3 answers
Sofi
Student
Omaha, Nebraska
1
Question
Asked
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Undecided career path
How do I know that a career path is for me? What if I’m unsure of what I want to do in the future? What are some ways that I could find what career path I enjoy most?
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3 answers
Daniel Maynes
Credit Manager
187
Answers
Dallas, Texas
Updated
Daniel’s Answer
Hi Sofi!
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.
Lastly, I know its hard but do your best not to stress out. Life is to short to waste time stressing out.
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.
Lastly, I know its hard but do your best not to stress out. Life is to short to waste time stressing out.
Rebecca Tang
Banking
1817
Answers
Hong Kong
Updated
Rebecca’s Answer
Thank you for your question. Many students have similar question. The most important is what careers you have interest.
Below are my suggestions :
1. Think about what you have interest, e.g. your hobbies, favorite subjects, etc. and identify the related careers
E.g. If you have interest in Maths, would you like to be an accountant, engineer, banker, financial analyst, maths teacher,
If you are interested in Music, would you like to be a musician, singer, music producer, music teacher, music composer, etc.
2. Explore more on these careers and find out what you have interest
3. Speak to someone who are working in these careers. Seek guidance from your mentor, school career counsellor, your parents, etc.
4. Shortlist 1-2 career you would like to pursue
5. Find out the entry criteria of relevant subjects in the college
Hope this helps! Good Luck!
Below are my suggestions :
1. Think about what you have interest, e.g. your hobbies, favorite subjects, etc. and identify the related careers
E.g. If you have interest in Maths, would you like to be an accountant, engineer, banker, financial analyst, maths teacher,
If you are interested in Music, would you like to be a musician, singer, music producer, music teacher, music composer, etc.
2. Explore more on these careers and find out what you have interest
3. Speak to someone who are working in these careers. Seek guidance from your mentor, school career counsellor, your parents, etc.
4. Shortlist 1-2 career you would like to pursue
5. Find out the entry criteria of relevant subjects in the college
Hope this helps! Good Luck!
Kim Gravell
Retired Principal at Gravell Insights, LLC
149
Answers
Nipomo, California
Updated
Kim’s Answer
Hi Sofi
Rebecca has given you some excellent advice and guidance. Another option to consider is gaining a better understanding of your natural strengths and what career paths are best suited to grow within those strengths. There are many assessments available to help you discover what those may be. My favorite is StrengthsFinder. Mostly because it focuses on your strengths and how to utilize them to be successful. I encourage you to research several assessments until you find one that you feel most comfortable with and take the assessment. The resulting report will be very revealing and will provide insights to help you evaluate various career path options. It also has the potential to be a resource throughout your entire career.
Best wishes as you continue on this journey.
Rebecca has given you some excellent advice and guidance. Another option to consider is gaining a better understanding of your natural strengths and what career paths are best suited to grow within those strengths. There are many assessments available to help you discover what those may be. My favorite is StrengthsFinder. Mostly because it focuses on your strengths and how to utilize them to be successful. I encourage you to research several assessments until you find one that you feel most comfortable with and take the assessment. The resulting report will be very revealing and will provide insights to help you evaluate various career path options. It also has the potential to be a resource throughout your entire career.
Best wishes as you continue on this journey.