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How do you know what career or job is truly best for you? When did you know it was the path meant for you?

Deciding what to do for the rest of my life is quite daunting. I'm curious as to when others discovered what their true calling was; what it felt like, how it happened, how they knew. I also want to know how they figured out how to make their passions into practical jobs, how they found the balance between what they love and what is possible to do in today's time. #career #life

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Ken’s Answer

You asked a very good question. Making this decision is very important and involves getting to know yourself better and getting to know the inside and outside view of career areas to determine which might be best suited for you or which you might be best suited for. During my years in Human Resources and College Recruiting I found too many times that graduates had neglected this important step and ended up in jobs in career areas in which they were uncomfortable and ill suited. Imagine how the graduates felt after spending all of time and money studying for a career area for which they were ill suited. Here are some very important steps to take to avoid that from happening to you.

Ken recommends the following next steps:

Take an interest and aptitude test to determine how you personality traits match with people working in various career areas and have it interpreted by a trained counselor.
When you find a career area that is a match, talk to the person who tracks and works with graduates of your school to talk to and met and visit and shadow graduates of your school who are working in your area of interest and doing things that look interesting to you. Here are some tips on getting helpful information: ## http://www.wikihow.com/Network ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/nonawkward-ways-to-start-and-end-networking-conversations ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/4-questions-to-ask-your-network-besides-can-you-get-me-a-job?ref=carousel-slide-1 ##
Locate professional associations to which people working in these area belong, so that you can talk to them and learn how they got there, what they do, what advice they have, and how you feel about it. They are very welcoming to students and many times have shadowing and internship and scholarship opportunities which might be helpful. Here are some tips that will help you in this area: ## https://www.careeronestop.org/BusinessCenter/Toolkit/find-professional-associations.aspx?&frd=true ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/9-tips-for-navigating-your-first-networking-event ##
Talk to the counseling office, career services office, your favorite teachers, and graduates of your school to seek out internship, shadowing, and coop opportunities which will allow see the inside view of a career area. Here are some tips: ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/the-ultimate-timeline-for-landing-the-summer-internship-of-your-dreams ## ## http://www.fastweb.com/ ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/now-and-later-everything-you-need-to-know-about-internships ##
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Jessica’s Answer

I work with young adults between the ages of 16-24 and this is a question that is asked many times. Some might know what they want to do "when they grow up" and others might have an idea, but do not know how happy it will make them. My advice to you would be to be open to different experiences. Know what makes you happy as a person and what excites you. Try to not go for a career based on the income alone. Yes, this is a big and important factor, but in the long run, you might not be happy.


There are many assessments you can take to help target different career clusters you might be interested. Take each of the results with a grain of salt, but also use the resources the provide to help you think "outside the box" of what you might usually think of for a career. One we use here in Indiana is www.indianacareerexplorer.com. This website has three short assessments you can take to help you target these career clusters. You can then go to www.onetonline.org to explore them further. You will be able to see the skills and education needed as well how much you can make and the outlook for the position.


So, again, be open to different experiences. I graduated college thinking I wanted to work with children in a counseling arena. Since then, I have worked with children, parents involved with DCS, in sales and young adults. Each experience, professional or personal, has lead me to where I am today and I am extremely happy! Good luck with everything and make sure to use resources to help you find the answer to this question.

Jessica recommends the following next steps:

Visit www.indianacareerexplorer.com and www.onetonline.org to help you find skills and career clusters you might be interested in doing.
Contact individuals in certain careers to ask them questions about their position.
Be open to change!
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Michael’s Answer

Hi Tara,


Yes this question is common and is quite daunting. Personally I didn't know what exactly I wanted to do. But what helped is that I took a career aptitude test my first year in college and it focused around relationship-based careers. So, I followed those guidelines as I went through college and ultimately landed in more of a sales capacity. Turned off by the true sales, I found that true business development checked all of the boxes. I got to build relationships, work hard, provide a service to people and make it financially lucrative for me.


Do I know what my profession is is my true calling? No. But, it makes me happy and pays the bills and I think that's all you can really ask for. So, my advice would be to continue exploring your passions, participate in activities that make you happy and that you are good at and the rest will continue to work itself out. But yes, try a career aptitude test and see what your results are.


Thanks!


Mike
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