“How do I find the right career for me” is a question that causes most of us to sweat through our shirts and bang our heads against the wall. If that’s happening to you, you’re NOT alone. You’ve come to the right place! There’s not a one-size-fits-all solution, but below you’ll find 5 ways to get closer to the answer. In fact, every career video at Careers Out There is designed to help you reach that answer and find the right career.
In the video above (the first video I ever made for this site), I share how I first confronted this question when choosing a major in college and then tell how it all worked out. I’ve re-posted the video with the hopes that it helps you to watch someone other than yourself confront this big question.
HOW DO I FIND THE RIGHT CAREER FOR ME?
Some people actually get lucky enough to know what they’ll be doing with their lives before high school even starts. There was a guy I went to high school with who was never seen without a camera. You would have thought he had that thing surgically attached to his body. Today he’s a professional photographer who recently shot the cover for Sports Illustrated!
If you’re not like that guy and you’re instead sweating through the “how do I find the right career for me” question, grab a towel and dive into the 5 answers below. They’re all thinking exercises that require you to take a good look in the mirror and really get to know yourself. If you prefer another approach, you could take career tests – we’ve got 2 of the best here on the site. They’re not free, but that’s because they have real value. You could also check out our video guide to informational interviewing, which guides you through how to meet with people who do work that interests you, which ultimately helps you find the right career.
Otherwise, if you’re ready for some thinking exercises, grab a pen so you can write down your thoughts! Once you get to know yourself, you’ll have some guidelines to help you decide what careers to explore. Next time we’ll take it a step further with 5 more answers to the big question. Those answers will require you to not just think but to take action: 5 Actions To Help Find the Right Career.
1) HOBBIES / FREE TIME
Think about the kind of stuff you like to do in your free time and are good at. Do you like working with your hands? With your mind? Being around lots of people? Doing your own thing? Do you coach a team or tutor kids? Interact with nature? Do you like numbers? Puzzles? Writing? A certain type of video game? Being in front of an audience? There are careers that make use of your skills and interests…and sometimes they’re a few steps removed from the obvious. For example, just because you like coaching your local little league doesn’t necessarily mean you should be a professional coach. But you clearly embrace leadership skills, which apply to many types of careers and can serve as a guide in your career search. I recently interviewed someone for an upcoming episode who always loved sports statistics. Thanks to that, he realized he was great with numbers and today has a thriving career as a mortgage banker. Having a numbers-focused job is fun for him and comes naturally since it matches his skills.
2) WHAT DO YOU VALUE?
What’s important to you? What does “success” mean to you? Is it having lots of money? Owning fancy cars and houses? Having lots of free time? Having lots of fun at work? Having a big family? Following a dream? Living in the city? The country? The suburbs? Living overseas? All of these things can impact which career opportunities will fit you and be available to you. For example, if you’re obsessed with the auto industry but are set on living near your farm in Wyoming, you probably have to choose one or the other. A guy I went to college with placed a very high value on money. Wherever he went throughout college, he was always holding the Wall Street Journal, Fortune and Money magazine. Today he’s a commercial real estate mogul in New York City overseeing billions of dollars of commercial real estate.
3) WHAT TYPE OF LIFE DO YOU WANT
Do you picture yourself living a conventional life where perhaps you settle down young and start a family in the suburbs? Or do you want to live an adventurous life where your career could take you to just about anywhere in the world at any time? For example, if you’re set on wanting to be a war photographer, you’ll probably spend most of your life traveling the world and risking your life. For the adventurous types, job and life can often blur together…but the adventurous type might not be able to see doing it any other way.
4) WHAT ARE YOU WILLING TO SACRIFICE
The expression “nothing comes for free” is true. If you’re a young, corporate lawyer or investment banker getting paid the big bucks, you’re probably going to have close to zero free time. If you’re an airline pilot or a truck driver, you’re probably going to be spending a lot of time away from home. If you want to become a college professor, you’re going to be in school a long time to get that PhD. If you want to be a famous actress, you’re going to have to humiliate yourself on a daily basis at casting calls and tryouts where your talents and looks will be picked apart by a panel of others. What is your threshold for all of this? It helps to know. The second band I managed was one of my favorite bands. Ultimately, they realized they were not collectively willing to sacrifice by logging the necessary hours on the road to tour and do what it takes to find success as a band. That led everyone to go their separate ways and pursue different paths. As an attorney recruiter, I talked to young lawyers every day who were discovering that they didn't want to sacrifice their free time anymore in exchange for their giant salaries. These are tough discoveries once you've settled into a path.
5) WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE & BEST CLASSES IN SCHOOL
What classes feel like fun to you? Which ones come so naturally that they just seem easy? Are you great at science? Math? Or do you hate science and math but love your English classes? That was me! I knew then that I couldn’t be a doctor or a scientist or economist. But maybe I’d end up as a writer, teacher, lawyer, or some other communications-based career. Analyzing what classes fit you is a great step towards finding a career that fits you.
For Additional Help Check Out:
Informational Interviewing
Taking Career Tests
What do you suggest people think about to help answer “how do I find the right career for me?”
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5 Actions To Help Find the Right Career
How To Discover Your Strengths
Make Your Own Luck
Hey @089434fee59331554284039fb443a177:disqus – thanks for sharing. I know someone in the UK who loved geography and history so much that he became a teacher focused on those subjects! Maybe teaching would interest you. If you’re a good writer and enjoy the creative area, you might enjoy working in the advertising or marketing worlds. Think about types of work that use your skills, strengths and interests. Meet with people who do different kinds of work and ask them questions like we do in our videos so that you can see what best fits you! Good luck.
wao this is great… i will follow this….. and try to become the hero of the world
Hi..I am Isabelle and I am in 10th grade in high school. Next year I have to decide what subjects to take. I think I am very interested in biomedical engineering. I watched the video with you and Amy. But it didn’t say anything about the job prospects of this field. I am confused because I am getting mixed reviews on this career. Is this career a promising one in the near future, especially in the third world countries?
Haha, thanks @birkarnel_luwang:disqus! Go for it. The world always needs more heroes.
Hi @disqus_UF2CgDsetK:disqus. I really don’t know about the job market in third world countries, sorry. I suggest using LinkedIn to find people who work in BME in those parts of the world you’re interested in and ask them some questions. Good luck!
Marc,
This is a great article! I’m in my mid-thirties and have taken all of the self-assessment, career and personality tests you could imagine! Heck, I could be a career development specialist by now!!! The problem I have is that I get bored really easily in a traditional job – especially one that’s monotonous without any challenges or room to grow. I love interacting with people – that energizes me! But, my strongest passions are in art and creativity (photography and graphic design) and performing arts (acting). The biggest struggle I find is trying to make a living being an artist. I have learned that unless I can somehow figure out a way/learn to run a business/manage my talents, I won’t be able to make a living from doing what I love. I just can’t picture myself working for someone else anymore. I’m feeling stuck. Any advice? Thanks Marc!!
Hey @FreedomSeeker – thanks for the great feedback. There is always need for graphic designers…sounds like that might be the right career for you…and you can build a living as a freelancer so that you don’t have to sit in a company’s office with a list of things to do. As a freelancer you can choose who you work with. You’ll have to hustle though – you have to get your name out there, network, show off your work (hopefully it’s good and fills the needs people have), and land clients. There are freelancing websites where you can build up some work experience and portfolio. Find your niche. Is it doing graphics for websites, for brochures, for logos, business cards, concert posters, some combo of all of those, etc. I have a friend who does graphic design only for music websites. I have another friend who does it only for art collection books for museum gift shops. Maybe in your case it could be graphic design for books featuring photography collections of some sort. As you build your reputation and your network, you kind of find your niche – and it may find you! Running a one-person freelance shop shouldn’t be tough as far as running a business….and as for managing your talents, you will need to be disciplined. If that’s a problem for you, you may want to explore books/podcasts/classes on discipline, focus, being self-employed, etc. I hope that helps! Good luck to you!
I need to find that counselor that you went to. Please help.
Hi. If I had his contact information, I’d share it! I do offer coaching/counseling via my other website, http://jdcareersoutthere.com/work-with-marc/. You can book time with me there. Hope that helps!
My age is 30 and i want to be a farmer. we have 50 acre land in my villlage with lots of cashewnut trees and mangoes and cocunut. could you suggest what should i do…
Thanks your story was helpful and insiteful.
Awesome article. Loved the tips especially on using values as a guide, what one is willing to sacrifce and favorite classes.
I was also thinking that one could use what they do that “wows ” people a lot since that feedback is an indication that we are doing something right.
i could not able to find that at which subject i have a lot of interest
it’s like i have interest in all the subjects