Whats the best way to figure out a future job that you'll enjoy?

Question

I'm going to be going to college in a few years and I really need to start thinking about what career I want, but I really have no idea what job I want. I don't know how to help myself find something that I would like and find interesting and want to do as a lifelong career. Any suggestions?

Answer 1

Start off by thinking about something you're interested in. It can be anything since there is quite a wide selection of jobs in this world. You just have to go out and look for them. Be creative. I am interested in teeth, so in a few months, I will be shadowing my dentist. She is going to show me what she does with the patients and how to keep their teeth clean and healthy. By going to these shadowings, I will be able to see if I will want to do this job, whether it may be too stressful, or something boring. Make sure that you go around and try different occupations. I know there are a lot of people out there who would like to show students around their work, offices, .. etc. Remember that your lifelong career will not just pop up. You will go through many jobs before you can do the job you want to do. Since many lifetime career requires years and years of schooling, you will just have to be patient. We tend to change what we want to do throughout our high school years, so don't be afraid to change your opinions about a certain type of job. No one wants to work in a place where they dread for the day to be over. That's just wasting your life.
I hope to be your dentist one day. In order to reach your goals and decisions, you just have to do a little research and shadow a few people. By shadow, I mean follow. Good luck!

Answer 2

Do as well as possible in math and in chemistry as possible --always do the homework, for example. Get to where you feel like you are i charge of the lab bench and the glassware in chemistry and truly appreciate the periodic chart of the elements.

All the great jobs that keep your mind sharp come from math and the "hard" sciences of chemistry and physics. Even if you wind up doing something much less technical, you will live your life with a background where it is VERY HARD TO B.S. YOU, because the sciences teach you to ask the right tough questions and sense correctly whether data has been collected fairly.

I worked for a living for 31 years until I retired (early!). Here is exactly what you can count on enjoying when you go work:

1. If your job is mentally demanding, you have to stay on top of the profession in order to do your job well, and this is a chore but a very satisfying one. To keep yourself sharp, you'll want to participate with other professionals in a professional association -- these will be the first people you'll want to ask honest technical questions of; and they'll come to ask such technical questions of you. Being a member of the competence club is VERY satisfying.

2. If you advance to a level where you have subordinates or are in charge of temporary workers, you can support and advance the competent ones at every safe opportunity. This is VERY satisfying.

3. If you have been raised to understand money and emotional discipline, then you can live below your means, build enough financial resources to retire early, and do so if you are sick, tired, or you career is blocked (take the money and run instead of staying, fighting, and losing once in late middle age). This is very satisfying as well as shocking, because by that point you are not going to look back fondly, you'll be glad you were unmaterialistic and delighted you got off the treadmill before you were old.

There are certain psychological tests that might show a strong tendency to enjoy certain categories of work. Those might interest you -- but let me warn you -- the 3 things I listed above are more important, because ultimately all jobs are boring, and how much of a pro you are, who you've helped and when you can leave forever "trump" any groovy turned-on enthusiasm you felt right out of college!

Answer 3

search on the yahoo search engine for government jobs and there you will find lots of titles to jobs and what they pay. Choose the ones you like and then eliminate the ones with the lower income. You can also search the temporary employment agencies online to see what they are offering. Usually they have an extensive description of what the job requires. See if you can fit into some of those jobs with your interests then work toward educating yourself so you can have that job when you graduate. You might want to figure out what you enjoy doing and what grades you got A's in in school as those subjects are easiest for you to do "probably" because you liked doing those, and you need to choose a career that you like and enjoy and wouldn't mind doing over 40 hours a week. Then take a look at several college websites and see what degrees and majors they list and see what interests you. When you go to college the first two years will be basics like English, Algebra, and other things you learned in high school, and a few others like Psychology, Philosophy which you might enjoy or not. Then take some electives of what you might enjoy. From those experiences you can choose your future career.

