3 answers
Edith
Student
Greenport, New York
1
Question
Asked
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Whats the best and simplest way to figure out what you want to do?
I am a very indecisive person and always end up changing my mind about things. I need help making sure that what I choose as a career path will make me happy and won't regret it. #career
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3 answers
Jared Barnard
Program Manager / (former Regional Support Manager)
9
Answers
Spain
Updated
Jared’s Answer
Great question, Edith! This is a very complex question, and not easily answered, so I'll do my best to share MY journey, and maybe you can learn from or leverage that information for your own use.
First, I'm a "successful" 48-year-old Regional Manager at an amazing Silicon Valley tech firm, and sometimes still ask myself, "What do I want to do when I grow up?" I tell you that not to impress you, but to impress upon you that a career path is not as linear as we make it out to be in our heads when faced with the decisions around our first jobs and/or what to study in college.
For me, an important question looking back would have been "Is this something that I would enjoy or that I could endure for a time, and how will this build into skills and knowledge that can help me in the future?"
I've been a janitor. Washing toilets isn't something that I loved doing, but I did it as a trade to get a free unlimited membership to a climbing gym in college. Twice a week for about an hour each night and I had access to something that I loved. I've worked taking calls as a customer service agent. I actually really loved this because I like interacting with and helping people. It taught me about empathy and compassion, how to diffuse a heated situation with caring, and how to relate to people. I've worked in technical support, again combing loves of helping people and geeking out!
I never went to college to learn about management. I studied Communications (which was basically a journalism and technical writing degree), but it taught me how to write and communicate effectively on paper, which also helps you to form your words in your brain quickly for oral communication. And being able to do that, combined with the love of helping others is a great foundation for management. Then you combine that with the work ethic of being willing to scrub toilets to get something you want and you have a strange but effective "career path" that can show you're adaptable.
If you're a reader, and willing to spend around $20 extra to take a "test" I highly recommend the book Strengths Finder. There's a survey of which the results will tell you your strengths and identify some pitfalls. The main concept here is that your strengths are where you should focus, and not put all your focus on "fixing" your weaknesses. This is where you will find joy and "flow" in your work and your studies, and can help you design your future by knowing where you can do something that you'll love to do.
I hope this is helpful for you! Best wishes to you in whichever area(s) you choose, and I hope your path is even more beautiful and exciting than mine!
First, I'm a "successful" 48-year-old Regional Manager at an amazing Silicon Valley tech firm, and sometimes still ask myself, "What do I want to do when I grow up?" I tell you that not to impress you, but to impress upon you that a career path is not as linear as we make it out to be in our heads when faced with the decisions around our first jobs and/or what to study in college.
For me, an important question looking back would have been "Is this something that I would enjoy or that I could endure for a time, and how will this build into skills and knowledge that can help me in the future?"
I've been a janitor. Washing toilets isn't something that I loved doing, but I did it as a trade to get a free unlimited membership to a climbing gym in college. Twice a week for about an hour each night and I had access to something that I loved. I've worked taking calls as a customer service agent. I actually really loved this because I like interacting with and helping people. It taught me about empathy and compassion, how to diffuse a heated situation with caring, and how to relate to people. I've worked in technical support, again combing loves of helping people and geeking out!
I never went to college to learn about management. I studied Communications (which was basically a journalism and technical writing degree), but it taught me how to write and communicate effectively on paper, which also helps you to form your words in your brain quickly for oral communication. And being able to do that, combined with the love of helping others is a great foundation for management. Then you combine that with the work ethic of being willing to scrub toilets to get something you want and you have a strange but effective "career path" that can show you're adaptable.
If you're a reader, and willing to spend around $20 extra to take a "test" I highly recommend the book Strengths Finder. There's a survey of which the results will tell you your strengths and identify some pitfalls. The main concept here is that your strengths are where you should focus, and not put all your focus on "fixing" your weaknesses. This is where you will find joy and "flow" in your work and your studies, and can help you design your future by knowing where you can do something that you'll love to do.
