Intuition: my best careers advice

For some it was hugs and tears of relief as much awaited ‘A’ Level results gripped the nation’s 18-year-olds.For others it was glum faces, the prospect of shattered dreams and a complete rethink of their career hopes.In Lack Of Careers Advice Leaves Students In The Dark in the Huffington Post UK, Lucy Sheriff reports: "Thousands missing out on university places this September will be left without a clue how to tackle their future after being denied the necessary careers advice - with even more cuts to come."Is something external -- another’s good advice on jobs prospects -- the only means for finding one’s way out of the maze of disappointments which can occur on any career track?  Or is there an inner voice worth paying attention to?According to Surrey University’s Intuition-Research.net project “everyone has intuition.“It is one of the hallmarks of how human beings think and behave. It’s impossible for us to function effectively without using ‘gut-feel’. Intuition presents itself uninvited to us rapidly, and in many different guises, and under the right circumstances its effects can transform people and business organisations.”I’ve found intuition a lot more trustworthy than one might imagine.  I see it as a universal aptitude that can be cultivated, and it has met my needs quite reliably.Towards the end of my university studies, for instance, a flood of doubts assailed me about my job prospects.  The Milk Round was coming to our college with an array of attractively packaged career options and provided the opportunity to parade our hirability to the companies offering them.I didn't exactly hear a voice in my head articulating "Don't go to the Milk Round!” But it was close.  What I felt was a very persuasive intuition that ended up guiding me away from a conventional career path into a far more flexible, freelance work experience.Heeding such intuition is an untapped talent for many people, but I feel it’s a built-in capacity we all have and should use more often.  It draws on the same divine source of wisdom and intelligence that can be leaned-on successfully by anyone, anywhere, including those hungry for career direction.For those facing fierce competition for university places or jobs, deaf and blind US author and activist Helen Keller offers an insight learned from overcoming a daunting array of adversities.  She said: "When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us."