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I’m not sure what i’m interested in, what can help me with that?
#young #positive #dreamer
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Kevin P’s Answer
Justin, well above all, please know you’re not alone! And not knowing is okay. You don’t need to rush into a career that will make you unhappy in the future!
So my advice is, try everything! Try all of it. Be okay being uncomfortable and ask a lot of questions.
I was luckily enough to do this in high school. My school had like 8 different programs that helped set you up for future careers. This did not delay graduation. This was part of my junior and senior year.
Here are some that I tried:
HOSA - Health Occupation Students of America. I would go the hospital once a week and rotate through different departments. I could see what I like. I didn’t like any of it.
RTV Production - Radio and Television Production. I learned how to direct, edit, and produce short news articles, commercials, learned the details of how to work cameras and such. Also didn’t like it.
Law and Criminal Justice - learned how the court system worked and what police officers do. No thank you.
IBIS - I don’t remember what the acronym stood for but I was able to leave school early and work to make money. I like money. This was better. I liked big companies, stocks, money, management. Etc. this was it.
I found banking by trial and error.
Best of luck.
So my advice is, try everything! Try all of it. Be okay being uncomfortable and ask a lot of questions.
I was luckily enough to do this in high school. My school had like 8 different programs that helped set you up for future careers. This did not delay graduation. This was part of my junior and senior year.
Here are some that I tried:
HOSA - Health Occupation Students of America. I would go the hospital once a week and rotate through different departments. I could see what I like. I didn’t like any of it.
RTV Production - Radio and Television Production. I learned how to direct, edit, and produce short news articles, commercials, learned the details of how to work cameras and such. Also didn’t like it.
Law and Criminal Justice - learned how the court system worked and what police officers do. No thank you.
IBIS - I don’t remember what the acronym stood for but I was able to leave school early and work to make money. I like money. This was better. I liked big companies, stocks, money, management. Etc. this was it.
I found banking by trial and error.
Best of luck.
Updated
Wailan’s Answer
First, I'd encourage you to reflect on what activities or courses make you most excited and what career opportunities may have close ties to those. You'll have many opportunities in your career to pivot; however, its great to start with some personal passions. Additionally, I'd encourage you to explore different opportunities through internships and externships. Through these hands on experiences, you can learn a lot about what you like and dislike in a short period of time. Finally, if you know any adults who are in professions that you're interested in exploring, ask them if they'd be willing to spend some time with you to discuss what "a day in the life" is like and how they ended up in their current profession. Even better yet, see if there is an opportunity for you to shadow them on the job for a day.
Updated
Gonzalo’s Answer
1. Remember What You Loved as a Child
Often, our truest passions emerge in childhood, only to be squelched by real life pressures. So think about what you loved long before you had to worry about your career. Writing? Science experiments? Taking care of people? Getting back in touch with those instincts is an important step in finding your passion.
2. Eliminate Money from the Equation
If money were no object, what would you do? Would you travel? Spend all of your time with your children? Would you start a charitable organization to help abused women? Of course money can’t be ignored, but don’t let financial pressures dictate your choices. Your career should ultimately lead to financial security, but if financial security is the defining motivator, it’s unlikely you’ll end up doing what you love.
3. Ask Your Friends for Feedback
Sometimes you’re just not the best judge of what makes you happy. Ask the people who know you intimately when you seem the happiest and what you do the most enthusiastically. Their answers may surprise you.
4. Read through a University Course Catalog
Find some quiet time and see which courses naturally interest you. What would you study if you could do it all over? What courses do you think you could teach? Which subjects scare you to death, and which ones do you find boring? Revisiting these possibilities will help point you in the direction of subjects and topics that you love.
5. Identify your Professional Hero
Of everyone you know, either personally or in your extended frame of reference (from your dermatologist to Oprah), whose career would you most want to emulate? Reach out to her to learn more about how she got to where she is, or, if that’s not possible, read everything you can about her career and life.
6. Think of What You Enjoy That You Also Do Well
After you’ve done these exercises, think about what you’ve learned. Focus on the things that you both enjoy and do well—whether you have a way with animals, make a killer lemon tart, or are crazy for origami—and write them down. Then, narrow the list to the top three or four things. Keep it handy, review it often, and use it as your jumping-off point when you’re plotting your career move.
Credit: https://www.themuse.com/advice/do-what-you-love-how-to-identify-pursue-your-passions
Often, our truest passions emerge in childhood, only to be squelched by real life pressures. So think about what you loved long before you had to worry about your career. Writing? Science experiments? Taking care of people? Getting back in touch with those instincts is an important step in finding your passion.