I hope this is helpful for you! Best wishes to you in whichever area(s) you choose, and I hope your path is even more beautiful and exciting than mine!
Amy Kay
Data Products Operations
6
Answers
Union City, California
Updated
Amy’s Answer
Hi Jada,
Jared has given you some great advice! Here's what I recommend:
1. What are my strengths? I second the recommendation that Strengths Finder is a great resource for this.
2. What am I good at that I enjoy doing? Make a list and see if there are any commonalities.
3. What is my personality? Do I enjoy working with people or by myself? Am I a big picture person or dig into the details?
Some more great resources once you've answered these questions for yourself:
The Career Aptitude Test: 123test.com/career-test
The O*NET Interest Profiler: mynextmove.org/explore/ip
Good luck! Don't forget that it's quite normal to try several career paths over your lifetime!
Jared has given you some great advice! Here's what I recommend:
1. What are my strengths? I second the recommendation that Strengths Finder is a great resource for this.
2. What am I good at that I enjoy doing? Make a list and see if there are any commonalities.
3. What is my personality? Do I enjoy working with people or by myself? Am I a big picture person or dig into the details?
Some more great resources once you've answered these questions for yourself:
The Career Aptitude Test: 123test.com/career-test
The O*NET Interest Profiler: mynextmove.org/explore/ip
Good luck! Don't forget that it's quite normal to try several career paths over your lifetime!
Dinah Sloan
Solution Architect and Standards
1
Answer
San Jose, California
Updated
Dinah’s Answer
First, know that careers are often varied. What I do now is different from where I started, and I picked up different interests and skills along the way. I started as an engineer designing hardware circuits, moved into technical support (which included a lot of training, giving presentations, and trouble-shooting or coming up with new ways to use existing products). Then I tried project management. Now I work in international standards and am a system architect, designing how parts of a system work together - but I don't write the code used in products.
So don't think you're choosing what you want to do for the rest of your life, think about what you'd like to try next. And you can pivot from your starting point if you learn there's something that would make you happier.
To start, think about what subjects/activities you find interesting - those ones where you lose track of time while you're working on them. These don't have to be school subjects - if you get great satisfaction out of organizing things, maybe you'd be a good project manager.
Also think about what natural skills you have. What do people compliment you on doing well? In a group setting, what role do you naturally gravitate towards (do you take notes, motivate others, come up with new ideas, or are you the one that gets right in doing what needs to be done)?
Also think about what kind of work environment you want - indoors or outdoors, working alone or with a big team, varied or predictable, do you aspire to lead others or do you want to be hands-on, would you enjoy travelling for work (locally/internationally) or would that make your life too complicated?
Maybe see if your school or local employment office offers any assessment tests to give you some ideas. You may even find some free aptitude/assessment tests online.
Wherever you start, know that each step on your career will teach you more about what you like (or don't), where you strengths are, and what you might find interesting for your next step. Keep learning and exploring, and you may be surprised where you wind up!
So don't think you're choosing what you want to do for the rest of your life, think about what you'd like to try next. And you can pivot from your starting point if you learn there's something that would make you happier.
To start, think about what subjects/activities you find interesting - those ones where you lose track of time while you're working on them. These don't have to be school subjects - if you get great satisfaction out of organizing things, maybe you'd be a good project manager.
Also think about what natural skills you have. What do people compliment you on doing well? In a group setting, what role do you naturally gravitate towards (do you take notes, motivate others, come up with new ideas, or are you the one that gets right in doing what needs to be done)?
Also think about what kind of work environment you want - indoors or outdoors, working alone or with a big team, varied or predictable, do you aspire to lead others or do you want to be hands-on, would you enjoy travelling for work (locally/internationally) or would that make your life too complicated?
Maybe see if your school or local employment office offers any assessment tests to give you some ideas. You may even find some free aptitude/assessment tests online.
Wherever you start, know that each step on your career will teach you more about what you like (or don't), where you strengths are, and what you might find interesting for your next step. Keep learning and exploring, and you may be surprised where you wind up!