Of all of the phases of life, college is by far the most transformative. It is during college that teenagers become adults and get to explore what that means for them in a controlled environment. College is the time that people get to build the foundation for the rest of their adult lives, as they learn who they are when they get to make choices on their own. And one of these foundational choices that they make is choosing their major or career path. While choosing a major or career path in college might be a stressful task, it is also a wonderful opportunity to discover what your calling is and how you can best help make the world a better place. So, when thinking about what you want to do with your life, here are some things to consider:
1. Think of the hobbies that you've had since childhood.
When thinking about the career that you'd like to pursue, it can be helpful to take the time to reflect on your life so far. Think about the hobbies that you've enjoyed, especially the ones that you picked for yourself, and ask yourself what exactly you enjoyed about them. Perhaps it was the subject area, or perhaps the skills used to do those hobbies came naturally to you.
Questions to ask: What extracurriculars did you do (and actually enjoy) in high school? What exactly did you enjoy about it? What kind of games did you play when you were younger? What did you enjoy about those? What kind of news and entertainment do you tend to pay attention to?
2. Think of the skills that come naturally to you.
Another thing to consider when reflecting on the things that you're involved in is what skills you consistently contributed in those activities. The skills that you naturally gravitate towards using are typically the ones that come naturally to you. Knowing which skills come naturally to you is an easy way to determine which transferable skills you can contribute to your future position and can help you determine which careers utilize those skills.
Questions to ask: What positions have I had in the past that I excelled in? Why did I thrive in those positions? What am I a natural at?
3. Try to picture yourself doing that career.
One thing that I found helpful when trying to determine if a prospective career was right for me was researching what the day to day demands of that career are. When considering future careers, consider looking up "A Day in the Life of…" videos to get an idea of what your life in that career would look like. Then try to picture yourself doing the everyday tasks of someone in that profession.
Questions to ask:Can I imagine myself enjoying that career? Does that future excite me?
4. Utilize your school's career services.
Most universities have career services that allow you to explore your personality and work style. Take advantage of these resources. Even if the careers they generate don't suit you, you'll learn something about your professional self that you can consider when thinking of careers, such as the work environment that suits you best, your strengths, or your values.
Questions to ask: What does this test say about me? What field does this test think I'm suited for? Is there a strength or a weakness that this test revealed about me?
5. Think about what kind of impact you want to make on the world.
When you're officially in your career, something that will continue to motivate you will be the impact that you're having on your community, or on the world. So when considering future careers, look around at the world and determine some places where you think systems can be better, or where you can impact your community. A great way to build your worldview is through intentional community service. Not only will you gain service hours, but you will also be exposed to problems in society that you can impact. When learning about or engaging in social change, take notice of what issues bother you the most and what you can do about it. Whether it be advocacy or art, the world could use more passionate people working to sustain humanity and the planet.
Questions to answer:What are my social passions? Where do I see the most problems in the world? What can I do to make it better? What do I feel is my responsibility as a citizen of this community?
