Article: Once you have written down all of your realistic options for a mental health career and considered options that are available to you, you can begin to narrow down the list so that you can make a final decision. Take the positive and negative aspects of each option into consideration and weigh your decision carefully. Listen to your gut feelings here, as ultimately you will know best what will make you happiest. Once you have a small list of options, spend time time getting a better sense of which option is right for you.  If possible, shadow someone who already performs that type of work to get a feel for what a day is like with that career. If that is not possible, spend more time online digging around for information about the job. Take note of the type of activities you will need to perform (the good, the bad, and the ugly), the salary you can expect initially and long-term, the type of environment you will work in, whether that career niche is in-demand, what your schedule will look like, and any other features about a career that are important to you. Write down what you consider positive and negative features for each option. Once you have a list of pros and cons, look for the options that have the most pros or the most important pros relative to cons. You can then rule out options that do not interest you based on your research and your preference for certain features. Review the remaining options and examine whether each should still be considered based on what is most important to you. For instance, if you really want a job with regular patient interaction, you may want to exclude options like hospital administration. Once you have eliminated options that were unappealing or would not offer features you deem indispensable, try to rank the choices that remain. Use your gut feelings when thinking about what would make you happy and not so happy about having a career in each of your options.

What is a summary?
Narrow down your list. Learn more about your narrowed down options. Make a list of pros and cons. Compare the lists by the most important factors. Narrow the list and rank your choices.