2. Eliminate Money from the Equation
If money were no object, what would you do? Would you travel? Spend all of your time with your children? Would you start a charitable organization to help abused women? Of course money can’t be ignored, but don’t let financial pressures dictate your choices. Your career should ultimately lead to financial security, but if financial security is the defining motivator, it’s unlikely you’ll end up doing what you love.
3. Ask Your Friends for Feedback
Sometimes you’re just not the best judge of what makes you happy. Ask the people who know you intimately when you seem the happiest and what you do the most enthusiastically. Their answers may surprise you.
4. Read through a University Course Catalog
Find some quiet time and see which courses naturally interest you. What would you study if you could do it all over? What courses do you think you could teach? Which subjects scare you to death, and which ones do you find boring? Revisiting these possibilities will help point you in the direction of subjects and topics that you love.
5. Identify your Professional Hero
Of everyone you know, either personally or in your extended frame of reference (from your dermatologist to Oprah), whose career would you most want to emulate? Reach out to her to learn more about how she got to where she is, or, if that’s not possible, read everything you can about her career and life.
6. Think of What You Enjoy That You Also Do Well
After you’ve done these exercises, think about what you’ve learned. Focus on the things that you both enjoy and do well—whether you have a way with animals, make a killer lemon tart, or are crazy for origami—and write them down. Then, narrow the list to the top three or four things. Keep it handy, review it often, and use it as your jumping-off point when you’re plotting your career move.
Credit: https://www.themuse.com/advice/do-what-you-love-how-to-identify-pursue-your-passions
Updated
Jennifer’s Answer
It is important to think about what your enjoy doing but also taking into consideration where you have had success previously. If you haven't had success in any one area more than another, keep trying different areas.
For example, if you like playing video games, but haven't had success in gaming, you could consider why you like to play the video games. Is it because of the strategy or the competition? It might be because of the graphics.
Remember that course studies don't always need to follow the standard career path. Being good at math doesn't mean you need to be an accountant, but you could look into architecture or astronomy. Just the same, if you like art, it doesn't mean you need to be able to draw or paint. This could also lead you to be an architect or an interior designer or a photographer.
Most important, try different things. You might find that what you "thought" you enjoyed was only because your hadn't done anything else. One example I have for this relates to food. I love Reese's peanut butter cups so I always eat those. One day, these were available, so I tried snickers. Who knew I would like the peanuts and the caramel almost as much. :)
For example, if you like playing video games, but haven't had success in gaming, you could consider why you like to play the video games. Is it because of the strategy or the competition? It might be because of the graphics.
Remember that course studies don't always need to follow the standard career path. Being good at math doesn't mean you need to be an accountant, but you could look into architecture or astronomy. Just the same, if you like art, it doesn't mean you need to be able to draw or paint. This could also lead you to be an architect or an interior designer or a photographer.
Most important, try different things. You might find that what you "thought" you enjoyed was only because your hadn't done anything else. One example I have for this relates to food. I love Reese's peanut butter cups so I always eat those. One day, these were available, so I tried snickers. Who knew I would like the peanuts and the caramel almost as much. :)
Updated
Lucie’s Answer
Hello Justin,
It can be so hard to figure out what you are interested in, passionate about.
I would try a few things to get you on the way:
#1 Personality traits
What is your personality like: Are you patient? Bored easy? Athletic? Curious? Independent?
What kind of classes are you good at or do you like: Maths, languages, history, sports, etc. and try to figure out why?
#2 Matching
With your personality traits and classes you like, you can start looking into matching it to actual interests/hobbies out there. For example you are very patient and like math = look into computer science, try to build something electronics, etc.
#3 Try out
Try out:
In a group: a robotics club, chess club, meetups, etc.
Alone: Reading, listening to podcast, etc.
You should quickly see if something sticks or if something is really not for you.
In the end, you will probably need a few tries to see what you like and don't, what you see yourself do "forever" because it is fun or what you think you should just keep it as a side hobby because not your primary interest.
Hope this helps,
Cheers
It can be so hard to figure out what you are interested in, passionate about.
I would try a few things to get you on the way:
#1 Personality traits
What is your personality like: Are you patient? Bored easy? Athletic? Curious? Independent?
What kind of classes are you good at or do you like: Maths, languages, history, sports, etc. and try to figure out why?
#2 Matching
With your personality traits and classes you like, you can start looking into matching it to actual interests/hobbies out there. For example you are very patient and like math = look into computer science, try to build something electronics, etc.
#3 Try out
Try out:
In a group: a robotics club, chess club, meetups, etc.
Alone: Reading, listening to podcast, etc.
You should quickly see if something sticks or if something is really not for you.
In the end, you will probably need a few tries to see what you like and don't, what you see yourself do "forever" because it is fun or what you think you should just keep it as a side hobby because not your primary interest.
Hope this helps,
Cheers