7 answers
7 answers
Updated
Flo’s Answer
Congratulations, Kekoa, on entering the 'young adult life.' How exciting!
When I reflect on my young adult years, I feel at peace with the decisions I made and the experiences I had.
Not to say that all of my decisions were right or wise in my younger years, but for the most part, I followed my heart and what felt true to me in the moment. Today, I can say that, though it didn't always go smoothly, it feels good to know that I truly trust myself to make the wisest decision. I’ve learned from my mistakes and most importantly, how to follow my internal guidance and intuition while also making informed choices in life.
Feeling confused, curious, and confident are all normal human emotions, and they can arise even in your later years. There are many ways to strengthen your confidence and keep yourself curious about life. Confusion usually arises when there is a lack of clarity in your choice. Therefore, having more options isn't necessarily the solution.
My advice to my younger self or anyone young looking forward to future/new career:
1.) Take it easy!
2.) Change is inevitable so stay curious.
3.) Give yourself permission to test the water.
4.) When you go inward, you learn what is truly authentic for you, saving yourself the time of undoing what is not truly you later in life.
5.) It is okay to approach career as a playful experiment.
6.) Keep expenses moderate so that you have the flexibility to explore a career that makes you happy, even if it's not lucrative in the first few years.
7.) Consider the cost of your investment now for what you ultimately want in the future.
8.) You won't always need to sacrifice, but sometimes you may have to.
9.) Remind yourself that your choices today will impact how you experience tomorrow.
10.) Sometimes focusing only on career may take away from other areas of your life like relationships.
11.) You can always pivot later in life.
12.) Regret or fear of failing will hold you back from your future.
13.) Authenticity early in life can save you years of regret even therepy.
14.) When a door closes, let it be. Another one will open.
15.) It's okay to also believe in something greater than yourself like a spiritual practice or on universal consciousness helping you in the process.
16.) Be financially literate early on.
17.) When you're young, your reasoning may be emotionally driven.
18.) Older people don’t always know what’s best for you.
19.) Health and wellness can enhance your longevity in your career.
20.) Perception shapes your reality.
21.) Resilience is a pearl of great price—something few can say their investment has yielded during times of harvest.
22.) Wisdom is not inevitable with age, it's chosen.
When I reflect on my young adult years, I feel at peace with the decisions I made and the experiences I had.
Not to say that all of my decisions were right or wise in my younger years, but for the most part, I followed my heart and what felt true to me in the moment. Today, I can say that, though it didn't always go smoothly, it feels good to know that I truly trust myself to make the wisest decision. I’ve learned from my mistakes and most importantly, how to follow my internal guidance and intuition while also making informed choices in life.
Feeling confused, curious, and confident are all normal human emotions, and they can arise even in your later years. There are many ways to strengthen your confidence and keep yourself curious about life. Confusion usually arises when there is a lack of clarity in your choice. Therefore, having more options isn't necessarily the solution.
My advice to my younger self or anyone young looking forward to future/new career:
1.) Take it easy!
2.) Change is inevitable so stay curious.
3.) Give yourself permission to test the water.
4.) When you go inward, you learn what is truly authentic for you, saving yourself the time of undoing what is not truly you later in life.
5.) It is okay to approach career as a playful experiment.
6.) Keep expenses moderate so that you have the flexibility to explore a career that makes you happy, even if it's not lucrative in the first few years.
7.) Consider the cost of your investment now for what you ultimately want in the future.
8.) You won't always need to sacrifice, but sometimes you may have to.
9.) Remind yourself that your choices today will impact how you experience tomorrow.
10.) Sometimes focusing only on career may take away from other areas of your life like relationships.
11.) You can always pivot later in life.
12.) Regret or fear of failing will hold you back from your future.
13.) Authenticity early in life can save you years of regret even therepy.
14.) When a door closes, let it be. Another one will open.
15.) It's okay to also believe in something greater than yourself like a spiritual practice or on universal consciousness helping you in the process.
16.) Be financially literate early on.
17.) When you're young, your reasoning may be emotionally driven.
18.) Older people don’t always know what’s best for you.
19.) Health and wellness can enhance your longevity in your career.
20.) Perception shapes your reality.
21.) Resilience is a pearl of great price—something few can say their investment has yielded during times of harvest.
22.) Wisdom is not inevitable with age, it's chosen.
Updated
Tony’s Answer
Hi Kekoa,
Don't worry too much as you are you g and thus is expected but good you begin thinking about it as that leads to action. I would suggest you learn as much as you can about yourself, your interests, personality, talents, aptitude, preferences, etc. do activities, join clubs/organizations, take on jobs, volunteer etc. Also take personality tests, talk to guidance counselors and others, etc. Check out CareerVillages own tool "coach", it's great for self exploration! Enjoy the journey!
