry out your idea.

Do not be Afraid to Take Risks

As a woman who wants to go far in life, ask yourself how far you would go if you were not afraid of anything. If you want to affect change in your career, you need to steer clear from the safest path towards a steady income and choose the path less traveled. Successful women do not make careless decisions, however, they take calculated risks after careful planning and research.

Know That To Succeed, You Must Fail

‘In order to succeed you must fail, so that you know what not to do the next time’ is the perfect mantra you should embrace. Failure is a stepping-stone to success, especially if you are trying something new. Prepare yourself that you will not make it in life without taking a few tumbles. The important thing to remember is to get up after each fall, learn from your mistakes, devise a new plan and go at it again.

Take Care of Yourself

If you hope to succeed, take care of your health and body. Regular exercise can help relieve stress, increase energy levels and release endorphins. Instead of taking out your stress on everyone at work, work it out of your system through exercise. By getting rid of all the negative energy will provide room for fresh, new energy that you can harness and transfer into your work.

Furthermore, remember to regularly visit medical practitioners such as Hyline Dental in Naperville so they can help you keep your health in check.

Schedule Some Alone Time

Most women tend to put housework and domestic responsibilities above their own needs. However, make room in your hectic schedule for some alone time to recharge your batteries and stay motivated for achieving your goals. Taking a mini vacation during your not-so-busy days would be a perfect outlet.

While you are at it, treat yourself to some luxury by researching online and maybe finding empty leg flights on a private jet to take you to that vacation spot or scheduling a spa day in that 5-star hotel you booked for your vacation. Sometimes living a luxury lifestyle even just for a week or ten days can put you in that mindset necessary for great success.

How do I Choose a Career?

There are so many options out there. How can you choose a career path that’s right for your skills and interests? A career you can enjoy and do well in? Print out and keep this list of ways to pick your top career choices – and take some time to go through it.

Assess Yourself – Who Are You Right Now?

Think about who you are, what you’re good at and what you enjoy. This will help  you choose career ideas that match your skills and interests.

Here are some useful questions and activities to explore:

• What subjects have you enjoyed studying at school and beyond? Why? Is it because you like the person teaching you, or there’s something about that subject you can really relate to?
• What subjects have you done well at, and why?
• If you had to pick a favourite out of words, numbers, visuals and physical activities, which would it be? Could you see yourself in a job where your top choice formed a big part of what you do every day?

Useful self-assessment activities

Take one of these online career personality tests to find out more about your personal qualities and strengths. Also known as career aptitude tests or self-assessment tests, they can help you make career choices based on your personal traits or qualities.

Do a SWOT analysis. All you need is a pen, paper, and a willingness to be honest about yourself. Don’t worry, no-one else is going to see the results of this exercise, just you! Use your SWOT analysis to figure out your current strengths, weaknesses, threats to your goals, and opportunities you can reach out and grab if you put your mind to it.

Think about the 5 most important life and work skills you already have – and which ones you want to build on. Which skill comes easiest to you out of communication, self-management, self-belief, teamwork and problem solving? Every career needs these skills, but some more than others.

Sales, nursing, teaching, and investigative reporting careers need you to be great at communication. Being a sports coach or a firefighter needs you to have a level of fitness and you’ll enjoy these careers if you enjoy physical activities. Some really unusual careers need you to be good at numbers, like being a platform error correction associate or a food technologist. You can develop all these skills for free as a Young Professional.

Once you’ve had a good think about your skills and interests, make a list of all the careers you think could be a good match. Remember, there are lots more careers that could be a good match that you haven’t thought of yet!

Build A List Of Careers You Want To Learn More About

If you’ve assessed your strengths, skills and interests, you should biq have a list of careers to think about. It’s useful to have a long list, with at least ten career choices because there is no such thing as just one dream career. Lots of careers could be a great match for you.

Have you got some ‘dream careers’ high on your list already? Use those top choices to expand your career list. Head over to our careers hub and see which of the fifteen business areas, or ‘sectors’ you think your dream career would fall into – like creative careers or science careers, for example.

You can find out more about that sector and the jobs you could do in it. Each sector features a range of jobs you could be great at. You’ll learn how much they pay, what qualifications you might need,  how to get started when you leave school or education, and who can help.

EXAMPLE: Say you like the idea of being a teaching assistant. You visit childcare and education jobs  on our careers hub to find out more. You discover the job description for an IT trainer and decide that sounds pretty good. That gets you thinking – maybe you’d find a whole load of exciting career choices in digital careers as well?

By now, you should have built up a good-sized list of career choices you like the sound of. Aim to have at least ten careers on your list. There will probably be some career ideas you’ve already thought about, but also some possible careers you don’t know that much about, or haven’t really thought about before.

Create A List Of 2-5 Top Career Choices

Now it’s time to narrow down your list of careers – but not too much! You want to keep an open mind, because there is more than one dream career out there waiting for you. Pick careers you are interested in. Aim to choose careers that match your qualifications so far (or pick them if you genuinely want to build up any needed qualifications over time. Remember, Rome wasn’t build in a day – you can always do extra courses or learn part-time if you need to).

