I Have 8 Ideas to Spot Your Ideal Career Path. Do You Have 5 Minutes?

I Have 8 Ideas to Spot Your Ideal Career Path. Do You Have 5 Minutes?

About LifehackContact Us Psychology Productivity Health More Work I Have 8 Ideas to Spot Your Ideal Career Path. Do You Have 5 Minutes? Erica Wagner Erica is a writer, passionista,

and Great Dane enthusiast. Full Bio Some grow up knowing exactly which career path they want to take while others just can’t seem to figure it out. Maybe you’ve been in the same profession for years and you’re looking to get into something else, but you’re just not sure

what. We’d all love to find our calling early on in life and live happily ever after. Unfortunately, that is rarely what happens. If you’re struggling to decide which career path is right for you, here are some ideas to help ease the stress. Take the Tests to Find Out What Excites You Whatever you decide to do, make sure it’s something that you’re going to enjoy.

 Make sure you won’t dread getting out of bed every day. It’s not as difficult as it seems. Sit down, think about the things that you genuinely enjoy doing and write them down. Having a passion for something isn’t the only thing required when discovering a career path, but it’s certainly an essential part. When you thoroughly enjoy something, it’ll definitely help you power through the bad days. If you need some help, try taking the free personality test below. It requires you to really think about what you enjoy and to evaluate yourself. When

completed, you’ll be given a list of different professions based on your answers: Big Five Personality Test The next test asks a series of 60 questions about different things you could see yourself doing. Such as working with people or working with spreadsheets on a computer. At the end of the test you’ll be given a list of professions that you may enjoy just like the test above: My Next Move Career Test Use the G+P+V Formula for Perfect Match

G-Gifts P-Passions V-Values “Gifts” means to consider your strengths. Start by thinking about what you’re good at and writing it down. “Passions” means to think about what excites you. Do you enjoy helping other people, working alone, solving problems? Lastly, “values” is really all about your personality and lifestyle. What about the way you work is nonnegotiable? When you use your strengths towards what you’re invested in, a path that

supports your values will lead you to a career that you genuinely enjoy. Find a Mentor to Clear All Your Confusion Having a mentor is extremely beneficial when figuring out which career path is best for you. They could really help you take your career to new heights. It’s like having an insider to talk with about the career and make sure you’re on the right path. If you’re unsure how to ask someone to be your mentor, try this: when you find a career that

you’re interested in, explore different companies and people to see if you’re able to shadow for a few days. This will give you a better idea of what you’ll be doing in that line of work. Take a Look at the Options You Have Never Considered There are popular careers that we all know about such as being a teacher, doctor, lawyer, etc. For some, those typical choices may not peak your interest in the slightest. There are thousands upon thousands of jobs out there. Many you probably have not heard about. Take a look at these unusual jobs from Business Insider. You Don’t Have to Hop Between Full-Time Jobs, Internships Can Be Your

Choice If you have some flexibility, an internship is an awesome way to get first-hand experience in the field of work you’re looking to get into. As the internship comes to a close, you may be able to score a full-time job. It may help you discover that you’re on the wrong career path which is okay. Something positive comes from both outcomes. Either way, it’ll

help build your network and introduce you to people who you can get career and job advice from. Prepare a Clear Career Plan to Stop Yourself from Distracted As with a lot of things in life, it will be more beneficial if you have some plans made and goals set for yourself. Maybe you’ve thought about becoming a writer, but after writing comes editing and you’re not sure that’s what you want to do. Maybe you’ve been a nurse for years, and you’d like to become a florist. It’s important to think about how you’re going to get there. Make a map planning out where you want to go with steps, possible obstacles, and goals. Take Aptitude Tests to Understand Your Interest and Strengths You may be sitting there thinking that you don’t

know what interests you or what your strong suits are. Personality and career assessment tests help narrow down careers that you may enjoy, and are at least worth looking into. You may have taken them in high school so you could start thinking about what you’d like to do. Maybe you took one in college when you started to rethink whether or not the major you chose was a good fit. This one from Oprah’s website includes 5 aptitude tests on the first

