How to Find a Career When Nothing Interests You

If you feel like no career is right for you, you’re not alone. In fact, by some estimates, 68% of American workers are not fully interested or passionate about their careers.

However, that doesn’t mean you have to be stuck at a dead end for the sake of a paycheck. The world is full of endless opportunities—it’s just a matter of knowing how to find a career when nothing interests you. Here’s what we recommend.

Figure Out Why You’re Not Interested in Any Career

It’s important to take a step back and consider why you don’t feel like you’re interested in any career. Otherwise, if you start jumping straight into solutions, you could end up right back where you started later.

Some common causes for lack of interest in careers include:

• Burnout from bad job experiences tamping down your excitement for new opportunities.
• Mismatched values with the careers you know about leading to disillusionment.
• Lack of exposure to careers that would genuinely interest you.
• Decision paralysis from the sheer amount of available careers.

There could be other factors at play as well such as your overall physical and mental health, relationships you’re in, or not having had the chance to explore your options early in life.

Tips to Find a Career That Interests You

Explore Your Interests and Values

Your interests can be a great starting point for finding a career that’s an extension of them. To figure out what those are, ask yourself a few questions:

What do you enjoy learning about—whether it’s sustainable recycling, dinosaurs, or anything in between?
Which activities do you enjoy so much that you lose track of time while you’re doing them?
What are your core values—such as creativity, courage, or compassion?

By answering these questions, you can start to determine what interests you in life, and how you can potentially turn it into a career.

Understand Your Expectations

Sometimes, your ideal career doesn’t actually exist. Otherwise, it may take more effort to fit your idea of success than you might originally think. This is the next step to take after knowing your interests and values.

For example, being a full-time author frequently involves getting rejections from multiple publishers. It can also take decades to get to the point where you’re making enough money from your published work to sustain yourself. In fact, many authors have day jobs.

However, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to write that novel, or that your dreams are impossible—you can even use those storytelling skills as part of your career as a professional writer, marketer, or even data analyst.

That’s just one example. The same can apply to someone who wants to solve one of the Millennium Prize Problems in mathematics. After all, plenty of jobs can use that brand of critical thinking and problem-solving prowess while figuring out the Navier-Stokes Equation after work.

Know Your Strengths and Skills

Everyone has unique workplace strengths, but they might not realize it without some serious soul-searching. For example:

• Some people have a natural gift for leadership that they can cultivate for a career in management.
• Others have critical thinking skills that can help them identify potential issues long before they arise.
• In some cases, you may have skills that can be cultivated but can’t be taught, such as resourcefulness or the ability to learn about a topic in-depth on your own.
• There are even more specific skills you could potentially have due to experience, such as having musical capabilities they can use in marketing after 10+ years playing the bagpipes.

These skills and strengths might not always be readily apparent, however. That’s why it can also be helpful to take a step back and reflect on those strengths or ask people in your life what they think your skills are from an outside perspective.

Think Outside the 9-to-5

The 9-to-5 grind in an office setting isn’t for everyone, so it might be helpful to explore outside that standard when considering your job options.

For people in the trades, schedules can often vary and have you start later in the afternoon and work into the evening—a great choice if you’re a night owl. However, these jobs also often allow you to work in unique locations and visit different job sites.

Other jobs, such as web design and graphic design, allow you to freelance. While some people prefer the security of a set schedule, freelancing comes with opportunities to make more money and only take the job you enjoy the most. However, not all fields offer freelance work, so it’s important to understand what the norm is before you get ready to change careers.

Network and Connect

Connecting with professionals you know can make a huge difference in your understanding of different career fields and whether they’re right for you. This might involve going to industry events, joining professional groups on social media, or attending keynotes and other presentations relating to the field you’re interested in. All of these can provide insights, whether you’re eyeing a career in sales or you have goals in automotive services.

Even more, if you can find a professional who is willing to mentor you, their experience can be invaluable for finding a fulfilling career in their industry. This way, you can both get an inside perspective and get that much closer to having a glowing recommendation when you start the job hunt.

Find Professional Guidance

Working with a career coach or counselor can help you make an informed decision and gain valuable insights while you navigate your career journey. These professionals often have the tools and insights to help you identify your strengths and areas of interest.
Once they’ve helped you assess which careers may be interesting for you, a career coach can guide you on potential career paths that align with your strengths.

Other Steps to Take

Finding the right career for your personality, interests, and skills can sometimes take years, especially if life didn’t grant you many options early in your adulthood. However, even outside the official career search, you can also take additional steps to make the journey even more rewarding.

Set Mini Goals

Anyone who expects you to have your entire career path figured out overnight is lying to themselves. After all, it’s a marathon, not a sprint.
That’s why it’s helpful to break your overarching goals of finding a career into smaller, more digestible steps.

Every milestone—whether it’s signing up to work with a career counselor or starting your first practice session with programming—is another step toward your goal. Celebrate every one of those milestones so you can stay motivated and gain valuable insights along the way.

Keep Your Mind Open

Sometimes, the best opportunity for you might not seem all that appealing at first. For example, becoming an electrician might not seem like the most glamorous job in the world, but it has great pay, high security, and challenging work for people who love to use their problem-solving skills.

That’s just one example—for every type of person, there’s a job that suits their skills and interests.

Be Patient with Yourself

No matter if you’re 18 or 68, it’s okay to change careers and take the time to explore what might be best for you. You might also find after trying them out that certain careers just aren’t right for you, and that’s okay.

Finding the right career path for you isn’t a race—it’s a journey. Explore different options at your own pace without pressuring yourself, because that will make the final results more rewarding once you get there.