What do you do, when you don't know what to do with the rest of your life?

Not everyone knows what they are going to do for the rest of their lives. For some people, it takes a few tries in different fields before they feel comfortable in a career choice. I read the other responses, and one things stands out for me. It is something that my parents told me over and over growing up.

"Find something you love doing and a way to make money doing it."

Personally, I would suggest something in the STEM (Science Technology Engineering Mathematics) industry. We need more in this field. I decided at a young age I wanted to be surrounded by computers and its developmental languages. I love coding and puzzles. I work for one of the best companies in the world and also have my own company on the side developing mobile games. Also, because I love doing what I do, I do not see my job as a hassle or stressful.

Hi Melissa,

I can see how this can be a confusing subject for you! Let me first say this, as you grow and evolve as individual you will consistently crave the urge to do or explore different things. My advice is go for things you love to do the most and find a career path in that. There is no right or wrong path to take! Its important to know what gravitates your energy because no matter what you decide, if you're not emotionally attached to it, you won't be eager to complete it. Life is all about choices that you make and no one can actually direct you to whats the best decision for you. What I usually start with is my dream job/career choice which is usually a security question you're asked for a profile you're creating which is an answer only you should know. That always grind my gears and keeps the idea rolling. Write out things you love doing and find careers associated with it! Once you figure out those urges do your research on those careers and see if you would be interested for a long term or short term goal. Create a 4 year vision board of where you would want to see yourself and that too will help you make the best choices for yourself.

Hi Melissa, I was not given a lot of direction for career or college major, so I feel like I just went where the wind blew me. Now, I would recommend taking career assessments, doing volunteer work or internships, and interviewing people. The career assessments will pull out your strengths and make recommendations. It is not an exact science and it won't always suggest things you like, but rather what you have an aptitude for. For example, mine said I would be a good Historian, but I don't want to be a Historian. However, it also said I'd be good at pretty much any kind of counseling or training, and I love those. The career assessments will at least give you some direction and help you narrow down your options. Doing volunteer work or internships in fields that sound interesting, this allows you to find out what it's really like, and not just the rosy idea of what those career fields are like. For example, many people love the idea of healthcare because it's noble, helps people, and pays well, but they don't think about the challenges of the field. Interview people in fields that sound interesting to get the real behind the scenes details of things that are great and not so great about the field. Do your research, what fields are growing vs declining, what do they pay, what education or certifications are required? The military is also another option, whether full-time or part-time in the guard (as an example,) and they will pay for most if not all of your education/training.

Life is about doing different activities. I think you need to be active in finding different club activities and events in order to experience whether something fits your interests or not. It's okay to do many things and change your mind if something no longer fits. The important thing is you are doing something about finding what you truly want to do.

I was not sure when I was in college. When it came time to decide, I thought "What interests me?" I was always interested in advertising. I enjoyed print ads, commercials, catchy billboards. The combination of graphics, photography, and delivering an effective message was something I thought I would be good at. There was no Advertising major, so I decided Marketing would be the closest major. I took one Advertising class that I loved. But, really did not share the same passion for Marketing. It was good to have that knowledge, but I really did not have a deep passion. When you are not very passionate about your major, it can be a grind to get through. I did graduate with a Marketing degree. But, I still did not know where to go next. I tried Sales for a couple of years. I realized that was not for me. Then I had a college friend help me get a job in Purchasing. That turned into a Contracts Administrator role. Those were interesting, but I was still not very excited about it. In that Contract Administrator role, I had the opportunity to work in Hawaii on a technical project. While that was interesting, what interested me more was playing golf. I had a passion. I started reading books about it. Everything from how to play to the history of golf. I TOOK A CLASS on golf club repair and custom clubs. Long story short...I started buying trade-ins from golf shops and reselling them online. I did that for three years or so and rented a warehouse to stock inventory. Now I had to do my own Marketing. I wished I could build a website and wished I was better at graphic design. I knew I had the instinct, but I did not know how to utilize the tools. So, I TOOK A CLASS in Flash. Then HTML and CSS. That really interested me. And, that was a doorway to other tools like Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom, Illustrator and InDesign. I bought a book on each and took a 10-week PHOTOSHOP course and a CD course on Lightroom. I was so interested that studying and reading books on them was effortless.

While I am doing something totally different today, each attempt at taking a career step may not always work out. But, the step that you take may need to be that step you needed to take to get to a place where you are passionate and happy with what you are doing. It is a journey.

In conclusion, where is your interest or passion pulling you? I tell people all the time, if you don't know what to do next, then TAKE A CLASS in something that interests you. It does not have to be related to a career or anything else. Is it poetry? Music? Film?

When Steve Jobs dropped out of college, he TOOK A CLASS on Calligraphy. It was just what was needed before he took his next step and we all benefited from that.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2016/03/08/the-trappist-monk-whose-calligraphy-inspired-steve-jobs-and-influenced-apples-designs/?noredirect=on

All the best!

Hi Melissa-

When I took the career aptitude tests in high school they led me down a similar path. A path of questioning what I thought I wanted was something I was capable of doing, simply because the results didn't align with my goals, what I thought I wanted for myself, or anything that actually interested me. For many people these are very useful tools, and others will look back in ten years laughing at the suggestions.

Make time to try new things. Dip your toes in waters you are unfamiliar with and when you find something that peaks your interest, learn. Being successful and finding fulfillment in a career is all about trying new things. It is OK to try something and decide down the road it isn't something you enjoy.

What are things you current enjoy doing in your spare time? The best career is one that doesn't feel like a job. Give yourself time and know that you are not the only person to feel this way, and that eventually everything will fall into place.

Good luck!