Source/Credit: careeralley.com
Are you unsure of the career you really want? Do you want a career that will truly make you happy? Follow these 3 steps, and perhaps your ideal career will land itself in front of you!
1. Skill Sets
First, ask yourself what are your biggest skill sets. Have you worked on previous projects that were successful? If so, what did you contribute? How were you helpful? Perhaps you were good at the research needed or the writing involved. Maybe you were an effective public speaker or a natural performer. Whatever the skills may have been, review your past contributions to previous projects, internships or jobs to find out 2 or 3 prominent skills that you have demonstrated successfully and repeatedly.
If you have not been involved in many previous endeavors, find various projects to attempt (be them internships or volunteer work), and see what you're good at. Sometimes a school setting can reveal your skill sets, but I suggest being engaged in actual tangible commitments to find your true skill sets. It may even be a natural talent you have such as, say, being artistic.
2. Passion
Second, consider what you always wanted to do, something that you hold a passion for, but may have thought it was too difficult for you. Some might say that whatever the field, unless you feel completely confident in it, don't do it. I say challenge yourself. The field that you have a passion for--maybe it is dance or inspirational speaking--but is difficult will always challenge you to strive to be better.
You may not be perfect at it now, but this is why you're choosing a career in it, in order to feel successful. Maybe it is singing, or writing bestselling fiction stories. Think about what will just make you the happiest.
3. Your Perfect (Yet Practical) Career
Third, combine your skill sets with your passion to find that perfect, yet practical, career. The reason it is likely practical for you is because you have already demonstrated success in the skills needed to achieve an even more successful, longer term career through previous projects, internships, etc. The reason it is likely perfect for you, well, is because you'll likely always be passionate about it and also want to improve day after day. Maybe your ideal career is being an environmental engineer or a movie actor.
Let me give you just one example of how to apply this formula.
First, let's say, you have shown to be a natural in the subject of chemistry. Your knowledge or study of the field landed and completed a successful summer internship in a chemistry lab. You know you are also good with directions. This may not have landed you an internship, per say, but repeatedly friends and family have counted on your knack for directions to help get them to their destination(s).
Second, you are passionate about urban studies. You feel somewhat uncertain about how much of a natural you are at absorbing everything there is to urban studies, but you are passionate about making a difference in city landscapes around the U.S. or even around the world. Since you were young, perhaps you have dreamt of shaping city skylines or being famous for applying conservation principles to urban landscapes.
Now, third, put together your skill sets (chemistry knowledge and being good at directions) with your passion (urban studies or design), and you can determine your dream job is an environmental engineer! You might now consider additional--and worthwhile--education you could pursue to specialize even further. You may be glad to know that your field pays especially well. You certainly can trust that you have picked a career in which you will most likely be happy and successful. (Likely, whenever you find a specialized field--the perks of knowing what you truly want--the pay is likely higher as well, an added bonus.)
So, I suggest you try this with your skill sets and passions, and soon you will be well on your way to being even more successful!