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How can i know what career is best for me

Im having trouble deciding what to do in the future #career #career #career-choice #career-counseling

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Flor’s Answer

Hi Rosario,

Figuring out what career one should pursue is sometimes difficult. I don't believe it's just about passion but rather a combination of what you enjoy doing, what you are good at, and the careers that are on demand.

Here are some things to think about:

- Think about what you enjoy doing. Do you like meeting new people? Do you like working alone? Do you get excited when someone says, let's think outside of the box, or when they say, let's find the bottom line numbers? Do you prefer to be outdoors and being mobile? Or do you prefer being behind a computer?

- Think about what you do well. Does it come easy for you to sell things or ideas? Are you a good communicator and getting your thoughts across well? Is it easy for you to motivate people?

- Look to see if there is a demand. Are there any job openings like the one you have an interest in? Are companies interested in the skills you are offering?

Once you have answered some of these questions speak to a mentor, a coach, a school counselor, and bounce your ideas off of them. They will be able to offer some suggestions and point you in the right direction. Remember, the first job you take, doesn't have to be your ultimate career. Use that job to learn what you need to get to that ultimate career.

Wish you the best!
Thank you comment icon Good input. Thanks! Kevin Rack
Thank you comment icon Excellent response. Looking into jobs that are "in demand" is a great idea! Brandon Beno
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Brandon’s Answer

Gain experience in anything that interests you! You can do this by volunteering/job shadowing. Depending on the field that you are interested in do research on it and contact a company near you. Don't be afraid to reach out to them and ask questions and set up a meeting. It is better to figure out your interest before you pursue an education (if that is what you chose to do). Understand that college is not the only option, you can earn a lot of money in trades!

For the longest time, I regret not doing this and I regret the lack of experience I gained in my field while in college. The lack of experience makes it difficult to get a job (having a degree does NOT promise you a job). I found all of this out on my own after I graduated college, but looking back at what I could have done has never helped me.

Brandon recommends the following next steps:

Find a mentor
Don't be afraid to network
Gain experience in anything that interest you
Volunteer/Job shadow
Look into a trade
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Andrew’s Answer

I don't totally agree with "just follow your passion". A successful career should be determined by 3 factors
(1) What do you enjoy doing (aka passion).
(2) What are you good at.
(3) Compensation.

(1) and (2) often form a feedback loop. When you are good at something, you will likely find yourself enjoying it more because of the success.

(3) is more like a hygiene factor. I don't think anyone should determine a career only on salary (though sadly many do), but having a reasonable income that you don't need to worry about paying bills at the end of the month will allow you concentrate on developing your career, finding a sense of worth, and enjoying it more.
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Randolyne’s Answer

First, it is okay not to have the answer to "what will I be when I grow up?" now. To start on this journey you should think about your favorite classes in school or some of your hobbies, or even what type of TV shows you like. This will help recognize what your passion is and you can start researching what qualifications are needed. Job shadowing and internships are a great way to "live in the life" of a profession so you can weigh out the pros and cons for you. It will also help with building a network of mentors and sponsors to help you. Mark Twain said, "Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life."


Best of Luck!
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Doc’s Answer

Hi Rosario,

I recommend turning you passions into your career.

First you need to understand who you are, what gets you out of bed every morning. Sit down and ask yourself what is it i love doing is a good start. From their you can sitting down with your career counselor, they probably have all the connections to set you up with a mentor in your dream job. This opportunity to learn more about a particular career path might steer you away from a job or industry you thought you wanted to pursuer seal the deal. Now with all this new knowledge and experience update your resume with your new career goals highlighting your skills and your on your way to a career your passions about.

Good luck Rosario
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John’s Answer

What are you most passionate about? Your passion can be your profession.
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Katya’s Answer

Hi Rosario, this is a common question that all students are struggling to answer when they trying to figure out which subject matter to study in school. What grade are you currently in or are you currently in college? When choosing a future career- it’s important to understand you personality traits and it’s important to remember that the career you will chose is a long term commitment and when you will spend 75% of your time at work- it’s important for you to enjoy what you do.

You don’t want to get into the field just because of the paycheck- because the stress that might come with the career choice is a long turn happiness;therefore, your career choice needs to be aligned with your personality. Fo example, do you like solving problems, do you enjoy technology,do you have high tolerance for dissatisfied clients ,do you enjoy working to fix processes and enjoy working in the office by yourself and working on individual projects.

If you are currently taking any courses in school or college - which courses do you enjoy the most? Maybe you enjoy public speaking and sharing your ideas in a broader group- this could be a public officer job, lawyer, public defendant, a life coach, counseling. We can discuss it more with you if you could share with me what you are currently doing , your past work experience-review your resume and see what you could self discover as we continue having this career conversation together.

Please let me know, if this is something you would be interested in continue working on ?

Best regards,
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Katya’s Answer

Hi Rosario, after 20 years of being in the field- I strongly recommend to pursue a career in something that you really enjoy. Think about, you will be spending 75% of your time at work- that means you will be surrounded by people that you have to learn to like, deal with, and find common ground.

