I am still unsure with what I want to be in the future can someone tell me how can I narrow down my possibilities
I have a lot of things I want to do but I am not sure which to choose because I know taht each would cange how my future may shape out to be #career #career-paths #future #undecided
4 answers
Jared’s Answer, CareerVillage.org Team
Hi Alexis. Maybe you can tell us what the options are that you're considering. That would certainly allow us to give you better advice. You can edit your question to add them in...
In general, I'd offer this advice:
1. Don't try to eliminate things. Just prioritize your list. It's okay to have a second option and a third option and a fourth option. There's nothing wrong with having a lot of interests. So don't try to cross things off your list. Just make sure you are always exploring what's at the top.
2. Imagine yourself happy as an adult, and identify what it is that you use to define that happiness. For example, when you imagine yourself happy as an adult, what were the things that showed you that you were happy? Maybe before reading on, you should take a moment to think about your future... ...Is your happiness defined by material goods? Is it defined by a certain type of environment in which you work? Is it defined by prestige, or time spent with family or friends, or by something else entirely? You can use these factors to help you create a list of criteria against which to evaluate career options.
3. Make sure you know your constraints. Some careers are extremely expensive to get into, or extremely painful to get into, or extremely risky to get into. You need to figure out what you're willing to do to prepare for a career path, and what you are not willing to do in order to prepare for a career path. Are you willing to spend 8 more years in school after high school? If not, you should cross doctor off your list. Are you willing to spend $150,000 on school after the cost of college? If not, it would be hard to have lawyer on the list.
4. Create a research plan for each career. For each career you have on your list, try to figure out what you could do to learn more about the career. For example, you might decide that you want to hear what a day-in-the-life is like for a certain profession. Find someone who works in that profession and shadow them for a day, or ask a question on CareerVillage and see if someone will clue you in to their professional life. Maybe you will decide that you want to see how competitive a certain career path may be. Perhaps in that case you could try to get an internship or summer job in the field so you can meet real professionals and watch and learn how they handle competitiveness at the office place.
I'm sure there's more advice we could offer you, but your question is too short. We need to know a little more about your interests first!
Phi’s Answer
My recommendation is to try to get out there and find out more about possible careers you are interested in. Seek out jobs, internships, or volunteer opportunities in the fields you are interested in. The best way to find out if it's the right career for you is to get your feet wet and really find out what that job entails.
Mounia’s Answer
Hi there !
Change is fine, you want change in your life, and the way your future is or would be shaped you can't know that nobody can but here is what you can do, figure out what you like by trying different things. My advice would be that you get out of your comfort zone, do research, internships, trainings take classes, get interested, get involved in discovering new things and when you expect the least your path with light up, you will be able to see what you love pop out from the millions things you have tried, you might think this would waste your time but you are actually investing time in finding what you love so that when you find it you won't waste your life.
I wish you all the luck you need,
Brianne’s Answer
When I came out of high school and went into college I had my whole career planned out. Needless to say it didn't turn out the way I planed but I have ended up in a great career. Even if you don't know what you want to do right away its fine but a great way is to just learn about different jobs and industries. Talk to your friends parents and ask them what they do. Reach out to your teachers and see if they know someone in an area you are interested and see if they can set up a time to talk about it. The more you learn from people who actually do the job can help you see if its something that you are really interested in.