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When it comes to choosing a career, many people become overwhelmed by the prospect. Some might ask, “What do you mean I have to do the same thing for the rest of my life?” The truth is, you don’t! You can change careers any time you like if the first one you chose isn’t working for you.
The average person spends more than 90,000 hours of their life in their job, so whether you’re embarking on your first career out of high school or you’ve been working for a while and you’re ready for a change, it’s important to choose the right fit.
It’s simple: if you enjoy what you do for a living, then you’ll feel more satisfied in your day-to-day life. As important as it is to find a career that provides you with an income that fits your needs and lifestyle, if you focus on the income alone, the work may drag you down.
The job that’s right for you will make you feel like you’re making a difference, even if it’s only in your own life. So, pursuing a career you care about can make you feel better about your life as a whole.
When you’re doing work that you enjoy, you’ll feel more motivated to work hard. You’ll become more skilled and efficient at what you do, which in turn gives you space to relax and enjoy a healthy work-life balance.
Productivity is about more than just the amount of work you complete in a given day; it also includes the quality of your work and how you feel while completing it. When you’re in a job that you love, you’ll produce better work because you feel better, too.
Being passionate about what you do for work can increase your future success. The more interested you are in your work, the more likely you are to be interested in aspects of your career field beyond your individual responsibilities. That could lead to career advancement or reskilling to better align with your interests.
Additionally, when you’re excited about your career, your enthusiasm can help make work feel less like work! Even when your job is difficult or you have a challenging customer, being passionate about your career can help you stay excited about what you do. This will help you build resilience for those times when your career isn’t quite so thrilling.
There isn’t a book or quiz that can tell you how to find the best career for you if you don’t know yourself! It’s important to first sit down and reflect on yourself. You might do this with a notebook and pen or on a computer, but write down the answers to questions like these.
What Do You Currently Do Well?
Sometimes, job passions can be hiding in what you are already doing. Do you excel at writing technical manuals? Are you good at fixing machinery? Have others said you could talk to a brick wall? Write a list of past jobs, hobbies, accomplishments, or events in your life that gave you a great sense of satisfaction. See if you can identify any recurring themes.
What Interests You?
When you’re looking for your perfect career, this might be the question you answer first. What topics, skills, or activities do you enjoy? Is there anything in which you are already developing expertise? What activities make you feel energized or refreshed, even if they’re difficult? For example, if you feel a sense of accomplishment after setting your monthly budget, you might be well-suited for a role in bookkeeping or mortgage lending.
What Did You Enjoy As a Child?
Often, people discover their passions in what they enjoyed during their childhood. Did you love taking care of people or animals? Did you enjoy building or tinkering? Did you start a lemonade stand? Identify what you loved when you were younger and look for careers where you can do more of the same.
What Would You Do If Money Were No Object?
It’s important to consider the income of your chosen career, but try not to get hung up on dollar signs. Ask yourself what you would do if all jobs were paid the same amount. Your job should provide financial stability, but if you choose a career for the money rather than an interest in it, you might be less motivated to continue in that career.
Sometimes, it can be difficult to self-evaluate, and that’s okay! Getting some insight from people who know you well can help. Make sure you ask the people you trust the most; don’t ask friends or family members just because they’re friends or family. Ask the people who truly know you well and whose opinions you trust what they think you’d excel at doing.
Understanding what you’re good at and what you dread are equally important. For example, if you can’t stand the thought of being on a computer all day, then becoming a web developer might not be for you even if it sounds interesting.
There are so many different types of jobs out there that you may not know where to begin looking. While considering how to find a career you like, check out many different career profiles to find one that sounds interesting.
You can also talk to people who work in a career that interests you to gain firsthand knowledge about what it’s like to work in that job
Where and how you work is as important as what you’re doing. Taking a work style quiz can help you identify a career path that fits your interests by narrowing down the way your unique personality fits with different work environments.
A career coach can give you professional advice and help you find specific resources that can direct you to a job you’ll love. Plus, career coaches can assist with learning skills employers value, writing the perfect resume, practicing for interviews, and more. Sign up for free group coaching at SkillUp today!
As you go through life, visiting new places, meeting new people, and doing new things, you’ll start to realize there are certain topics or tasks that you find interesting. Keep track of anything that sparks your interest and start learning new skills or growing your knowledge. There might be a career hiding inside one of those things that make you say “I’d like to know more about that.”
Consider what your non-negotiables are for your work environment or job type. For example, is working outdoors out of the question? Or do you not want to sit at a desk all day? Would you rather have a lot of freedom to get your work done the way you see fit, or do you find it helpful to have guidelines and structure? By evaluating your dealbreakers, you can start to hone in on the perfect job for you.
Look for opportunities to meet people from different career fields. Local professional groups, colleges and universities, or career services organizations often hold networking events. Don’t be afraid to introduce yourself and learn more about what someone else does for a living! You never know when that connection might turn into an opportunity.
Social networking sites like LinkedIn also provide a great opportunity for networking from home. It will allow you to connect with current and previous colleagues, and find new ones that you can talk with and learn from.
Even though you’re not in school anymore, that doesn’t mean you should stop learning. Reading books, taking classes, or self-teaching can be great ways to keep your mind active, and you just might develop a passion for something that could become a satisfying career.
Some people may feel as if they don’t have any driving passions to help them find a career. If that’s you, don’t worry; you’re not defective! Instead, when discovering what career you should choose, consider any industries that seem interesting. If you start with something that sounds interesting, you can develop the skills as you go, because your natural curiosity will motivate you to excel.
You can also check out SkillUp’s career exploration guide to kickstart your journey, and our past career coaching webinars can help you develop your professional skillset.
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