page. You can download and complete each one. When finished, head over to page two to see your results and what they mean. Make Use of the Resources You Have There’s no harm in reaching out to people. One of the best ways to find a career path is to talk with and ask people questions about their field of work. It will give you a little insight when you’re unsure what the job entails. Another great outlet to look into and take advantage of is LinkedIn. It has tons of information about a laundry list of professions, and you have the option to

message people when you have some questions. Take a look at this site which lists many different careers and what they entail. It’s a great resource to use when researching. Look at You career As a Stepping Stone A career isn’t about racing to the top. Look at your career as if it were a marathon. Instead of a sprint, learn to enjoy all the twists and turns, all the ups and the downs that you encounter along the way. When you put all of your experiences together, you will find a career worth having. Figuring out and deciding what career path

you want to take may be long, frustrating, and difficult. It’s impossible to know if you’re going to enjoy what you choose to do twenty years down the line, but it’s important to think about the here and now. What do YOU enjoy? Choosing a particular career does not mean you have to spend the rest of your life in that profession. Explore all of your options and have fun doing your research. Knowledge is power! About Lifehack Lifehack is about helping you improve your life through efficient and comprehensive learning. By leveraging the vast amount of knowledge available to us, we explore and present a wide variety of content

catered to encouraging individual growth and solving problems. Learn more about our mission Advertising Advertising Recommended for you Revealed: Body Language That Makes You Attractive at Work and in Dating The Best Questions to Ask in an Interview to Leave a Remarkable Impression The Secret to Living a Happier Life? Follow the Rule of Less Is More What’s Popular now? Poor Sleep Quality Comes from All the Things You Do Since Morning Warren Buffett Says Most People End up Being Average Because They Don't Keep

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Your Job Based On What You Love To Do, Not How Much You Have Invested In. Work Pick Your Job Based On What You Love To Do, Not How Much You Have Invested In. Angelina Phebus Angelina Phebus is a writer, registered yoga teacher (RYT 200), and voracious reader. Full Bio Have you ever continued to pursue something even though it no longer served you?

Maybe it’s a degree program or the dead-end job that you refuse to give up. Perhaps you’ve stayed in a relationship for no other reason than the fact that you’ve been committed to it for so long. From time to time, we all justify staying the course by considering the effort we’ve put into our current situation. Many of us decide to take a job just because it’s a good use of our training. When we invest time and money in getting a degree, we expect that we should use it. Maybe you hate your job, but you can only envision yourself taking similar

positions with equal or greater pay and responsibility. You may feel trapped by the decisions you made before, but you don’t have to be. Whatever you do, do it because you love it. When you are trying to figure out how to decide on a career, it is easy to be influenced by the types of work and training you’ve already undertaken. In general, you get a degree or training in a field that interests you, and this leads you to a job in that field. If you should

ever decide to leave your job, there’s a high probability that you will look for work in the same field with similar pay and responsibilities. You are less likely to consider whether you still like the work that you do — you feel obligated to continue your career trajectory regardless of how you feel. This is how people get stuck doing jobs that they don’t like. Instead of thinking about what would make you the best and happiest version of yourself,

you may face temptation to maintain the status quo. Many of us do this because we fear wasting our efforts.1 Others feel that their persistence will eventually be valued, and changing course doesn’t fit well within the story they are creating about themselves or their business.2 They may willingly take on sunk costs with the belief that their situation will improve. Don’t get sucked in by sunk costs. The sunk cost fallacy is the assumption that you

must continue follow a trajectory because you have already put lots of resources into that particular career path or personal endeavor. We can be so loss-averse that we avoid the possibility of greater gains through changing our approach.3 If you are wondering how to decide on a career, and you take a job solely because it makes use of your years of training, then you might be worrying more about sunk costs than your future happiness and success. Refusing to leave a career that is unfulfilling could be a sign that you are caught in the job

investment trap, which is a variation of the sunk cost fallacy.4 Businesses also fall into this pattern of continuing down a failing path just because they already put time and money into initiatives. For example, an entrepreneur might take out a loan to open a second business location. They reason that since business is booming at Location #1, success in Location #2 should be a cinch. After about a year, the owner realizes that Location #2 is hemorrhaging money, and the only way to stop the bleeding is to scale back to one store. The numbers

don’t lie, but despite the irrefutable evidence, the owner may still have trouble cutting his or her losses. The business owner thinks about the effort, time, and emotion that went into Location #2. From an outsider’s perspective, it is easy to see that the business owner in the example or the person stuck in an uninspiring career should try something new. It is harder to let go of sunk costs when we are faced with them ourselves. You aren’t a one-trick pony.