See if your top career choices feature similar qualifications and skills that could be useful in your future career journey. Perhaps all your top career choices say it’s good to have strong passing grades in the sciences, or in English, or geography. Make a note of that, because it can help you decide what your future study options might be – whether it’s choosing GCSES and A-levels, or thinking about courses and study once you’ve left school.

Think About Your Short-Term And Long-Term Goals

Now that you’ve done all this thinking to choose a career that’s right for you, your next step is to think about some achievable goals.

To make your top career choice a reality, what are you going to work towards in the next few months? And in the next few years?

Create a document or spreadsheet. List down all the steps you can take to achieve your goals – and add a date you’d like to achieve them by. Is there a grade you want to get on a school project or exam? A course you’d like to research? An hour you’d like to spend finding online interviews with people doing your dream job? Your goals can be small or large. They can be achieved this evening or next year – but they must be achievable.

Create your list of achievable goals, add do-by dates, and you’ve taken a big step to not only choosing a career but setting your dream in motion.

There’s More Than One Path To All Your Dream Career Choices.

Never forget – if you’ve got the interest, you can build the skills and qualifications.

There’s no one set path to a career destination, whatever careers you choose. We always list multiple career paths in all the career ideas we offer. You can go to university. You can start in a junior job and work your way up. And you can get apprenticeships for almost any career you can think of.

It’s all about finding the right apprenticeship for you. For example, if you want to get into a finance career or a digital career, financial service giants EY offer business apprenticeships and even digital degree apprenticeships – where you can become an apprentice and get a degree for free!

Remember –  there is more than one path to your dream career, and there’s also more than one dream career.

Your skills and interests could be a great match for all kinds of careers – even some you haven’t heard of yet. What’s important is figuring out a range of careers that excites you, because a career path that starts with customer service (maybe you love being social) could lead to a career path in healthcare, catering and hospitality, journalism or sales careers – to name a few.

How do I Become a Working Woman?

It has never been easy for women to juggle a thriving career and a happy family life. It still isn’t because being a full-time working mom comes with bouts of stress and guilt for not being able to give equal time to work and family.

This being said, it’s the 21st century and women from all walks of life are choosing to have it all — a blissful family, a rewarding career, and some solitude to find some time for themselves.

Below are some few tips that can help.

1. Sort out your priorities

If you want to be a successful working woman, it’s important to have your priorities in order — both personal and professional. To figure out your responsibilities at different levels, ask yourself a few questions. What can’t be compromised or is completely non-negotiable?

What are those tasks you must marvel at and the ones that can be just good enough? What are the most-important commitments at work and family? Getting clear on these answers will help you prioritize, make adjustments and decide what you are and are not prepared to do.

2. Talk it out with your employers

It’s beneficial to keep the communication lines open with your manager, HR, and superiors. Be hundred percent honest and transparent. Let’s say you can’t reach office on time because you have to drop your kid to school, they can help you out by keeping your work hours flexible. If that’s a problem, be prepared with alternative solutions to show how the arrangement won’t affect your performance and productivity.

3. Learn the art of delegation

There’s nothing wrong in acknowledging that you can’t do everything on your own and a little help could ease your enormous workload. By doing everything by yourself, you’re not only fatiguing your body but also preparing it for a breakdown in the future.

Decide what you must do yourself and what others can take care of. Seek help from coworkers, spouses, and family members. You and your spouse can divide tasks in such a way that either of you doesn’t dread coming to home after a long working day at the office.

4. Stay connected during the day

Thanks to technology that knowing the well-being and whereabouts of your loved ones isn’t a challenge anymore. All working mothers can easily stay connected with their children while they are working at office.

If you’re missing your kids, you can make a phone call or even a video call during your lunch break and focus on work without any stress or tensions at the backend. This comforts the child that you’re near and also helps you get through a rough day at work.

5. Limit distractions and time-wasters

When you are a working woman, every minute is crucial — at work and at home. You would be astonished to know that distractions at the workplace can cost you more than three hours a day. If you want to be focused and productive, it’s essential to keep chatty coworkers, casual internet surfing, smartphones, and other distractions at bay.

Set specific time limits to address emails and phone usage. At home, avoid watching too much TV and instead, you can use that time to strengthen your bond with your partner and kids.

6. Draw a line between home and work

One of the greatest lessons life has taught me is to say NO to things that don’t align with your priorities. Believe me, it is the biggest mantra to successfully juggle your personal and professional life. Learn to set boundaries so that you can give your heart and soul to both the aspects of life.

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Leave work at work, don’t come home with it. While spending time with your kids and partner, don’t be on the phone sending emails or discussing work with coworkers. Be mindful of your personal relationships and start saying no to things that aren’t doing any good to us.

7. Make some time for yourself

Making out some time to do things you actually love is the secret to maintain a perfect work-life balance. Sometimes, it’s okay to think about yourself, have some leisure time and pamper yourself. Go to a spa, get a massage, watch reruns of your favorite TV series, read a book, travel solo, or just do nothing at all. Learn to take care of yourself because only then you would be able to take care of your family and your work.

Bottom Line

There’s nothing more important to your success than being a magnificent woman first. Because the truth is, it’s not a man’s world or a woman’s world. It’s our world, because it’s what we make of it.