When it comes to the subject of careers, most people consider the old saying “find a job you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.” as their goal. But the truth is, the idea of a job not feeling like work might be a bit of exaggeration. No matter how much you love doing something, there will be hard days and there will be times you will feel like giving up. What really is possible is to have a career that makes you excited every morning and lets you sleep feeling accomplished every night. The trick to being able to live a life like this is to carefully choose a career that is fit for you.
However, with the emergence of new job titles and career paths that didn’t exist before, deciding on a career just became a lot harder for young people. Thanks to technology, our society has evolved to the extent that there are now more career paths to choose from. This development makes the process of choosing a lot more complicated for young people. Because of this, a lot of them wind up going in the wrong way. According to a recent report by the Strada Institute for the Future of Work, more than 40 percent of college graduates end up in jobs that don’t require a degree or jobs that are not connected with their degrees.
With thousands of occupations to pick from, it’s easy to get lost or just passively follow where life takes you. Here are steps on how to find a career that is a good match for you:
Know Yourself
Figuring out yourself is the first step in knowing what you want to do for the rest of your life. We all want to enjoy and actually like our careers and the key to discovering that is to know what excites and energizes you. Make an effort to learn about your likes and dislikes, examine your hobbies and how you spend your free time, and also take note of your past accomplishments to know what you’re good at. Once you have figured out what you enjoy doing after taking time to really know yourself, the answer will be a lot clearer.
Define where you want to go
By now, the path you want should be clearer or your set of options should at least have narrowed down. To be able to eliminate other choices and really decide on one thing, seek the help of your trusted loved ones or take career assessment tests. There are a lot of tests available online, from career aptitude exams to the Myer-Briggs, these tests can help you decide which career path suits you. Although helpful, it’s important to remember that the results of these exams should not be the be-all-end-all of your career path.
Make a plan and take action
Now that you know where to go, it’s time to plan your path and take action. Your battle plan ultimately depends on the path you have decided to take. While taking a college degree is the best way to pursue your career of choice, it shouldn’t just stop there. Figured out you’re good with people and think you want to start building a career in human resources? Taking training courses for employment law can be a great way to start this dream. Or perhaps you have decided on charting a career path in art? Making artwork every day and enrolling yourself in short painting classes is a wise first step. Map out your journey with concrete milestones.
More than anything, remember that any career is not an easy one. No matter what path you choose, there is bound to be hurdles and setbacks. The key is to stay inspired and dedicated despite the long and winding road towards success.
