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How do I know if the career I picked is something I know I want to do for sure?

I have always had a passion for what goes on in a criminals mind and why they do what they do and how they react to certain things. But I want to make sure that I don´t back out of something I know I would really wan to do.

career-path career-choice criminology whats-good-for-me
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Subject: Career question for you
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Atul’s Answer

Are you passionate about what you want to do? If so, pursue that path.
Some people find that the choice that they have made is the wrong one after taking a few courses, but you have a choice if you go to the state universities where they do offer options to switch majors.
Learning is a good thing but enjoying and applying what you have learned comes after you have tried it.
Lastly, ask yourself why is that you want to do what you are passionate about.
What are the reasons?
Some people have seen their family members die of cancer so they decide to become a Dr and become a cancer specialists. This is their passion and they do not care how hard it is to reach that goal.
My son was passionate about video games and he was good at them so he pursued Computer Engineering. Did he write software for the video games? NO. However, he is a very successful professional in the software industry.
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X’s Answer

Agree with all of the above on reaching out to connections in the industries you're interested in. If you need help finding connections, you can look for youth development programs in the city that can take you on college tours and matching you with advisors. A quick google search or your college/ career center at your school can help you find these programs.

When you talk to people, come up with a list of questions ahead of time so you're confident going in. Here are some potential questions:
- What is the culture like in this profession?
- What do you do day to day?
- What your favorite and least favorite part of your job?
- What skills/ credentials are helpful for going into this job?
- Think about what you want the career to be and ask questions to see if the career is really like that.

But finally, any path your pursue can change! So as others have said, go ahead and try it out. You can always change later.

X recommends the following next steps:

Reach out to youth development programs for connections
Come up with a list of questions for talking to industry experts
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Mindy’s Answer

Internship opportunities or "interviewing" people that are in the career choice in question are 2 great ways to get a pulse on whether it's the right field for you.
Thank you comment icon I agree with Mindy. Another option is to shadow someone in the profession you are considering. Even if it is only for a day or two, it will give you some insight. Check with teachers or counselors to see if they have contacts that might be willing to allow you to shadow. Patty Policelli
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Tamberlyn’s Answer

Great question! Sometimes your career interest is tied to particular aspects you perceive as being the most important for that career. For example: you mentioned an interest in criminal minds. If you're curious about behavior and motivation, could it be that you are interested in psychology and research or perhaps government agencies that work with behavioral analysis? There are so many directions you could go with such an interest.
I was a psychology major in college, but I went on to get advanced degrees in business and teaching, so don't worry too much about choosing a career and keeping it forever. What I learned as a psych major has helped me in several of my careers (both in business and as a teacher). Keep an open mind as you explore aspects of your interests, knowing those interests may lead to careers you never considered before.

Tamberlyn recommends the following next steps:

I'm not sure if your school does this, but when I was in school, some of the tests we took suggested areas of interest for college. Look at that.
Many times you need to be of college age to seek an internship, but if you are of age, an internship will provide insight as to whether this is really what you want to do.
An internship will also potentially open doors to you when you seek a position in your chosen field.
If you cannot intern, perhaps you can shadow someone for a short time to see what would actually be involved .
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Juan’s Answer

I agree with Mindy and Atul, you should look into Internships or send a message to someone in the field you are looking to get into. A great place to find both of these things would be on LinkedIn.

You won't know until you try it is the ultimate answer in the end.

In life, some people change careers several times in their life, as long as you have a passion for something, it is worth pursuing it.
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Brianne’s Answer

This is a great question, and it seems you have gotten lots of wonderful advice already. I think that the first step is research. There are lots of different avenues that you could take in terms of this. I would imagine this would be some type of psychology degree. I love starting with a Google search and see what types of careers populate and maybe create a list of what sounds most interesting to you. One question I would ask myself is "Are there multiple jobs that I would be qualified for with this degree?" This way you are able to keep your options open.
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Marius’s Answer

Great question, Addi! This is definitely something we all think about before choosing our careers. However, the reality is you really won't know 100% until you go out there and try. Of course a great way to increase the chances of you liking your career is by picking something you are really interested in. For example, I was always interested in numbers and that led me to what I do today. Nevertheless, make sure you do enough research online about possible jobs and paths you can take. Try to reach out to people who work in that industry and see what they have to say. In conclusion, I know it is a tough decision, but by doing good research and following your heart will definitely help you!
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Decker’s Answer

Hey Addi, that’s a great question. It can be difficult to figure out whether you like, love, or hate any field that exists in the world. It sounds like there is some doubt on if you will like or succeed in the field you are pursuing. I would focus on why you want to pursue criminology and what you love about it.

- Have you explored any job opportunities or shadowed those who do this for a living?
- How much of what you love would be part of your day-to-day work?
- What do you dislike or want to avoid that is part of the job?
- If you’re worried about backing out, why is that?
- Is it financially secure?
- Do you have other thing you want to go after?

These are all questions to ask yourself with helping find your passions and what you want to do. Also, some may find that they have many careers they might enjoy and do several of them. But you won’t know until you try. It is ok if you don’t end up going for it but make sure that, if you enjoy it, you don’t give up before you try.
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Karen’s Answer

Hi Addi - The advice given here by others about selecting a field that interests you and trying some internships in various fields that relate to your passion is a great way to jump in and try different careers. My advice is to give each opportunity a bit of time as well. At first new positions or learning about a new organization can be overwhelming and almost like learning a new language. It would be best if you gave yourself time to learn your role, how to work with your colleagues, and understand the larger business vision before thinking you think you have the wrong career. You will eventually become more comfortable, and then you should evaluate if you have the same passions that your organization serves. If you like the business but not what you are doing, then you can begin looking for what area in the organization you could be most successful. Always remember you are gaining skills and experiences along the way and can move careers or areas within a company or even outside an organization. Never feel like you get one choice; what you study and what you end up doing are sometimes very different and don't be afraid of making a change. So definitely explore careers that interest you the most to get started, but as you learn more, you may need to make changes, which is okay too.
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Venola’s Answer

As you grow, develop, and have different experiences, your passions and interests will change. With that in mind, think of everything you do as an opportunity to learn and continue to grow. We don't know what the end of our road will look like because the course changes. No longer are we living in a time where people stay in the same industry, let alone the same job, for an entire career. If you have a specific interest now, go with it! If you get passionate about something else, follow that road as well. For example, I majored in Spanish. I did not do that with the intentions of getting a job where that was a focus, but I grew up in Los Angeles and wanted to learn Spanish fluently. When I graduated, I worked for a college for a couple of years and then got accepted into a teacher preparation program to become a certified teacher. I've always wanted to make a difference in my community and my way to do that was through education. I found my passion. After I left my district I worked for a couple of non profit organizations that focused on education and now I'm in education sales. With each of those experiences I grew and developed and perfected the skills I needed for my next adventure.

Venola recommends the following next steps:

Continue to reflect on what you enjoy doing, what skills you have, and what will pay you what you need right now
Choose a job/career that matches your reflections
Learn as much as you can about the job/career and yourself
As you learn and outgrow your role, look for opportunities that match where you want to go and what you want to be doing
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