Figuring out what you want to do in life can be a hard process. Many people go through this struggle and a lot of the time end up in jobs they dread or living someone else’s dreams. You can be confused about your career for many reasons. You could be unhappy with your career choices, you chose the wrong career, you’re working a job to please someone else, or you’re simply trying to make ends meet.
If this sounds like your case, then read on for some tips on how to choose the right career path when you’re undecided.
Get to know yourself.
One of the first things you need to do if you’re undecided about your career is to know your interests and what makes you happy. This can be anything from music, movies, gaming, solving problems, playing detective—anything you can think of. This will help you identify which careers can best suit you based on the things you enjoy doing. You don’t want to work as a butcher if you are a vegan. The idea here is to determine what your skills, talents, and interests are so that you can align yourself with a career that includes most if not all of those things.
Write down all the careers you’d love to explore.
Next, you’re going to want to write down the careers that interest you. For instance, if you love music, then maybe you want to consider a career in music production, sound engineering, or even artist management. Don’t be scared about choosing the wrong things in this step, just write down every career you would enjoy.
Read about the occupations in your preferred list.
Next, you’re going to want to read about those career paths that you’ve jotted down. Reading about them will give you insight into what the role may require, the preparation you will need, or if you even truly would enjoy them. For instance, you can read up about the level of education you’ll need to get licensed for a real estate agent position. There are real estate coaching programs where you can work with mentors and expert coaches to learn about real estate through sales training, how to work in your own team or be a solo agent, how to get larger commissions, your weaknesses, and time management skills.
Narrow down your list.
Once you write out those career paths, you’re going to want to narrow down the list to the chosen few. You have to think realistically about the careers you’re choosing. For instance, you don’t want a career that leaves you just as unsatisfied as you were before, and you don’t want to live off scraps either. Take this moment to determine which careers can help you get to where you want to be, whether it’s real estate, your own business, or being a business consultant.
Interview professionals in those fields.
One of the things you can do to really narrow down your options to the winning one is by interviewing or watching interviews about the professionals in those fields. You want to get a vision of what a day in your future career would look like. Your dream job might not be as fun as you imagined, while your least favorite job on your list may just be what you’re looking for.
Write down your life goals.
You can also write down your life goals to make a roadmap of the career choices that would be suitable for you. For instance, if you want to travel the world, then you might not want to choose a career with zero option to travel or one that doesn’t pay enough.
Determine your career action plan.
Lastly, you want to finally choose a career path and make a plan for it. You may want to go to college for your career, take the necessary certifications, or get a scholarship from the National Society of High School Scholars (NSHSS). Members of the NSHSS have provided their own NSHSS review to show how this society has helped them achieve their goals, so you too can be a part of it and reach your dreams as well.
These steps will help you determine a career path so you too can follow your dreams.