Don't worry too much as you are you g and thus is expected but good you begin thinking about it as that leads to action. I would suggest you learn as much as you can about yourself, your interests, personality, talents, aptitude, preferences, etc. do activities, join clubs/organizations, take on jobs, volunteer etc. Also take personality tests, talk to guidance counselors and others, etc. Check out CareerVillages own tool "coach", it's great for self exploration! Enjoy the journey!
Updated
Angel’s Answer
It's totally normal to feel uncertain at the start of your career journey! My advice would be: explore and be patient with yourself. Start by identifying your passions, strengths, and what excites you. Don’t rush to pick a "perfect" path right away; many people switch careers multiple times. Try internships, part-time jobs, or volunteering to gain hands-on experience. Also, don’t be afraid to make mistakes—that's how you learn and grow! And remember, success isn’t a straight line; it’s full of detours and opportunities. Trust that with time, you’ll find a path that feels right for you.
Updated
Jamieson’s Answer
Hi Kekoa, congrats on moving into the next phase of your life! The best thing about being young, is that you don't have to have it all figured out now. You have time to try and at times yes fail at things. Failure is often looked at as a negative, but failure is just an opportunity to learn about yourself and again valuable experience. So don't get too stuck in trying to find the perfect career or perfect job when you are just starting your career. Try jobs that interests you and align to your education and past experiences. If you focus your time now on gaining skills and experiences, you will be "successful" in the long run.
Updated
Kim’s Answer
Hi Kekoa
You have been given some excellent advice from other mentors. The diversity and alignment of their answers gives you some great options to explore.
The fact that you are asking this question indicates that you are multidimensional and potentially have multiple skill sets. It also means that you will most likely have a multi-faceted career path. Your exploration efforts will help you find what you are most passionate about and an indication where you may want to start.
I strongly encourage you to explore identifying your natural strengths and using that as a foundation for your exploration. There are many tools out there to help you. Mentors have mentioned some already. My favorite is StrengthsFinder because it focuses purely on your strengths. And here are more options to explore. My best wishes for a successful journey.
1. CareerOneStop (https://www.careeronestop.org): This website provides various tools and resources to help you assess your strengths, explore occupations, find training programs, and build a career plan.
2. My Next Move (https://www.mynextmove.org): This site offers an interactive tool called "My Next Move" that allows you to search for careers based on your interests and skills. It also provides detailed information on different occupations.
3. O*NET OnLine (https://www.onetonline.org): O*NET is a comprehensive occupational database that offers self-assessment tools to help you identify your interests and match them with specific careers.
4. PathSource (https://www.pathsource.com): PathSource offers a mobile app that provides personalized career guidance based on your interests, personality traits, values, and skills.
5. CareerExplorer (https://www.careerexplorer.com): CareerExplorer offers a free assessment test to evaluate your personality traits and matches them with potential careers. It also provides detailed information about each occupation.
You have been given some excellent advice from other mentors. The diversity and alignment of their answers gives you some great options to explore.
The fact that you are asking this question indicates that you are multidimensional and potentially have multiple skill sets. It also means that you will most likely have a multi-faceted career path. Your exploration efforts will help you find what you are most passionate about and an indication where you may want to start.
I strongly encourage you to explore identifying your natural strengths and using that as a foundation for your exploration. There are many tools out there to help you. Mentors have mentioned some already. My favorite is StrengthsFinder because it focuses purely on your strengths. And here are more options to explore. My best wishes for a successful journey.
1. CareerOneStop (https://www.careeronestop.org): This website provides various tools and resources to help you assess your strengths, explore occupations, find training programs, and build a career plan.
2. My Next Move (https://www.mynextmove.org): This site offers an interactive tool called "My Next Move" that allows you to search for careers based on your interests and skills. It also provides detailed information on different occupations.
3. O*NET OnLine (https://www.onetonline.org): O*NET is a comprehensive occupational database that offers self-assessment tools to help you identify your interests and match them with specific careers.
4. PathSource (https://www.pathsource.com): PathSource offers a mobile app that provides personalized career guidance based on your interests, personality traits, values, and skills.
5. CareerExplorer (https://www.careerexplorer.com): CareerExplorer offers a free assessment test to evaluate your personality traits and matches them with potential careers. It also provides detailed information about each occupation.
Updated
Maura’s Answer
Don't put too much pressure on yourself to have it all figured out right now. Instead, be open to exploring different fields and opportunities that come your way- this could be a good way to try things on for size and see if you like them. That could happen through courses you take, part-time work you do, volunteering you take part in, or conversations you have with family friends, neighbors, or even informational interviews (short conversations) you have with professionals in different industries. Zoom makes this even easier to do nowadays, so keep your eyes out for virtual opportunities to learn more about specific fields of interest!
Updated
Tiffanie’s Answer
Hi Kekoa,
Great question! