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Why did you choose the career that you chose?
I want to do something interesting that helps other people. #girlboss
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6 answers
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Julie’s Answer
I think I both chose my career path and my career path chose me. When I graduated college, I was really determined to work in non-profit and even did an internship for 4-months abroad but when I came back to California, I had the opportunity to intern at a tech company. Since then, I've worked different roles within the technology sphere because I enjoyed what I was doing and also felt like I was learning a lot of new skills. While I still want to go into non-profit at some point, I feel like a lot of the skills I'm learning in a for profit space will be able to be applied into non-profit when I make that switch eventually. Additionally, I participate in things outside of work (volunteering, part of leadership alliance) that make me feel fulfilled and feel like i'm actually helping people.
It is good to be open minded and at the end of the day, do something you enjoy. Like some others said above, your first job isn't your last job and you can always pivot and try different things/get different experiences. A practical thing you could do is look at job postings and start reading the responsibilities/skills needed for different types of jobs. That can help you narrow down what the best role for you is in the near term and also long term as you know what skills you'll need to work towards.
It is good to be open minded and at the end of the day, do something you enjoy. Like some others said above, your first job isn't your last job and you can always pivot and try different things/get different experiences. A practical thing you could do is look at job postings and start reading the responsibilities/skills needed for different types of jobs. That can help you narrow down what the best role for you is in the near term and also long term as you know what skills you'll need to work towards.
Updated
Holly’s Answer
Hi Atl! Really great question! To start off, I want to say that for me, the career I started with out of school is different than where I am now, and that I LOVE the career I am in now - so it's okay if you don't immediately know what career you want to be in right at the start. I knew (similar to you) that I wanted to help people, but I didn't really know how, besides that I didn't want to be a doctor. I got a Grad Degree in Organizational Behavior and that really helped me learn that I wanted to help people in the workplace enjoy their jobs more. From there I had a few jobs that got me closer and closer to where I am now (building internal tools for a large company that helps teams be more efficient in their jobs so they can focus on their important work vs manual tasks that can be automated). All of that is to say that I never thought building software to help teams would be my version of "helping people" but this is where I landed and it is a very fulfilling job.
I would recommend thinking through what aspects of people you want to help (ex. help heal them (doctor/psychologist), help them find careers they love (HR), help mentor them (teacher/career or college advisor)) and then focus on that and talk to people that are currently in those jobs - informational interviews can help immensely in quickly figuring out whether you actually want to go down that career path, as well as understanding any additional schooling you may need. Lastly I will say from my experience that "helping other people" can happen in so many different ways so thinking about what field/industry interests you and then thinking about what roles in that industry can help people, is also a great way to start narrowing down what career you want. Best of luck!
I would recommend thinking through what aspects of people you want to help (ex. help heal them (doctor/psychologist), help them find careers they love (HR), help mentor them (teacher/career or college advisor)) and then focus on that and talk to people that are currently in those jobs - informational interviews can help immensely in quickly figuring out whether you actually want to go down that career path, as well as understanding any additional schooling you may need. Lastly I will say from my experience that "helping other people" can happen in so many different ways so thinking about what field/industry interests you and then thinking about what roles in that industry can help people, is also a great way to start narrowing down what career you want. Best of luck!
Updated
Karla’s Answer
It is about your skills, and what makes you feel challenged and alive. Besides, your existing situation can determine your path.
In my case, everybody that knew me told me: you have to be an architect or a designer - simply because I am very creative, I enjoy designing, arts and anything I can create to make something unique and beautiful. While I love this, it was more of a hobby to me and I was not sure that I wanted to dedicate my entire life to it. I did know that I wanted it to be the activity I can always come back to after a stressful day. So this was not really what I wanted, even though a lot of people thought that was my ideal career.
In contrast, I was really passionate about either becoming a Plastic Surgeon or a Telecomm/Robotics Engineer. So I did my main comparison table on the pros and cons or skills I had and not for each career. I talked to people in those fields and asked them about their "Day in a life", what was life after work, and the future they ambition within their careers. There were two main. things that made me choose the engineering path.
First, doctors tend to memorize a lot of terminologies and I have a good memory but I am more logical.
Second, the medical career takes several years at least 10-12 years with the speciality I wanted. And in my personal situation, we were passing a very difficult financial situation at home, so I had to start generating income as soon as I can. That actually made me go for engineering.
I love my career and if I had to choose it again, I will.
