How Can Students Find Direction For Their Careers?

Do you feel lost in your career? Do you find yourself tongue-tied at the question “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?” Do you feel unable to make a move for fear you make a bad decision? Do you struggle to identify your passion or dream? Are you currently in a career that you often feel bored or frustrated with? Do you continuously search for a career that will finally feel right?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you may be feeling a lack of direction in your career. Don’t worry. You’ve come to the right place!

Many people struggle with feeling a lack of direction in their careers, or life in general. Some people seem to just know what to do with their careers. Most of us have to work at it and go through a lot of trial and error. Others settle for something, or go down a path they later regretted going down.

We often ask children what they want to be when they grow up. Perhaps we should ask adults the same question!

Students who are just entering adulthood are being asked to make one of the biggest decisions of their lives- choose what they will do every day until retirement. This is a hefty decision to make, especially for a young person who hasn’t had much opportunity to try out different careers. In a very short span of time, we go from having a bedtime and curfew to choosing our career path. It’s no wonder so many students battle with feeling a lack of direction!

Remember: Nothing Has to be Permanent

If you want to pursue a specific career path but worry that you won’t want to remain in that field forever, keep in mind that you don’t have to stay forever.

While it can be difficult to change your career path, it isn’t impossible. If you go into a career and find that it isn’t for you, you can change careers! Many forget that this is something we are allowed to do! Yes, other things can create barriers between you and starting over again- life can get in the way, and it’s easy to get comfortable in your current career.

Many people feel too old or too settled to go back to step one. They worry that if they go back to university, they’ll be too old by the time they graduate. The thing is, they would be old either way- but they could be old in a job they hate or a job they love. Even if you only have 10 years left of your working life in a new career, that is 10 years spent doing something you love rather than something you dread and despise.

Learn Something New

Obtaining a formal qualification will not only open you up to a whole new world of knowledge and opportunities, but it will also give you something productive and worthwhile to do while you consider what you might like to do for a living. You can even study online part-time while working or doing something else so that studying doesn’t take over your life.

You may be wondering how you would go about attending university when you don’t know what you want to do. Fortunately, there are qualifications that give you wide-ranging, versatile skills that can apply to any number of industries and fields. For example, studying an online MBA course in Australia can lead you in so many directions you’ll be spoiled for choice! Or, a Master of Business Administration teaches you a number of skills and opens doors in so many fields. The best part is that, if you’re knowledgeable about business, you can create your dream job if you can’t find it. Over the course of studying you’ll gain insight into various career paths that may help you make your decision.

Learning doesn’t always mean traditional education. You can use this transitionary period to learn more about yourself- this is another way to find direction in your career. Even knowing your personality type can give you insight into yourself. You can practise self-care, learn a new language, take a yoga class, or teach yourself to cook. Trying new things may lead you to discover that you love something you didn’t know you loved.

Determine What You Like and Dislike

And we’re not just talking about your career, although that is a factor. If you’re studying or working, consider what- if anything- you like about your current field. It could be anything from the opportunity to connect with your local community or the software you use or the fun teacher or coworker.

Think about the things you like in life, and how these things could become careers. There are careers out there that you didn’t even know existed. Jobs don’t have to be boring and you don’t have to hate work.

Perhaps most importantly, think about something you’re passionate about, whether bad or good. Do you feel rage at the thought of animals being mistreated? Then you might look into a job where you can help creatures great and small. Do you get into heated discussions about climate change? Look into jobs that allow you to help with conservation. Having a true passion for something can turn it from a pastime to a successful career.

This is the perfect time to critically analyse yourself. Knowing your strengths and weaknesses and what you truly enjoy, without being influenced by others, will lead you to your ideal career path. What do you get the most fulfilment from doing? Think about your core values. Additionally, think about the kind of life you want to live and how your career fits into that.

Don’t build your life around your career- build your career around your life. Design your dream life and figure out which profession fits best with that.

Remember, there is no wrong answer.