3 answers
3 answers
Updated
Daniel’s Answer
Great question Braden!
First things first - that's ok! Most people do not know what they want to do the rest of their lives and it can be stressful to think about. I felt the same way a couple of years ago right before I graduated high school. My suggestion is to go to a community college to obtain your basics. This will help you have time to try some different jobs in completely different fields. Also, by going to a community college you will be saving money and giving yourself more time to decide on a career/job while making progress on your degree. Don't let people put pressure on you that you have to decide now on the rest of your work life. I had a teacher in high school tell me that I would be a failure if I did not know what degree/career I wanted by the time I graduated high school. Well, I did not by graduation but decided a year later on what I wanted to do and absolutely love it (operations)
I really think business is a great field to go into since it keeps your options wide open. That way you are not committing to one specific field and find out later that you hate it. Some fields in business include:
1. Operations
2. Finance
3. Sales
4. Marketing
5. Human Resources
I decided to go into Business Operations since operations touches almost every facet of the organization. I enjoy the different challenges and operations also gives me the flexibility to try new things. Another great aspect about operations is they usually support the other divisions of an organization. Since, there are many divisions of an company if you do not enjoy one area its not a big deal since you can support other areas of the business.
Many larger companies will start you in a rotational analyst program. By doing this you will get to see usually 2-4 different sections of the business. Companies offer this to not only help you hone in on your career path but many companies have realized that if there employees actually enjoy their job they will get better overall performance.
I suggest reading the book below. Good luck on the journey!
Read Dream Big by Bob Goff
First things first - that's ok! Most people do not know what they want to do the rest of their lives and it can be stressful to think about. I felt the same way a couple of years ago right before I graduated high school. My suggestion is to go to a community college to obtain your basics. This will help you have time to try some different jobs in completely different fields. Also, by going to a community college you will be saving money and giving yourself more time to decide on a career/job while making progress on your degree. Don't let people put pressure on you that you have to decide now on the rest of your work life. I had a teacher in high school tell me that I would be a failure if I did not know what degree/career I wanted by the time I graduated high school. Well, I did not by graduation but decided a year later on what I wanted to do and absolutely love it (operations)
I really think business is a great field to go into since it keeps your options wide open. That way you are not committing to one specific field and find out later that you hate it. Some fields in business include:
1. Operations
2. Finance
3. Sales
4. Marketing
5. Human Resources
I decided to go into Business Operations since operations touches almost every facet of the organization. I enjoy the different challenges and operations also gives me the flexibility to try new things. Another great aspect about operations is they usually support the other divisions of an organization. Since, there are many divisions of an company if you do not enjoy one area its not a big deal since you can support other areas of the business.
Many larger companies will start you in a rotational analyst program. By doing this you will get to see usually 2-4 different sections of the business. Companies offer this to not only help you hone in on your career path but many companies have realized that if there employees actually enjoy their job they will get better overall performance.
I suggest reading the book below. Good luck on the journey!
Daniel recommends the following next steps:
Thank you!!
Braden
Updated
Nicole’s Answer
Echoing Daniel's answer above - I also didn't know what I wanted to do in high school. We put an unnecessary amount of pressure to know from a young age. I worked part-time in high school and college, which gave me an idea of what I liked and what I didn't. Working part-time before graduating from college is a low-stakes way to gather that information for yourself. Start somewhere, and even if you hate it, that is valuable information for you to know for the future.
Many people change careers at least once throughout their lives, my parents both have. Our circumstances and interests can change over time, and it can be hard to predict what life will look like 20+years from now.
At this stage in your life, make sure your career-related decisions don't box you in too much to one thing, while giving yourself options for the future.
I would suggest you make a list of careers that are interesting to you and shadow a professional in that field. For example, if you're interested in Dentistry, call your dentist and ask if you can shadow them for a few hours. Take note of what you liked and didn't like, and move on to the next career on your list.
If you aren't yet interested in anything, ask your friend's parents what they do. If you're involved in communities outside of school, ask the adults you encounter there what they do.
Many people change careers at least once throughout their lives, my parents both have. Our circumstances and interests can change over time, and it can be hard to predict what life will look like 20+years from now.
At this stage in your life, make sure your career-related decisions don't box you in too much to one thing, while giving yourself options for the future.
I would suggest you make a list of careers that are interesting to you and shadow a professional in that field. For example, if you're interested in Dentistry, call your dentist and ask if you can shadow them for a few hours. Take note of what you liked and didn't like, and move on to the next career on your list.
If you aren't yet interested in anything, ask your friend's parents what they do. If you're involved in communities outside of school, ask the adults you encounter there what they do.
Thank you!!
Braden
Updated
Aaron’s Answer
Hello,
I would would suggest finding out what fields interest you and inquire into those professions. Are you a creative such as art, fashion or music? Are you interested in math and science, maybe a career in engineering, or computers/IT. If you enjoy communicating with people, perhaps a career in sales or marketing may be for you. Look into internship programs at your school or local college. Also, ask your parents or relatives if they have internship programs at their place of work and try to enroll in the program. If you are into sports then there are many jobs available in sports such as coaching, athletic trainers, sports journalism or sports management.
Good luck in your journey.
I would would suggest finding out what fields interest you and inquire into those professions. Are you a creative such as art, fashion or music? Are you interested in math and science, maybe a career in engineering, or computers/IT. If you enjoy communicating with people, perhaps a career in sales or marketing may be for you. Look into internship programs at your school or local college. Also, ask your parents or relatives if they have internship programs at their place of work and try to enroll in the program. If you are into sports then there are many jobs available in sports such as coaching, athletic trainers, sports journalism or sports management.
Good luck in your journey.
Thank you!!
Braden