5 Answers to “How Do I Find the Right Career For Me?”

Great stuff! It’s one thing to find a job, another to find a career…gotta follow your passions!

These are great jumping-off points for finding the right career.  I’d suggest that people think about a couple “big picture” things, too: where the world is headed in the next decade or so, and where you want the world to be headed.  People who are just graduating from college or looking to move into a new field have a tremendous opportunity right now to get involved in (or create for themselves) exciting new ventures.

Great answers!  Wish they were around when I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do.  I agree with someone else who said follow your passion. Not sure quite how to say it but I also think it is really important to be in touch and/or stay in touch with those who influence you.  Teachers, of course, make terrific mentors but anyone and everyone you meet could potentially give you some insight or idea or spark something in you that might lead you down a career path.  As far as jobs go (not careers but same idea could be applied to careers), this happened to both me and my husband!

Thanks Marc.  Great advice.  I’ve been steering former co-workers to this site.

Very helpful.  Can’t wait to see the videos of career paths that I’ve never thought of pursuing before.  You are very inspirational in the way you present the various careers, by the way.  Ever thought about doing some public speaking?

It really gave me somthing to think about.

 Thanks for the feedback @ee0121a86c9c135d03008c9adcbd902a:disqus.  I’m glad it was helpful!

Wow, I’m just like you, whenever I talk to someone in English(I’m an Indian), within maybe 7 minutes, he/she would compliment me regarding my communication skill, even while talking on phone to some dad’s close friend , I got this. I’m also appreciated when it comes to writing and more commonly, my presentations or any speech at school. And I’m currently eying IP law or Corporate law but I’m confused as I really don’t have an idea what what exact they do and I’m not really a fan of maths or science (excluding biology). Does becoming a lawyer also mean that your life is in danger, I mean someone from the opposing party could always threaten you or you may run out of clients, another problem is that my parents are quite against the idea of becoming a lawyer. Anyway what are the other jobs related to communications

Thanks for the feedback and sharing your story, @c5f9440bf79c26f93f816aa6c5a1d9ec:disqus.  I can’t really speak to whether the lives of lawyers are in danger in India, but I’d be surprised if IP or corporate lawyers are at risk.  I also can’t speak to the dynamics of your family. I can tell you that we have information coming soon about law careers.  We also have other communications careers on the site. Some of our navigation buttons appear to be missing at the moment but usually there is a button for communications.  Jobs in media, marketing, sales, advertising, and journalism all involve communications. 

hi…..hey that was really helpful …i feel very energetic now…….but there is still confusion….since small i love cars.that was the only thing that i like..but when i went to high school,i realised that i was not good in physics….i always get C or D for my physics…so i m really confused…..what should i do???????

Thanks for the great feedback @322e3ec8fef8d32791c2bd69cabf89d8:disqus. It’s your life, so you should pursue what combines your interests and your strengths. At the same time, you should research what careers you can do with the those 2 things, whether it’s reading and writing or something else. It’s easy to spend a lot of money on a degree in English, graduate and then say, “now what?” Your parents are probably just trying to steer you to a career where there are lots of jobs, like healthcare. Even healthcare companies have marketing departments where someone good at copywriting is writing their marketing materials. To get help figuring this out, you can try meeting with a local career counselor, or maybe your school has one…or you can take the iStartStrong career test on our career tests page. Good luck!

Hey @disqus_B7LBSTV0dC:disqus – hoping the answer to your question on the video game careers page answers your question. Best of luck.

Good to hear @Maria! Thanks for sharing. Good luck!

Thanks for the feedback, @fridagarza:disqus. Very smart of you to set that goal. Have your counselors given you any career tests? Tests might be less confusing for you since the tests are like mirrors reflecting back at you with some explanations included. Your school may have the Strong test available for free. It’s a great one. If not, we have it here for just under $20. You can click on “Career Tests” at the top of the site to get there. You expressed that you like helping people and your interest in being a detective and/or psychologist suggests you like analyzing situations and potentially studying, researching, etc. Not all detectives do criminal work with blood. Some may be investigating insurance fraud, divorce-related fraud, etc….but those won’t feel as much like helping people as psych. And with psych you can go to the root of the problem and perhaps help people avoid long-term damage. If you’re looking to help people with problems before they actually have the problems, perhaps being a teacher is the right fit for you. Don’t forget to think about your strengths when analyzing all of this stuff: what are you good at? Think about classes, hobbies, skills, etc.

I’m 19 years old and did carpentry right out of high school. Liked the work but ddnt love it. I wrecked my shoulder shortly into my carpentry career now I can’t do that line of work. I want a career I can be home every night because I know how hard it is on family’s not having a father around. Also I want to make a salary that’s over 100,000 a year. I’m a hard worker I just need some help deciding what to do.

Good to hear – thanks for the feedback, @5960b3ead288708c16d20a1faa8d2c22:disqus.

Hey @disqus_1tqEeNEcV7:disqus – thanks for the note. Sorry to hear about your shoulder. I had shoulder surgery a few years ago – it wasn’t fun. Rather than starting with a salary goal, I’d start with looking at what you’re good at and what you like doing. Then you can look at what the money is like in different paths….and remember that you typically need to work your way towards the 6-figure salary. Not many paths start off there on day 1. Surgeons can….corporate lawyers can who graduate from the best schools and happen to get great grades and get an offer for a summer associate position from a big corporate firm. Otherwise many paths can get there with hard work – but it doesn’t happen overnight. If you have no idea what to do next, I suggest taking the Strong career test on our site. Click on the Career Tests tab at the top of the page to get there. It’s not free but it’s helpful…and not expensive. Good luck!

I am still confused i am good at maths but not in science and to be particular i am good at commercial Mathematics ..What are the best career options for me ?

