How do you know what career you want?

My career never totally matched what my college studies were, has taken a few unexpected turns, and ultimately morphed into an area of business that I really enjoy. That said, the best advice I can give is always take action. The best way to find new opportunities and things to do is by already being out there doing something. Get a job working for a company or organization that does something interesting... maybe through an internship or volunteer opportunity. You have to start somewhere.

Another piece of advice I can give is, whatever you're doing (even if it isn't your life's passion), do it well. If you do quality work, others will notice and eventually that will open doors to other things.

Well that is a tough question.
The truest answer I can think of, is follow you heart and what makes you happiest. If you love doing it, you will want to do it forever.
That being said there may be some winding roads to find your vocation. Maybe you could start by volunteering or interning at a job, to see if it fits, that may lead you to another avenue on that career path. Say if you like photography, you could work for a large company doing graphic shots, or you may find assisting a wedding photographer makes you want to try a more paired down approach with your own business !! Just be open to possibilities and best of luck !!!

I too wasn't sure what to do after college. I was frustrated that I didn't have an obvious calling, like some people who always knew what they wanted to be. Interning and volunteering can definitely help you find your calling, but the truth is sometimes entry-level jobs are a shock to the system after college. What worked for me was learning about myself and my personality and what skills I had that matched different jobs. I'm very outgoing and assertive, and a bit funky, so digital ad sales worked for me. Digital being less traditional and more 'funky' than tv or magazines, and sales needing an outgoing assertive personality.

Just don't put too much pressure on yourself and remember your 20's are about discovering yourself and finding what works for you. Its a time to learn more information and you don't need to marry a career right away.

Good Luck!

Choosing a career is a combination of lot of factors. Your interest, Skills and Ability, Present and future scope, Support for your chosen field from friends, colleagues and acquaintances Etc. For E.g. If you want to open a restaurant, you may want to do a self assessment of your skills, whether you are able to learn or hire the skills required and whether you have or will be able to build a good support system for your business to thrive. Do not let the stereotype of "Must love what you do" distract you. Even if you don't love what you do, if you are good at it, you could find a better way of doing it and eventually love the process of simplifying.
Just dive in and don't be afraid to take risks. Calculated of course.
All the best!

As you mentioned college so I assume you already had your major choosen. If you like what you learnt in the college, you might first explore all the choices relevant to your major, which narrows down the scope as the first step. Once you identified different paths, you can do some research on each of the paths and identify pros and cons. You can think about this from different angels, some of the questions for reference:
- with this job whether I can support myself and my family?
- whether this job suits me regards my personality and interest?
- whether I can pick up a lot of good capabilities and experience through this job?
- do I want this job to be listed as the first job in my resume?
- will I have a good work life balance?

And some other questions you might think when you evaluate a specific company/role:
- whether the role provides good and fair opportunity for qualified people to move to higher career level?
- do I like the direct boss of the role?
- how is the industry of the company?
- how is the position of the company in the industry?
- do I prefer a international company, or state owned company?

Hope this helps:)

Figure out what you love and get great at that.
Truly ask yourself what you love, sit down with no distractions and decide. Write your skills and interests as many as you can possibly think of, including your accomplishments as a child, ask your friends for any skills and interests they see in you. Group them and identify the ones that add significant value to people, the ones you love to practice daily.
And then act, working at a place that teaches it best, or even for free partner with people who share your purpose,Make a decision at some point to focus on your strengths, do what you love the most, over time, you will get great at it and get known for being great at it - the rest will take care of itself.

insights @ http://www.forbes.com/sites/forbeswomanfiles/2014/07/02/3-practical-ways-to-find-your-lifes-passion-and-a-career-you-love/74a4d4961d8b

When you complete your high school, you have to decide which major you are interested in either science or commerce. Once you complete the higher secondary, then you can chose from the different professional courses offered. We have a wide range of courses offered in all colleges and other private institutes also. It is always best to chose one which you are interested in rather than going by others opinions.

Something that sounds like a really simple question but is actually very difficult to answer. To be honest what I would recommend you to do is, to self assess yourself first. Check with yourself, chalk out your strengths, your weaknesses, your interests & your areas of expertise. Use the internet to read about your areas of interest, go through online forums & most importantly establish contact with people who work in those fields because there is nothing better than real life experiences that come straight from the horse's mouth itself. So I will keep it short & simple, choose a career which goes along with your passions, your goals, your dreams , your aspirations but most importantly a career where you would want to develop & grow & not get bored of.

There are many things to take into account when choosing a career, such as your personality, skills, values and ambitions. The most important question is whether you will enjoy it, which is where a careers test can help.
Take The
Career Test
This test provides a free online report of your personality type, which can help your career search. There are also some optional in-depth, low-cost reports.
Career Tests
There are many career tests, though the quality of them varies. The worst are based on opinions derived from stereotypes - e.g. "an 'ESFJ' personality type will enjoy nursing". Research shows that such a simplistic approach does not lead you to the best career. The best career tests:
Are based on research with people already in careers Use themes, such as personality type Use your unique personality profile
Match your individual personality to careers Take account of the demands of the job Are statistically valid and robust
Our careers test meets all these criteria. It provides a free online report, with your personality type and leadership style, and explains some of the issues you need to take into account when choosing a career. There is also the option of a more extensive, low-cost report that shows which careers are best suited to your personality.
Career Choice Factors
The factors to take into account, when trying to find the right career for you, include:
Skills
Your skills are based on your natural aptitudes and developed through training/education.
Values
You may wish to consider factors such as the type of lifestyle you want, your beliefs, and the ethical nature of company or industry you want to work in.
Constraints
Your choice of career might be constrained by financial or geographical limitations, family responsibilities, physical disability or your qualifications/education
Ambitions
You may want to consider if and when you want to start a family and "settle down", whether you want a single job for the rest of your life or have the option to change career, and potential ambitions for setting up your own business. You should also consider what your retirement strategy will be.
Opportunities
Deciding what you want to do is of no use unless there are opportunities for you to pursue. You can find opportunities through various ways, e.g.: responding to advertisements for jobs or vocational training/sponsorship; making unsolicited approaches to organisations to see if there are any vacancies; networking through people you know to get referrals to potential employers; and creating your own business.
Personality
Your personality is a very important factor. It consists of things you know about your self, unconscious motivations, and your personality preferences which you can discover with our personality test.

Many times having direct experience will give you the most information about a career. Definitely, look for internships and volunteer opportunities in your fields of interest as suggested by Judy. Also for me so much of my journey has been about the people I have had the pleasure of working with, researching companies and looking at the corporate culture may be another avenue for you to gain insight and experience. Once you identify a few companies that sound like a match then don't be afraid to schedule informational interviews.

Choosing your career depends on what you want to become in life. A doctor, engineer, teacher , computer professional, designer, beautician and so on. Chose the one which you are interested in with the wide variety of courses you can chose from. you should also have in mind family responsibilities, commitments and of course the salary it offers.

Your personality is the key to finding a career that's right for you. Our personality finder puts you in everyday situations and asks how you would react.

I think it is too early to decide what will be your final career structure as things may change according to your futur experiences. You will be surprised how your career will shape and what unexpected roles you will be able to take in the future. I studied finance in the university and worked 2 years in that field, after I did sales and now I am in HR :) Don't worry too much for now about your career path just follow your heart, be passionate and keep your hunger to learn.

Is there something that you really like? before seeing what salary you can have I suggest you to explore what you really like to do and you can also make a living with it.

the best advice I can give is always take action and Your interest, Skills and Ability, Present and future scope