Answer 4

Figure out what you are good at, what you are interested in and what you know. This is the best basis for choosing what you want to do. If you think that the ultimate job relative to what you like is not obtainable, try the next best thing. For instance if you wanted to be a pilot and did not have the grades to do the training, maybe settle for something to do with aircraft engineering or mechanics (maybe a bad example as I don't think you need the greatest grades to be a pilot).

Just make sure you choose something that interests you, or has the potential to do so. Don't choose something just because it seems easy. It will end up becoming difficult because you won't enjoy it or want to do it.

Answer 5

Some ideas:

+ consider what subjects you like and don't like in school and why

+ talk to people who work in different professions and ask them what they like and don't like about their jobs

+ try to get summer jobs in fields you think you might be interested in

+ there are tests you can take that suggest what types of jobs you might be interested in

+ if you have multiple interests, consider careers that involve the overlap

+ consider where you would live if you had certain jobs (what part of the worl, city vs. country, etc.)

+ consider what kind of people you'll spend your days around in different jobs

+ remember that choosing a career in one field does not mean abandoning your other interests, but your job will consume a great deal of your time so it's best to be doing something you like

+ observe yourself in different situations and watch for moments when you are caught up, intellectually and emotionally, in solving a problem, creating something, helping someone, etc. and look for ways to be able to have that feeling for the rest of your life

Answer 6

This is an online version of John Holland's test. No way is it as good as a pencil and paper version, but it gives you an idea of what the test is about.
http://career.missouri.edu/
After you take this test at a juco, use one of these two books to figure out possible careers.
Dictionary of Holland Occupational Codes, Gary D. Gottfredson and John L. Holland, 1989
Manual for the Vocational Preference Inventory, John L. Holland, 1985
The following book is also quite useful and well worth reading.

Your Own Worst Enemy: Breaking the Habit of Adult Underachievement
by Christian, Kenneth W.
http://www.loyola.edu/AWSS/member/jobsearch.htm
The above website list many resources for vocational guidance.
The best way to find a satisfying career is to take Holland's test at a JUCO and use one of the listed books to pick several possible careers, then research them before you make a final decision. Always have a back up plan and always be flexible. You change as does the labor market.
After you take the test, you'll get a 3 letter code for example ISE. Use one of the reference books to explore all of the combinations of your code. For example ISE, IES, SIE,SEI, ESI, EIS. I think there are just six combinations, but I'm no math genius.

Answer 7

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To see if the Mary Kay opportunity is right for you, take the Life Can Be Good Quiz on my website:
http://www.marykay.com/adina_k/startabusiness/lifecanbegood/default.aspx

Answer 8

Call & arrange interviews of people in jobs you're interested in. They can tell you what it's REALLY like doing their jobs all day & give college pointers. I did this with several people like a pilot, etc. Take free career aptitude tests given by colleges which help you figure out what you're suited for. Most of all, pick a job that will allow you to have balance in your life, because all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. The happiest people I've met are airplane and helicopter pilots (flew commercial but not for major airlines).

Think about the physical demands of the job. I met a pharmacist once who told me he never would've become one, had he realized he'd be standing in cramped quarters all day.

I worked outdoors many years, but my mind needed stimulation.
Then I changed to indoor work that stimulated my mind, but my body declined in strength and fitness. Strive for balance in your life, if you choose an indoor job, be sure you work out or have physical hobbies to keep your body fit. If you choose an outdoor job with heavy labor, realize it takes a toll on your body. But I liked outdoor work best.

Find out your strengths and focus on what area would use your greatest strengths.

good luck.

Answer 9

Try doing some short term temporary assignments through a temp agency. You'll get a chance to see a variety of jobs and companies that way and may spot something that you never even know was out there.

Answer 10

Think about your hobbies, favourite sports activities, favourite kinds of books (e.g. mysteries, romance, science). Think about what your family and friends do -- does what any of what they do interest you at all? You may want to "job shadow" one of them for a day or so to see what it is like to do their job. Also, many colleges have career departments that may assist you by giving you an interest and skills inventory, something called JVIS ... which helps you narrow down your interests.