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What job should i get if im not sure of my career path?

#career-choice

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Shante’s Answer

Hi Zaire! If you're not sure about what you want to do career-wise, start thinking about what you like to do and then think about if you can get paid for that. If you're not yet sure what you enjoy, apply for a job doing something entry-level and go from there. We all learn a lot from working no matter where we work. If you already have a job, start to think about what small parts of that job you enjoy.

For me, I like math and at my first job I found that I really enjoyed counting out cash at the end of the day and filling out our bank slip. After a while, I realized I could do accounting, and I went from there, and I love my job. Good luck!

Shante recommends the following next steps:

Spend some time thinking about what you enjoy (taking pictures, running, vlogging, cleaning, fixing stuff, etc.). Do any of those skills translate to a paying job? (Photography, Physical training, Social media analyst, Professional cleaning, Mechanic, etc.)
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M’s Answer

Anything and everything. Try to do everything and anything. The reason....you never know what you will like or excel at doing. Good luck
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Dan’s Answer

Hi Zaire, if you're a student or recently graduated I highly recommend trying internships/co-ops. My school built it into our curriculum and I'm forever grateful. It helps you to try multiple jobs before making a longer commitment by hiring on with a company. It also helps you to build that network and ask that same question to other professionals you'll start to work with. Take advantage of summer internships or go on an internship every other semester which is what our school did (summer-internship, fall-school, spring-internship, summer-school, etc.).

In the end though, remember you're career path will not be set in stone and you'll be able to adjust along the way. Best of luck.
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Doc’s Answer

Zaire if you're trying to get a sense of what path you should be on, networking is a great way to dip your feet in the waters. The more people you meet, the more insight you can get into what the work environment is like, what the people are like, and how they enjoy the work. And if you are looking for that next job, networking is crucial. There are many potential benefits to one's career that can come from networking. The obvious main purpose of networking is to establish connections in your professional field in hope of furthering career possibilities within the field, or with a specific employer. Having personal connections and contacts can be highly advantageous in establishing oneself in their career. Besides this, there are many other reasons why networking can be helpful. For one, networking and creating relationships with other people involved in a similar profession allows for an exchange of ideas and new information. Also, networking gives people the opportunity to make a name for themselves within their professional environment and makes people aware of what they are able to offer. Finally, another positive outcome of networking is that it has the potential to boost self-confidence and allow someone to feel more capable and secure in their career path.

Make a list of all your options, whether those are tangible job opportunities, education, or career paths. Once you have everything written down, you can parse out what isn’t exactly right, and narrow your goals. When I made my career shift, I knew I couldn’t go at it alone. I decided I wanted to learn from the best — so I started working with mentors.I know finding your dream career isn’t easy, and the path can be scary. I remember it well. But just because it’s daunting doesn’t mean it’s not worth it! Think about how much time you’ll spend at work in your lifetime — 90,000 hours for the average person. You want to make sure you’re using your time to your advantage, by pursuing a career that makes you happy, aligns with your values, utilizes your talents, and more. You have the power to get there, and now you have the tools to get started.

Hope this will be helpful Zaire

Doc recommends the following next steps:

Online sites, like LinkedIn, are popular ways to reconnect with former colleagues and seek out new connections. Once you've set up your profile, you can import your contacts from your e-mail account or phone and send invites to those individuals to connect with you via the site. To start interacting with new people, join the many groups that are available on the site, particularly those that are in your industry or relate to your career goals. This can help you plan for a career by opening your eyes to new company and job possibilities.
Establishing personal connections can improve your likelihood of getting a job and also allow you to engage in deeper discussion about career plans, like future advancement in the field. Look for professional associations in your area that put together events designed to bring together people in your field. When you attend these events, be sure to bring your business card so that people have a way of contacting you later. This is also a good way to get business cards from your new connections in return.
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Troy’s Answer

Don't be scared to try out a few things before you ultimately lock-in your lifelong path. I agree with what I have seen a few others share in that a good place to start is to figure out what you enjoy doing. As the saying goes you will never work a day in the life if you are doing something you enjoy!
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Mohummed’s Answer

Dear Zaire,

Hope all is well. I would recommend adequate career counselling, this is very vital before embarking on any jobs. We should strive to get a job in a profession that excites us and drives us. I would suggest looking at online videos of different professional paths, as well as analyse what professions are typically pursued by individuals having a similar academic background as yours.