I recommend you take some career counseling online, in school -find out what are your top skills and how can your skills can be related to workforce. Sometimes ,you would be surprised. There are many career path tests available online.

Think about your past experience of jobs you had-did you enjoy them -if so why? If you didn’t enjoy them-also why? These answers will help you better understand who you are.

Take some classes in college or school- chose different field and see how you are enjoying them-you school should be about exploring and findin four your interests.

What are you interested in?
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Michael’s Answer

That is a question only you can answer. I do not think there is an absolute answer or a "best". Your interest and requirements for a career may change as your life style changes. I think a better question may be, "How should I determine a career path and what do I need to do to get on that path?". I think if you try to break done the question into smaller parts, it may help direct you to one or many career choices. Think about purpose, dedication, sacrifice, day-to-day activities, and compensation (monetary, benefits, and non-monetary/praise). When people become unhappy about their career or current position, often it is due to compensation, commitment, work environment/poor management, or a lack of mental/professional fulfilment (purpose). Sometimes it is not the career choice, but the job. Sometimes it is the career choice. My suggestion would be to look within yourself first. Once you know who you are and what motivates you, try to find a mentor. Someone who has establish themselves, where you want to be. You can have more than one mentor. If you take an interest in them, they will most likely take an interest in you. They can help you validate your choices and potentially help you get on the right path. This will only happen if you are clear on what you want to pursue. They can not help you if you do not know where you want to go. Remember, it is your responsibility. Make it convenient for them to help you. Most people want to help other people. They just may not have the time. Think of the these two questions, and think who you are more likely to help if someone asked you. Question #1: I’m hungry. Where should I eat? Question #2: I want to eat pizza. Do you know a place I can get great pizza? Clearly Question #2, people will be passionate about referring you to their favorite pizza place. They may even know the owner, and tell you to ask for the owner by name. You may even mention the person who is referring you and get special treatment. Whereas, the first question may take too much time to answer, as they do not know if you have any special diet restrictions of what you like. What you had for dinner the night before or lunch that day, etc. I hope this example helps. Good luck!
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Joyce’s Answer

Hi Rosario!

You're off to a great start on your journey of finding your career by giving it serious consideration and asking for help! That's a great way to begin!

I encourage you to continue to seek out advice from people you respect as being successful in their careers. Watch, listen and learn from them.

Remember to distinguish your career from your hobbies and from your volunteer activities. Unless you are independently wealthy, you would be wise to consider what type of lifestyle you want your career to support. There are many jobs that do not support financial independence for an individual, let alone a family. Of course, some careers that pay well may require extensive training, education and/or hours of commitment working. Speak to people 5-10 years in the field you're considering and see what they have to share with you regarding insights in your particular areas of interest. They will often have some very valuable insights to share.

Best wishes in your search!
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Meaghan’s Answer

Hi Rosario,

This is a question that even people who are well into their career have a hard time answering! However, it's a great idea to be thinking about this early.

A good first step is to reflect on your interests, what motivates you, your values, your passions, and your strengths. By doing this, you can narrow down the career fields to look into more deeply. It might be helpful to take a career assessment to narrow down to a couple of careers to research.

Once you're in high school and college, you can try out and learn more about different career fields by participating in internships, externships, and volunteering opportunities. An internship is a short term job experience that can give you great exposure to and practical experience in the career field that you're interested in. An externship is a short term shadowing experience in which you can observe what people do in the career field that you're interested in and ask questions to professionals in that field. Your friends and family will also be willing to help share information about careers that they have pursued.

You can also participate in clubs and organizations that may provide you with more insights in what it's like to work in specific career fields. For example, if you are interested in Human Resources, there are student chapters of Society for Human Resources Management.

It would also be a good idea to look into trade school if you feel that the career you're interested in isn't represented at colleges/universities, or if you feel like college isn't for you!

Meaghan recommends the following next steps:

Take a career assessment
Reflect on your strengths, interests, passions, and motivators
Pursue experience in different career fields to get a better sense of what it will be like
Look into education that will help you break into the career field you're interested in
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Austin’s Answer

I'd ask yourself a few questions and look into career options.

What are you interested in? What do you like? Which jobs, industries, etc are in demand and will grow in the future? Where are the jobs?
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Max’s Answer

I was in your shoes just a few years ago and didn't really have any idea what I wanted to do. I had just gotten my Performing Arts degree from a state school in Iowa and was admittedly jealous of my friends in finance or technology that seemed to have their next five years planned out already.

Frustrated, I decided to think about the things that I was good at - acting led me to sales which ultimately led me to recruiting and my dream job. Take some time to think about what you are good at (I know it is probably much more than I had going in!) and after you make a list, take it to a popular job posting site and see what is out there!
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MaryJane’s Answer

search your soul, it always knows.
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Madison T.’s Answer

Hi Rosario!

