I just don't know what to do with my life. How did you decide what line of work to go into?

Question

I'm 25 and I still don't know - is this particularly bad? I did Media at university and have a degree, but that was a complete waste of time and I've just recieved an analysis of my CV back in which they politely said it was rubish because it clearly shows that I don't have any goals. This is geting me really depressed, does anyone have any suggestions?

Answer 1

Bolster up our CV add positive comments like "I am hard working" and "I am very good at..." Don't be downhearted. Find a job that you like, so long as it pays you enough to support your standard of living. You spend more waking hours at work than at home - find a job that you enjoy, a job that challenges you. You may be 30 or 40 before you decide what you want to be, but hey ho does it matter?

Answer 2

If you did Media you must have been interested in that industry once upon a time so what don't you try and break in.

I know how competitive it is so you can even offer to do an unpaid internship (whilst doing a proper job for money at a bar or whatever).

The internship will allow you to experience the media industry whatever that might be (publishing, tv etc) and maybe you might like it. Plus depends on what university you went to and what town you live in. But I am sure if you try hard enough you can get some kind of internship and get a chance to experience whether you like it or not.

If you do then you will know what to do. If you don;t then you will have something good on your CV, some contacts for the future just in case and a bit more confidence!

And remember sitting at home thinking about what to do is never going to solve anything because you can never find out what a job entails until you do it or watch someone do it. So get out there and do something!!

Good luck

Answer 3

You may have done a Media Degree but is that what you really want to do, try and get some work experience in that field, it will help you decide, just a week perhaps. Depending on your financial situation you may need after that just to go and get a job doing whatever which will give you a bit more time to think about what you really want to do. The other answerer was correct, you need to highlight a few things in your CV, take his/her advice. Get your CV professionally done if you can afford it or I can help you there as Ive done so many and know what to say. My email is available if you want to reply, it wont be an exaggeration of your abilities - just add a bit of imagination to make you look really good on paper and then you will get those interviews. Think really positive. You will not know what to do with the rest of your life - I dont know what to do with the rest of mine and Im a mum twice your age. Whatever is meant to be will be. Just think about the NOW and get yourself in a position where the future will just take care of itself because that is what it will do anyway.

Answer 4

You may not like my advice, but I found it very useful.

Get a $hitty job. I'm serious. I don't care if it's Buger King, McDonalds, or at a factory doing something COMPLETELY monotonous and boring. Do it for ONE WHOLE YEAR. I was in the same place you are right now a few months after graduating from college.

And the way I thought about it was: I can join the Army and get discipline from them, or I can become "blue-collar" and learn what life WITHOUT a degree is all about.

At the bottom, as mean as that may sound, is where you learn about all the positions "higher up" that you could do. Don't take it like a punishment, or a place where you belong in the end, but as a learning tool. Believe me when I say that you will learn how to relate to ALL kinds of people, you will learn how to lead people, you will learn how to give out advice, you will learn how to be someone of value. And your confidence alone will transform you.

The trick, however, is to LIVE the life. Go out with the people you meet. You will encounter drugs, and booze, and a bunch of people who don't really have any goals - and who unfortunately don't have the degree you have.

And you will meet people who marry to quickly, have kids without planning, and live life without purpose or place.

Become a beacon of light. You may even grow politically minded.

I did.

But don't tell anyone you have a degree. Be the little guy, innocuous, somebody who doesn't know what's going on, but somebody who learns very quickly.

That's what I went through. And I'm very happy with the results.

Answer 5

'Some of the most interesting people I know still don't know what they want to do at the age of 40' so goes the line from the tune called Sunscreen. Might not be the exact words but very true. It takes time before you find your line. Some people are set up for their career for a whole life by the age of 15. We are all different. The fact that you are interested in different things but can't decide shows that you could be good at anything. Why don't you go along to a career/skills analysis or find a 'career to suit' test to check out what it is you are good at. You may not be good at working with people and you need to work on your own. Whatever it is, it may take time before you find your true profession. Just think back when you were a very small kid, what is it that you wanted to be (apart from pilot and hard to reach professions like that)? That may be your true profession. Good luck!

Answer 6

In life we must be happy and be contented regardless what we're doing for a living. Follow your heart and not your mind. I mean you can go to a career or job that you will like to do for a long time. It might be difficult to find one at first. But don't despair, in life it is all about living with people, so be open and learn new things on the way to find a job that you would enjoy. I understand what you are saying about CV. My advise is that most employers are looking for good characters and potentials and people that can work well with others and not forgetting to also match the job with the candidates. Wishing you all the best !

Answer 7

Join the club, I'm 25 also and have no clear ambition regarding work. I've had loads of jobs in different fields. I keep trying different fields in the hope that one will grab me enough to make me stick at it, no joy so far.

Don't get down about it, a lot of people don't know where their life is going.

Maybe you should consider studying again, go for something more general like project management, it won't tie you to a particular industry and after a few years of experience you could work for yourself. That's what I've decided to do.

Good luck and keep your chin up.

Answer 8

Welcome to the club which I was part of once.

It's because you don't know your taste. I suggest you spend couple of hours somewhere and think what would interest you most. After doing that work, you go home satisfied and you will have all the energy to come back tomorrow.

To my surprize, quite a few people don't think of it at all. They do it like a routine. People like you and me struggle because we don't like routines or the routines we like are not commonly found.

Once you have decided your line of work, then you need to do homework to gain knowledge in that area. I assume you are interested in Media. You must clearly write the 'objective' in your CV at the top that translates into your goals. Normally they start "To become the expert in the area of..." etc.,

Answer 9

Do what I did: I looked around and researched which businesses and institutions that had the highest number of pretty, well educated women. I then went to work there. This has several advantages: where these women congregate, there is bound to be money; you will never find Mondays a drag, and you will never be want for affection. Once there, you will start to fizz with ideas and can then get to the next stage.

Answer 10

I was in your situation so I joined the Air Force and by the time I Left 23 years later I knew exactly what I wanted to do and have been an art tutor for the last 28 years. My advice would be- do something and see where it leads, you can't steer a stationary ship.