 Just because you took a particular course of study in school doesn’t mean that you are bound to that discipline for the rest of your life. When you are figuring out how to decide on a career, ask yourself the following questions: What are you interested in doing? If you are passionate about your work, then it won’t feel like a burden. What skills do you need to do this job? We often think of our degree or primary training as our default career option, but the default may not be the best choice. If you need to change focus, what transferable skills

do you have, and what additional training will you need to be successful?5 Is there room for growth in this job? Today, the average employee stays with a company for 4.2 years before moving on.6 What types of skills can you build in your current work? How can you leverage your growth to position you for a fulfilling career? Do you have opportunities to work with different people? Forming meaningful connections with people is one of the best things you can do for yourself professionally. You’ll not only be happier at work, but if you decide to

change careers, you will already have a solid professional network. 7 What can this job offer you in 3 years? Consider your expectations for income and authority-level in the next three years. Is this job going to give you what you want? If not, how will taking this position help you work toward your end goal? Can this job help you to become the kind of person you want to be? Being inspired by the work that you do can brighten even the toughest days. Do you feel that your work is meaningful?8 Does it bring you closer to being the optimal of

yourself? Know when to hold and when to fold. You can’t recover sunk costs, but you don’t have to perpetuate a cycle of loss. “I’ve already put so much time into this,” isn’t a good enough justification to continue down a particular path. Deciding to change directions doesn’t meant that you have failed. It makes zero sense to continue to put resources into something that isn’t working for you. Although you may feel like you have wasted an experience or lost time, remember that you have probably learned some valuable

information as you undertook the process. Just because it didn’t go the way you expected doesn’t mean that it’s a total loss. Being successful and following your dreams are not mutually exclusive. Use what you know to keep growing, and don’t be discouraged if you have to change course along the way. References [1] Psychology Today: Letting Go of Sunk Costs: How to Escape the Past [2] Ryan Doody: The Sunk Cost Fallacy is Not a Fallacy [3] Learning Loft: Why Perseverance Might Actually Be Hurting Your Career [4] Lifehacker: Don’t

Let the Job Investment Trap Keep you from Switching Careers [5] The Muse: 8 Steps to an Utterly Successful Career Change [6] Bureau of Labor Statistics: Employee Tenure Summary [7] CareerShifters: How to Change Career When You Have No Idea What You are Doing [8] Forbes: Five Ways to Tell if You Need a Career Change About Lifehack Lifehack is about helping you improve your life through efficient and comprehensive learning. By leveraging the vast amount of knowledge available to us, we explore and present a wide variety of

content catered to encouraging individual growth and solving problems. Learn more about our mission Advertising Advertising Recommended for you 30 Morning Routines That Can Make You Motivated and Productive for a Whole Day 23 Body Language Tricks That Make You Instantly Likeable People Judge Your Intelligence Based on the Tone of Your Voice and How Fast You Speak What’s Popular now? Poor Sleep Quality Comes from All the Things You Do Since Morning Warren Buffett Says Most People End up Being Average Because

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for Lifelong Happiness and Success Learn More About Work The First Thing All Amazing Startups Work on for a Refreshing Beginning How To Find That Key Person That Can Help You Progress in Your Career? If You Don't Know What To Do With Your Life, Read This. The First Thing All Amazing Startups Work on for a Refreshing Beginning Love what you're reading? You're now one click away from getting all the best ideas on Lifehack for free! Subscribe to Lifehack Newsletter to end negativity and get things done fast. Feedback