amber
How do I narrow down my decision of what I want to be in the future?
I'm a junior in high school and I don't know what career path I would want to pursue when I'm older, and that scares me. I feel like I would enjoy doing something maybe in dentistry and also I would like to help people. I also am interested in business, and I would like to get more insight on how to be certain of what I'd like to do. #dentistry #business #undecided #buisness
4 answers
Linda Ann Robinson, Ph.D.
Linda Ann’s Answer
There are couple of ways to narrow down the choices. Your high school should have a Guidance Counselor Office. IF you haven't already visited, please do so. There are several vocational interest instruments that the Guidance Counselor should have. One of those instruments is called the Strong Interest Survey. It is a well researched and validated instrument that is designed to assist in that narrowing down process! It's been around for at least 60 years! There are other instruments that are available that are also valuable for career counseling.
IF your high school doesn't have such instruments available you can visit the Career Counseling Office at your college or university when you enroll (and yes, I'm making a big assumption that your plan is to attend college; I know that California has many very good community colleges, so I would recommend taking that route). Become an "undeclared major." Every school has required coursework regardless of major. Sample some coursework outside of those required courses - especially those suggested by the Strong Interest Survey - to help you to get a 'taste' for what you find to be especially interesting.
If you've never tried what snails taste like, for example, how would you know if you liked them or not?
I wish you the best going forward in time. GOOD LUCK.
Hi Linda. Thank you so much for the amazing advice you gave to Amber! As a follow up question, I was wondering if you could speak more about how you yourself decided upon a career. Did you work an internship in psychology before picking your career path? Or was it a job that you stumbled across in a less formal manner? Any information or advice you could provide would be super helpful! Thank you so much!
David Ohta
COACH
Imane Faouzi Zizi, APMP
Imane’s Answer
Hi there, The first advice I would give here is to do different internships. Internships give you a taste of how the business life is and can help you a lot to have some orientation and know what really interest you, this will also have a great added value into you CV. When thinking about your future career try to establish a list with all the things that you are good at. this will help you a lot and narrow your search. In addition, this list should refer to the things that you really like and enjoy doing. This is because if you love what you're doing, you'll "work" harder at it.
Shadzi J
Shadzi’s Answer
Just remember that you are not alone in feeling that way. I was in your shoes a few years ago also. It's very admirable that you are already looking so far ahead into your future. My recommendation would be to talk to your dentist and go shadow him/her for some time. You can even offer to volunteer there. I did this myself and the dentist hired me, allowing me to learn alot about what it was really like. If you find that dentistry is the field you'd like to pursue, a really good plan would be to obtain a degree in business in college, while taking the necessary electives in Biology, Chemistry, etc. to apply for dental school. That way you will have a nice background in business which can help you run your practice well. Let me know if you want me to elaborate further and best of luck with everything!
Brian Jerome
Brian’s Answer
Hi Amber,
Great question and certainly a challenging one. I remember when I was in your shoes and it can honestly be overwhelming. My first piece of advice is to take a deep breath, don't get stressed out and remember everyone has been in your shoes. Enroll in college as undecided and start to take classes in a few different fields. If Dentistry is appealing, enroll in a few Biology and Anatomy classes. If Business seems like the right path, try a public speaking class, intro to economics or even better yet, get yourself an unpaid internship in the summer. Many local business, especially near cities, offer these types of opportunities. A quick Google search should bring up several results.
The great thing about college is, you don’t have to pick a major right away. You have the first few semesters to test the waters. If you poll a group of adults who went to college and ask them what they studied, very few will have a career that their degree is in. The most important thing is to-do what you are passionate about. If you are passionate, success and opportunity will follow.
Best of luck!
Brian