Finding your career path can be a daunting process. Few students have a clear sense of their long-term goals while they are enrolled in school. You might be in tune with what subjects excite you, but not where it can lead in terms of a career. Alternatively, you may not know enough about your knowledge and skills, or about how they can fit into the job market. This article presents actionable steps for you to dive into an exciting and dynamic career discovery process. 

Introspection

Identifying your interests and skills can lay a strong foundation for finding your career path. Remember, a career is more than a means to earn money. You are likely to spend at least one-third of your life at work, so feeling motivated and satisfied by the tasks involved in your career is essential. While not every aspect of a job is going to be inspiring, you still need to feel aligned with your work to maximize career success, satisfaction, and longevity. 

Journaling

If you are struggling to identify your interests and skills, you can try a journaling exercise. For each of the following questions, write down everything that comes to mind: 

• Have you ever been so absorbed by an activity that you lost track of time? What were you doing?
• If you had 10% more self-belief than you currently have, what would you try to achieve? 
• What did you love to do when you were a child?
• What are your top three strengths?
• What have you done in your life that you feel had the biggest impact on others? What skills, soft or hard, did it involve? 
• What are you most proud of accomplishing in your life thus far? What fields do those achievements relate to?

Journaling can provide valuable insights into what motivates you, what your values are, and what you love to do. This can be an important guiding light when it comes to making career-related decisions. While your first few jobs might not satiate every desire you have, introspection will help you seek opportunities that are more aligned with your values and aspirations. 

Self-Reflecting

Interests and skills are just one piece of the puzzle. It’s important to consider the lifestyle and work environment that you align with. For example, you may be a strong writer, but a busy newsroom won’t work for you if you have a slower and more methodical style. In this scenario, you would want to seek out environments where deadlines are further apart, work cultures are more relaxed, or even consider freelance opportunities. Alternatively, you may be an excellent researcher but have a strong desire for social connection. This might lead you to pursue research that involves interviewing people rather than solely examining datasets. Consider the environments you have been drawn to in the past and identify key preferences to inform future decisions. 

Assessments

Career tests can offer a structured approach to understanding many important aspects of your personality that will influence your work. Online career tests and platforms use psychology and data analysis to provide comprehensive assessments. These tests consider factors such as personality, skills, and interests – offering a holistic view of potential career matches. For example, if your test reveals a strong affinity for analytical thinking, it may suggest finding your career path in data analysis, research, or strategic planning. If your results indicate a passion for art and a desire to help others, the recommendations may include careers like art therapy or teaching. The more honestly you answer, the more helpful the assessments will be.

Experimentation

While introspection is a fantastic step in finding your career path, it can only take you so far. For effective career exploration, many researchers recommend using a scientific method. Treat your career choices as hypotheses and actively seek ways to test them. After some time reflecting and taking career tests, it is important to transition swiftly to this next stage. With your identified interests and potential jobs in mind, move from theory to practice through real-life experimentation.

Networking

Firstly, choose one of the potential careers you have identified and arrange networking opportunities and informational interviews. You can find people with firsthand experience through personal contacts or via professional networking sites like LinkedIn. Reach out to someone from your current school or university who has gone into a job you are interested in and ask if they would be willing to chat with you over a coffee or on the phone. Make a list of questions to ask them and be curious, polite, and respectful of their time. 

Working

If you are still interested in a certain field after networking with people who have experience in that area, it’s time to commit to the next stage of experimentation. Actively seek internships, volunteering opportunities, or freelance projects related to the line of work you are exploring. For instance, if you are considering a career in environmental conservation, become an intern or volunteer for local environmental organizations to determine whether it is a good fit for you. Not only will this boost your resume and provide potential references for future employment, but it will validate whether or not you are really motivated by the work. You will gain practical insights into the day-to-day realities of the profession. 

As you progress in your experimentation phase, consider taking on short-term projects or freelancing opportunities. These engagements allow you to immerse yourself in the actual work associated with your identified interests. For example, if you aspire to be a graphic designer, take on freelance projects to create visual content for clients. You may know a family friend who is a wedding planner and wants a new logo for their website, for example. This provides tangible evidence of your abilities and helps you to build a portfolio. Gaining real-life experience is vital for career experimentation, and you are likely to make insightful discoveries about yourself and the world of work. 

Conclusion

Finding your career path requires curiosity, courage, and a willingness to experiment. Introspection provides the foundational understanding that you need to commence effective experimentation. Expect this process to take time and embrace mistakes and redirection, which will provide you with valuable information for future decisions. By combining self-awareness with real-world experiences, you can refine your choices and confidently chart your path forward. 

At Educate. Radiate. Elevate., we are committed to helping underserved students forge brighter futures. Our tutors at E.R.E. provide no-cost, student-centered learning, focusing on academic, social-emotional, and soft skills development, which are vital for developing promising career paths. You can donate to allow us to continue empowering youth to overcome challenges and achieve their career aspirations.