If you’re unsure what career path to go in or if you’re thinking about heading down a different career path altogether, you might need a helping hand to get you started. Below, are eight recommended steps you should take to help find your career path, without feeling the need to pressure yourself into it.
1. Seek Help From a Mentor
Seeking help from a mentor is a great idea if you’re not sure what to do, or if you’re flip-flopping careers. To ask someone to be your mentor, either try talking to your school guidance counselor or consult people in your line of work to talk about possible careers with.
2. Visualize What Kind of Work Excites You
The last thing you want to do is choose a career that you will dread going to every day. It’s important that you choose one that you will particularly enjoy. However, at the same time, you should also find a career path that you’re good at. Focusing on your personality and skills are crucial to finding the right job for you.
3. Develop a Career Plan
You can really further your career if you develop a plan for it. For example, if you plan to be a writer, how do you want to continue your career? Possibly editing or teaching? Or, even after that, do you want to become a blog owner? Having a fully developed career plan is important to understand what direction you want to go in.
4. Ask Around
You don’t have to be along on the hunt for your career path. One of the best ways to look for a new career is to see what other people are doing. LinkedIn and Twitter are both great resources to see what jobs your peers are doing and seeing if that’s a direction you want to head in.
5. Take a Career Assessment Test
You may have taken one of these tests in high school, but it may be time to do it again. If you are totally unsure about what you are interested in or what your skills are, these tests can provide some clarity. Do a quick Google search to find a few career assessment tests that you can take. They will be able to help you determine what your skills are, what you wish to get out of a job, and point you in the right direction.
6. Research Unusual Careers
Sometimes you need to think outside the box to find the best job for you. If the ordinary job choices of becoming a teacher, doctor, or computer programmer bore you, keep in mind that there are tons of more obscure jobs available. Do some research to find these opportunities or, if you are so inclined, create your own unique job and market yourself as such.
7. Check Out Salary Information
Before deciding on your new path, you should consider what type of salary you can expect to make. Though it may not be as desirable as simply choosing your favorite activity to do as a job, your salary plays an important role in your decision-making process. Try to find a job where you can make a considerable income so that you will be better off later in life.
8. Obtain an Internship
An internship is a great way to dip your toes into a new industry or job. It can also provide a great opportunity to land a full-time job in your new field, even if you do not have any prior experience. Even if you decide you do not like the new industry, there are still benefits to working an internship. It will help you to expand your network and gain valuable advice and insight into your career path.
Finding your career path can be a difficult journey, but with the right resources on your side, it can be done relatively pain-free. Hopefully, with the help of this guide, we could help you get back on track with your personal career and offer you options to help you choose what job field you want to head into next.