Thanks for commenting @f88eebee619d8aa9c5eca92b2a0bbda2:disqus. Good luck in your search. You might want to try the Strong career test, which you can reach from the “career tests” tab at the top of our site.

Thanks for the note @9b626cbdd9bbd58c80d41a52adabad81:disqus! If you are a very social person and enjoy science-related topics, which it sounds like you do, perhaps you want to look into something like medical device sales. That would combine science and social skills. Not sure it would involve much working with your hands, although possibly with demonstrating the devices. An example of a job like this would be selling new equipment to hospitals and heart surgeons that helps with heart surgeries…..or prosthetic limbs to facilities helping amputees….you name the medical device and there is a path between its manufacture and how it ends up in the hands of doctors and hospitals. Someone needs to present it, show how to use it, get it known and get it sold. Continuing with science classes and getting some sales experience on the side so you can build your sales skills should get you set up well for this path, which can pay VERY well. The equipment is expensive and you would likely get a commission of whatever you sell. I’m not saying this is the 1 path for you, but it’s worth exploring. Google companies that do this in your city/town….see if anyone you know knows anyone who works there…try to get meetings. If no one knows anyone, try LinkedIn or just picking up the phone, saying you’re young and eager to learn and will they talk to you. We have a video on how to do “informational interviewing” which is exactly that…there’s an ad for it in the sidebar and the rotating images on top…and the Products tab can get you there. Might be helpful for you too….Good luck! Keep me posted.

Thanks @annaenriquez:disqus! You definitely want to find what fits you, not just what will be huge for next year. But you also want to be sure that what you’re thinking you really want is also something that has the chance to make you the kind of money you need for your obligations and want for your desired lifestyle. If you’re chasing a path that’s dying and has no future (where you won’t be able to find a job or earn a living), then you have to ask if that path is better as a hobby or think about if you would really enjoy being homeless. So you’re right – the way you were searching before shouldn’t be the driving force behind your search – but you do want it to be a factor. Good luck!

First of all, I want to thank you for making this highly inspiring video. It moves me to see someone talk so passionately about their job and I definitely want that for myself. However, i’m just lost at the moment. I’m from the Caribbean and I’ve been out of community college for two years now working odd jobs and never have really settled on anything to do with my life.

I wanted to be a veterinarian as a child but my research says graduates have a hard time finding a job because of the struggling economy, less people are willing to spend on pets. Then a doctor or lawyer were my secondary options. I’m not too crazy about either because of the length of the degree programs. Add growing up I had a stressful life so I’d like my job to be something I love; my career, not somewhere I drag myself to because I have to pay the bills..

It’s important to me that my work helps the lives of others. Especially if it can help injustices but I suppose if I want to avoid stress I can’t do that so it becomes a question of my sanity or the life of another. Lol I don’t want to sound selfish.

During my school life, I was described as very good with reasoning though my few paragraphs may point to the contrary. And I was also very interested in theatrics. I enjoy singing and dancing and modelling and acting but I don’t see how that can help a life. -_- At least, in a significant way. I’m good with words and I love debating but would not want to do that all the time. Again, to avoid tension and stress in life. I was okay with science but it does not draw me and my grades won’t get me into a good medical school. I make my own products and research natural remedies for things all the time, though. Not sure if it fascinates me that I can make things that heal or it’s just the cheapskate in me… I speak a second language (Spanish) and was studying five others but the passion waned recently.

I love to travel but i’m thinking of the long term: I wouldn’t want to be away from my family (when I have one) most of the time because of work. But I would drown in contempt if I was stuck to an office chair all day. I would suffocate. x.x (Though I guess the drowning bit covered that) I also do like to meet people but I don’t want to have to get out there and have to meet a quota. I mean, some days I just prefer closing off to myself and I’d like the option to do that. Like missing one day of work won’t put an entire company out for a loop.

I feel even more pressure now because my parents want me to choose something right now or get out of the house. I don’t want to make a random career choice and be stuck doing something miserably.

I’m just looking online for something to jump out at me; for an epiphany. I’m happy at the very least that I found this video and to know i’m not alone.

So, in essence, I want a career that pays fairly well (so that I can save for a rainy day), I want to help the lives of others (whether animal or human or amphibian–they need love too), I’d like to make people smile and I’d like it to not involve travelling too much, I want to be able to do that in my spare time. And I want time I can devote to my family.

I’d appreciate any constructive input. I feel so lost, its just overwhelming. Like time is running out..

I keep coming back everyday hoping for a response. I suppose I’m just very anxious that I don’t have something lined up. I’m just frustrated and looking for answering. I guess I won’t find them from someone else. I’d have to make the decision myself. I just want some direction.

Hi @google-78cfd4954784dea8239899b136851d8e:disqus – thanks for sharing and for the honesty. It sounds to me like you want it all: the money and the great career but no stress! Life involves stress no matter what you do. It’s pretty hard to avoid all stress. Given your interest in meeting with people and helping people but not being stuck at an office desk all day, as well as your interest in physical activities, I’m thinking you might want to look into something like being a physical therapist or a massage therapist or a naturopathic doctor or accupuncturist. You’ll need some strength in science for these but it’s different than going to traditional medical school. Some people work for travel companies as adventure travel guides – it’s an outdoorsy job that helps tourists looking for fun outdoor adventures. Probably less opportunities than the healthcare paths but all of those can be things for you start researching like crazy on the internet and in real life – meet with people who do these jobs and get them to tell you what they’re all really like. Best of luck!

Some people, like me don’t know anything about themselves LOL

I like to read, write, or draw. I like watching movies and criticizing them. I love pixel art, but suck at it. 5 things, yet I don’t know anything about my career.

Oh yes, and Geography and History are my favourite subjects.