What Should I Do With My Life?

It can feel a little ridiculous  if you don’t really know what sort of job you want, but rest assured, you’re not alone!  Lots of people struggle with this.  My theory is that it’s not something we’ve really gotten to explore as adults, and mostly we’ve just gone along with things like what people said we were good at.

 

Sadly, as many of us have experienced, things we’re good at don’t always translate to things we enjoy.  So how can you figure out what you want from your next role?

 

If it helps, you can take some free online career quizzes like https://www.princetonreview.com/quiz/career-quiz, https://www.mynextmove.org/, https://www.careerexplorer.com/, or https://www.coursera.org/resources/career-quiz, but those aren’t helpful to everyone, and they can focus a little too much on aptitudes instead of what you really want.

 

So if the available quizzes don’t help, ask yourself some guiding questions instead.  Here are a few examples:

 

Start by getting clearer about your own needs and values:

1. What do you want your work days or weeks to look like? Consider environments, tasks, commutes, and so forth.
2. Who do you want to work with?
3. Who do you want to be of service to?
4. What causes resonate with you and make you want to take action?
5. What role do you want your job to play relative to your values?
6. How do you envision your professional legacy? (Think about your expertise, actions, etc.)
7. What kinds of people do you most enjoy working with?
8. What kind of mentorship are you seeking?
9. Do you want to be part of the decision-making processes or do you prefer to be behind the scenes?

 

Next, consider potential employers and how they might align with your values:

1. What kind of information would you love to see in a mission statement?
2. Is there a particular employer or leader you would love to work with?
3. What do the organization’s top performers look like?
4. What sort of diversity are you hoping to see represented within a company?
5. Who thrives at these organizations?
6. How formal or casual is the company culture?
7. What kinds of professional development opportunities are available?
8. Who are the leaders and how are they aligned with you and how you like to be led?
9. What do they do to reward and advance rock stars, but also keep them from burnout?

 

Then think about the roles you might consider:

1. What’s the pace of work in this position?
2. Is there additional education I’d need to get started?
3. How will that pace change if you move up?
4. How does the organization reward success?
5. Do the tasks and responsibilities of the role sound interesting?
6. Are there particular things you want to learn?

 

This process will be a little messy, but once you have a solid idea of these pieces, you can poke around online to see what excited you and what leaves you cold.  You might even opt to re-take one of those career quizzes I mentioned at the start, with this new clarity in mind.  Explore lots of different things, and trust your instincts as you do.

 

And probably most importantly, remember that whatever you choose next doesn’t have to be your Forever Career.  Think of it as your next step and give yourself the freedom to change your mind and grow in unexpected directions!