Fun fact: Very few people (particularly in today's world) stay in a single career for all of their working years. I'd suggest focusing on the coming year: What do you want to get out of the next 365 days? Maybe it's starting a college degree or a particular certificate program. Maybe it's saving as much money as possible so you can travel. Maybe it's working at a coffee shop while you take online classes.

All of these are great, if it is what fits for you.

Part of it, too, is sorting out what you don't want to do. Do you hate working with young people? You can probably mark off teacher and admissions counselor. Do you love physical pursuits? Look into different sorts of coaching opportunities.

Don't worry about getting it right, right now, and never changing your mind. That doesn't hardly happen with anyone :)

Madison T. recommends the following next steps:

Check out coursera.org for their free courses. They have courses on ALL sorts of topics. If you think marketing might be grand, but then you start learning a little more and it completely turns you off, then hey! That's good! You can mark it off your list!
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Zuli’s Answer

Hi Rosario,
Another approach is to start narrowing down your selection to three possibles areas or things that you like and that you could be passionate about.
Start a trial with each one, get volunteer opportunities or work part time to see after some time if this is something that you enjoy.
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deirdre’s Answer

I would suggest reading the book What Color is Your Parachute? It is an active read and helps you align your interests with potential careers.
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Gobinath’s Answer

Analyse your strengths and challenges. Identify your area of interest. Develop your skill sets according to the job requirement. Decide on the kind of work environment which will suit your personality well. Earnestly attempt to improvise your knowledge, skills and understanding related to the field which you choose. Never take a decision based on others thoughts and input. However, even if you end up choosing a career which is not much interesting you, ensure to make up your mind and start liking your profession in order to lead a successful and peaceful life.
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Bill’s Answer

It depends on what motivates you. If you like engaging with people, that opens up everything from teaching to Selling. If building things motivates you, Product Development, Design, perhaps marketing. Stay focused on doing what you like to do/can do well and do that.
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Hillary’s Answer

Finding the right career for you is truly understanding yourself within the professional realm.

A few questions for you to consider:
- what do you enjoy doing? (it can be anything)
- What would I like to see in my next job - in terms of salary, work environment, work culture, colleagues? This would help you define your pragmatic non-negotiables when it comes to a job.
- Try out hobbies, activities, experiences to experience the "like" feeling and pursue that. It often leads to answers.
- Read and talk to people. This is usually non-linear but I would recommend following your curiosity. This often leads to something intuitive.

Cheers!
Thank you comment icon Sounds about right. Thanks. And yeah cheers.! Kevin Rack
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Aicha’s Answer

Hi Rosario! It can be tough to decide what you want to do with your life. I would say to sit down and just take a look at the things you are passionate about and the things you like to do that make you happy. Then try to find careers that relate to that. Also, when you do experiment with jobs you will know whether or not it is for you. If it is something you dread and can not get up for then it may not be for you. However, I completely understand people who have to work in order to make a living even though the job may not be something that they want.

I am not sure how old you are, but don't think you have to have everything figured out at a young age because you won't. You may get a job that you think you like but it turns out the complete opposite. Or someone may suggest a career for you that is out of your comfort zone but who knows maybe you will grow into it!

I hope this helps you out! I wish you the best of luck!
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Jhevin’s Answer

My recommendation is to know yourself first. Find out the skills you are best at. What you are interested in and especially what you dislike. Listing down what you like and dislike, gives you an overview and guidance once you start to explore different careers. When you explore, list what caught your interest and make comparisons so as to help you make decisions. This would be at least the very first step of the process. But as you go a long way and you gain more experience, you get to explore yourself more and decides what makes you truly happy and passionate about.
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Haoi’s Answer

Hi Rosario,
When you enjoy the job very much, devote yourself to it and set goals and plans on your own initiative, you are happy to insisten your principle of how to do it well, this is definitely your best career.
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BR’s Answer

It depends on
1. what you are best at
2. what inspire's you the most.
3. what makes you unconventional from the conventional.
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Simeon’s Answer

The starting point I usually recommend is going to the department of labor's website and seeing what the fastest growing fields are. That will give you a starting point if you're drawing a blank about what you'd like to do. I'd also recommend looking at YouTube videos where employees discuss their favorite and least favorite parts of their jobs. One of the downsides to a lot of career decision materials is that they don't usually tell you the downsides of different careers, so it might help you narrow down the options you're considering.
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James’s Answer

Time travel. We’re 6-10 years in age, playing in the backyard. What are we pretending? Then the super cool neighbor asks “hey what do you want to be when you grow up?” What’s your answer? Now... don’t be afraid to answer with something far fetched. (Remember we time traveled and we’re not worried about all these complications and lifestyle considerations!). Using this field trip, consider general industries related to your answers and explore various careers in those industries beyond what you might have thought of as a kiddo. For example maybe as a kid you said “I want to be a doctor.” But now, you might realize there are many different roles in healthcare both from the business side, (administration) the “helping side” (nurse, EMT) and even the support side (manufacturing and selling equipment, etc) Keep in mind your college major doesn’t need to be exactly what you’re going to be, but it does improve your motivation if it’s something that naturally attracts your attention.
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