Karen
How do I find the right career for me?
Everyone knows that it is best to choose a career that explores your passions and that you are good at. I am aware of some of my hobbies and could list a few things that I find myself excelling at. How do I take all of this information and acquire a career that is right for me? There are many positions in certain career paths that I do not know of but I may be good at. Are there any websites, books, or videos that you could recommend to a student that would help him/her choose a career that he/she would like to pursue? #career #career-choice
3 answers
Daniela Silva
Daniela’s Answer
Hi Karen,
if you’re ready for some thinking exercises, grab a pen so you can write down your thoughts! Once you get to know yourself, you’ll have some guidelines to help you decide what careers to explore. Next time we’ll take it a step further with 5 more answers to the big question. Those answers will require you to not just think but to take action: 5 Actions To Help Find the Right Career.
HOBBIES / FREE TIME
Think about the kind of stuff you like to do in your free time and are good at. Do you like working with your hands? With your mind? Being around lots of people? Doing your own thing? Do you coach a team or tutor kids? Interact with nature? Do you like numbers? Puzzles? Writing? A certain type of video game? Being in front of an audience? There are careers that make use of your skills and interests…and sometimes they’re a few steps removed from the obvious. For example, just because you like coaching your local little league doesn’t necessarily mean you should be a professional coach. But you clearly embrace leadership skills, which apply to many types of careers and can serve as a guide in your career search.
WHAT DO YOU VALUE?
What’s important to you? What does “success” mean to you? Is it having lots of money? Owning fancy cars and houses? Having lots of free time? Having lots of fun at work? Having a big family? Following a dream? Living in the city? The country? The suburbs? Living overseas? All of these things can impact which career opportunities will fit you and be available to you. For example, if you’re obsessed with the auto industry but are set on living near your farm in Wyoming, you probably have to choose one or the other.
WHAT TYPE OF LIFE DO YOU WANT
Do you picture yourself living a conventional life where perhaps you settle down young and start a family in the suburbs? Or do you want to live an adventurous life where your career could take you to just about anywhere in the world at any time? For example, if you’re set on wanting to be a war photographer, you’ll probably spend most of your life traveling the world and risking your life. For the adventurous types, job and life can often blur together…but the adventurous type might not be able to see doing it any other way.
WHAT ARE YOU WILLING TO SACRIFICE
The expression “nothing comes for free” is true. If you’re a young, corporate lawyer or investment banker getting paid the big bucks, you’re probably going to have close to zero free time. If you’re an airline pilot or a truck driver, you’re probably going to be spending a lot of time away from home. If you want to become a college professor, you’re going to be in school a long time to get that PhD. If you want to be a famous actress, you’re going to have to humiliate yourself on a daily basis at casting calls and tryouts where your talents and looks will be picked apart by a panel of others.
WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE & BEST CLASSES IN SCHOOL
What classes feel like fun to you? Which ones come so naturally that they just seem easy? Are you great at science? Math? Or do you hate science and math but love your English classes? That was me! I knew then that I couldn’t be a doctor or a scientist or economist. But maybe I’d end up as a writer, teacher, lawyer, or some other communications-based career. Analyzing what classes fit you is a great step towards finding a career that fits you.
In the link below you can find more detailed information, videos and career test:
In: http://careersoutthere.com/5-answers-to-how-do-i-find-the-right-career-for-me/
Good luck!
Hello Daniela! The five answers you have given me really summarized the things that I should consider when choosing the right career for me. I never knew there was that many factors and maybe even more that can help guide me to find a place that will keep me happy in the future. Thank you so much!
Karen
Bruce Mihok
Bruce’s Answer
Most people today do not have a lifelong career. They begin with one direction and change up to 5 times within a lifetime. That said, I would suggest that you never stop asking this question ... and keep your eyes and ears always open for opportunities that may present themselves.
A friend loved music and wanted to be a performer to fulfill his dreams. He eked out a living but heard of a job as an events manager for a venue. This was more stable and, since he was a working musician, he knew what to do and what not to do with managing a venue to a large degree. Time passed and a huge group came to town and had a falling out with their sound support manager. He got into a conversation with their manager and they hired him to replace the fired person.
You see what I am getting at --- you might love medicine but that does not mean you have to be a doctor. There are many other careers in any field of interest to you, but you have to start somewhere.
So, follow Daniela's notes, keep your options open and get started!
Kim Gravell
Kim’s Answer
You have been given some excellent advice already. Another thought for consideration is to take the StrengthsFinder assessment. It will reveal your true strengths and can be very helpful in discovering a potential career path. And once you are in your career it will give you a great reference point to make certain you stay true to your strengths. It is also a great "a-ha" tool that helps you to under why you prefer cetrain activities over others. It also is extremely helpful with inter personal relationships.
Kim recommends the following next steps:
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