How To Choose A Specific Career Path
Knowing how to choose a career path is one lesson that they did not teach us in school. If you have earned your college degree, you might be already entrenched in a career. Then again, you might not be due to the pandemic or other extraneous factors.
If you have graduated and are still wondering how to choose a career path, you are far from alone.
How exactly do you go from being undecided about your career to being on a track toward something real? Keep reading to find out more!
Utilizing Proven Career Assessments
Choosing a career is a different process for everyone. Google “career assessment” and you will most likely see various results. Do these assessment things actually work? Should you invest a ton of money to take recommended online quizzes? Apparently there is a big market for career aptitude tests.
Seeking Out A Top Notch Career Coach
A career coach's job is to help connect people with careers they will love. They are great at networking and often have access to valuable resources that you would not be able to find on your own.
You are probably thinking that you do not have the money for a career coach. Do not forget that you have a free resource at your disposal: your college’s career center. Counselors in the center are trained and experienced in helping people find the right career fit so that is a great place to start on a budget.
Informational Interviews
Seek out informational interviewing opportunities within your immediate network. Having the opportunity to sit down with someone or meet on Zoom, ask them questions and get real world answers is a solid strategy. If someone donates their time, it means they are interested in seeing you succeed. Learning how to choose a career can sometimes require a network of these particular advocates.
Start with people who already know, including your supervisor, professor or someone you already know working in a field you are interested in. You should not be afraid to reach out to people you do not know too. Be courteous and open to learning.
At the very least, you will likely get some reassurance from this person that your current path is not as purposeless as you may think. While a first job is important, it is not a requirement to move upwards. Ask any baby boomer how they got to the position they are in now and they will likely tell you that it was a long, winding road of varied jobs leading to the right connection. Timing is everything.