Besides, I do other activities to fulfill other skillsets. While I am not a doctor, I am certified in Yoga and Reiki and I help people feel better with themselves through flow, exercising, and with energy. I also volunteer at activities outside my daily job which helps me to keep my mind open to new topics or perspectives.
What I am trying to say is that even though you pick a major, there are several ways you can fulfill different skills that made you feel challenged and excited about what you do.
And remember, even though you have picked a path that does not mean that you cannot go for the second alternative later. For example:
- A family member study Chemistry and later she did a dentistry/orthodontist career.
- Another friend studied medicine and later she studied Laws.
Just believe you can do it and you will do it!
In my case, everybody that knew me told me: you have to be an architect or a designer - simply because I am very creative, I enjoy designing, arts and anything I can create to make something unique and beautiful. While I love this, it was more of a hobby to me and I was not sure that I wanted to dedicate my entire life to it. I did know that I wanted it to be the activity I can always come back to after a stressful day. So this was not really what I wanted, even though a lot of people thought that was my ideal career.
In contrast, I was really passionate about either becoming a Plastic Surgeon or a Telecomm/Robotics Engineer. So I did my main comparison table on the pros and cons or skills I had and not for each career. I talked to people in those fields and asked them about their "Day in a life", what was life after work, and the future they ambition within their careers. There were two main. things that made me choose the engineering path.
First, doctors tend to memorize a lot of terminologies and I have a good memory but I am more logical.
Second, the medical career takes several years at least 10-12 years with the speciality I wanted. And in my personal situation, we were passing a very difficult financial situation at home, so I had to start generating income as soon as I can. That actually made me go for engineering.
I love my career and if I had to choose it again, I will.
Besides, I do other activities to fulfill other skillsets. While I am not a doctor, I am certified in Yoga and Reiki and I help people feel better with themselves through flow, exercising, and with energy. I also volunteer at activities outside my daily job which helps me to keep my mind open to new topics or perspectives.
What I am trying to say is that even though you pick a major, there are several ways you can fulfill different skills that made you feel challenged and excited about what you do.
And remember, even though you have picked a path that does not mean that you cannot go for the second alternative later. For example:
- A family member study Chemistry and later she did a dentistry/orthodontist career.
- Another friend studied medicine and later she studied Laws.
Just believe you can do it and you will do it!
Updated
Julia’s Answer
I choose supply chain because of the different paths you could go with it. I studied logistics, operations and procurement which gave me a broad picture of how supply chain works and possible different career paths. Principles of supply chain can also be applied in almost any field and across many aspects of the business.
take classes to introduce you to different careers
meet with industry professionals to understand what you do and don't want to do
Julia recommends the following next steps:
Updated
Emilyn’s Answer
I started to do an internship inside a technologist enterprise and that makes me feel that I have a proposal in my life, helping people to fix some hardware issues, with their personal computers and explaining how they work and, trying to make this less complicated to the final user.
So, therefore, I started college for computer science and could learn the software side beside the hardware side, to be a complete professional.
Should you do something that inspires you, and this will be an easy way to do money.
So, therefore, I started college for computer science and could learn the software side beside the hardware side, to be a complete professional.
Should you do something that inspires you, and this will be an easy way to do money.
Updated
Jordan’s Answer
Hello! Great question!
I think when it comes to picking a career, you need to figure out what you love to do and what skills you embody that would mesh well in that role.
For me, I knew that I enjoyed working with people and wanted to be in a customer-facing role. I started in client-services and quickly took interest in our sales org (as I am very driven by the idea of being financially comfortable)- that led me to my career path in sales! I am still working with clients as a consultative partner, but I am compensated a bit differently.
My overall advice would be to figure out what you are passionate about and start browsing for those skills & keywords in job descriptions. You may not love your first job and that is ok- it is all about trial and error and you will figure it out based on that experience.
I hope this helps!
Jordan
I think when it comes to picking a career, you need to figure out what you love to do and what skills you embody that would mesh well in that role.
For me, I knew that I enjoyed working with people and wanted to be in a customer-facing role. I started in client-services and quickly took interest in our sales org (as I am very driven by the idea of being financially comfortable)- that led me to my career path in sales! I am still working with clients as a consultative partner, but I am compensated a bit differently.
My overall advice would be to figure out what you are passionate about and start browsing for those skills & keywords in job descriptions. You may not love your first job and that is ok- it is all about trial and error and you will figure it out based on that experience.
I hope this helps!
Jordan