When choosing a career,from different choices, What are some specific things you weed out before your decision?

Hi Chelsea! You're fortunate to have passion for so many things. I think one way to go about your dilemma is to visualize yourself 10 years from now. What would give you the most satisfaction as you look over your accomplishment? A successful restaurant? A successful showing of your latest fashion collection? Partnership in a law firm?

It may seem like a silly exercise, but if you really think through all the nuances and details, the stresses versus rewards, of each career path over the course of 10 years (the daily challenges of running a successful restaurant/the creative demands of being a successful designer/long hours involved in law practice) it may give you some insight.

The three career paths you've expressed interest in are very very different, so even though you may very well be talented in all areas you need to think forward about what will be important to you as you move on in your life.

I don't know if you are able to travel abroad at this point, but sometimes, especially when you're young and considering your options, living in a place where your career interests are vibrant and at the core of life can help inspire you. Paris, Rome, or New York would be fabulous places to expose yourself to food and fashion.

Best of luck!

Dear Chelsea, When you're interested in many things and good at many things, it is often hard to decide what career to go into. My suggestion is to do some volunteer work in the field(s) in which you are thinking of working. You could find a not for profit organization or a small shop or a lawyer's office, and ask to do an internship for a summer or even, for at least 10 hours a week, during your school semester. Ask to do something project-related for the semester, so you have a "product" to show at the end of the internship. Internships are also good because you can often arrange with your college or high school to get credits towards graduation for your internship. This way, you get to experience personalities, workload, actual skills needed, etc. Also, another tactic would be to "interview" fashion designers, chefs, business owners, lawyers for 30 minutes, with a set of questions you'd like them to answer - their answers may help direct you. Ask teachers for references to people in these fields.

Hi Chelsea,

I had to same question when I was a Junior in high school, so I can totally relate. Here's what I did — I went through a list of majors and started crossing things I would NEVER do... as I was doing that, I realized art stood out. Next, I took ALL types of classes to figure out which I would potentially want to make into a career. I took metal smith, ceramics, digital art, photography, illustration, graphic design, fashion, architecture, interior design... and more. These classes were done during summer/my first year of junior college. I learned about I loved and want I disliked about each class and by the end, graphic design was the winner. Also, learning about the business of the subject you love would help you decide too. Good luck!

Vivian

Chelsea

You should chose a career that you are passion about. How do you know if you are passion about something? It is when you are willing to do something no matter how much you are paid or even willing to do it for free.

It is crucial that you first identify your Interests, Values, Skills and Personality Preferences in order to make a good decision.

Learning about your interests will help you identify opportunities to pursue and the topics you are most naturally drawn to, making school and work more motivating and enjoyable.

Values are the things that motivate us and move us toward certain decisions, behaviors and goals. Values greatly influence the career decision making process, job satisfaction and, ultimately, life satisfaction.

Skills are the things that you are good at and have the ability to do well. Assessing your skills allows you to determine which ones you want to acquire or further develop, the specific ways to accomplish those goals, and how your skills match with potential careers.

Personality Preferences & Interpersonal Needs are related to your individual, innate nature and tend to be consistent over time. Understanding personality and interpersonal needs allows you to see correlations between the way you make decisions and your work style.