When planning your career, one of the most important questions to ask yourself is what do you want from your job - what are your work values?
Although many people believe they work primarily to pay the bills, money cannot be the only deciding factor when choosing a job. You may be interested in a job with a high salary, but the long working hours, time spent away from home, long travelling time into work, or the fact that the company may be facing an uncertain future, may rule it out in favour of an alternative with a more modest income.
One important value to consider is the amount of time you want to devote to work. This isn't merely a matter of whether you want to work full time or part time, but about how fundamental you want your work to be in your life. Do you need to spend time caring for children or relatives? Would you like to have more time to spend with your family, or in taking part in a sport or hobby? Do you want to be able to commit some of your time to a charity or other volunteer association?
It is important to understand your work values fully, so that you can identify the kind of work that would meet your real priorities. The following table should help you to decide how important each value is to you:
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