This would really help you clear your mind and land on something.
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Lindsey’s Answer

Hi Zaire,
I would start with pursuing a college degree in an area that you find enjoyable, or classes you find interesting. For me personally, I pursued a degree in Business, as I knew I preferred math related topics and not classes quite as heavy in labs. As your progress through classes and get more exposure to the possible job types in those fields, you will learn more what interests you and what doesn't. Also, there are so many more career paths than you can possibly foresee, so I think the degree is the starting point.

As you begin your career, I suggest networking. Meet as many different people in different fields/teams and learn about what they do. As you network and meet more people, you'll be able to make moves into areas that you love and more doors will open for you through the connections you have along the way.

Good luck!
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Akhil’s Answer

Looking back on the past 30 years in my career, a degree that's versatile is key. Most of us end up managing people or projects in the end. You might start out being a chemistry major and setting fire to beakers but at the end the bosses need you to run projects to provide a reliable end product on budget and within the time frame specified. Industrial Engineering is good versatile degree in that way, so is finance, business management, accounting, enterprise management that sort of thing. BUT... don't shy away from some of the tough stuff, tells us you can think ... take classes in philosophy, medieval literature (yeah there's a lot of hidden meaning in Chaucer), mathematics (functional math like calculus, algebra, statistics) and definitely a second language. (I was up at 6 the other day because I was Zooming with Portugal, Saudi Arabia and France... unheard of 20 years ago) ... Stay broad but show you can tackle the tough stuff .

Akhil recommends the following next steps:

Have s heart to heart with your guidance counselors in each department. Ask the tough questions and be prepared for the tough answers but know there's no one way get there.
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Eric’s Answer

Zaire, Great question to ask so let me ask you these questions and this should help you.

1. What excites you?
2. What do you like to do to keep busy?
3. What are you good at that involves #'s 1 & 2.
4. What could you see yourself doing for the next 20-30 years that you enjoy. If you don't enjoy your job it becomes just that a JOB and not a career.
5. Obviously you have to make a living and money is at the top of that but this should always be the last motivator in your career search. Simply this if you love and enjoy what you do everyday then the money shouldn't matter.

Great question. Hope this helps.

Eric D.
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Randy’s Answer

Hi Zaire! During a recent commencement I attended, I heard a speaker who had a very successful career as a film producer. He said that when you first graduate from school, there are many directions open to you but has you pick a single branch and head down that branch, it becomes much more difficult to change course. He told the story of how he had tried another career and then a fairly long time after college, had "blown up"his career to pursue dream of getting into the film industry. Many of his friends and family tried to discourage him from following his passion and giving up what was a good job, but had he listened to them, and not taken the leap, he may never have become a successful producer.

The point is that no one expects your first job out of college to be your last one. Employers expect that recent grads will have a few jobs before they figure out their long-term career. Utilize the career center if you are in college or the guidance counselor if you are a high school grad. They will normally be able to offer you a career inventory test that may suggest careers that would leverage your skills, training and personality and are likely to be a better fit.

Once you can figure out an industry or type of job you may have a aptitude for, weigh the differences between a big company or a small business. A big company will likely offer you some good training and many different job or career paths, while a start-up may provide you with a chance to wear many hats at the same time and experience many different jobs right away.

As the Hollywood producer said, if you start something and feel it is not a good fit, there is no harm to "blow up" that branch you are on and go down a completely different one!
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Rebecca’s Answer

1. A few questions : What is your interest? What you like to do? Do you have any subjects you are interested in school?
You can then shortlist a few areas that you have interest on.
2. You can then do more research on the careers on your interested areas. If you are not sure on the related careers, you can raise the questions in this forum again. If you have a chance, you can speak to someone who works in these areas.
3. You can then choose 2-3 careers that you really have interest and work towards on these careers. Perhaps you can also check on the qualification requirement, etc.
Hope this helps! Good Luck!
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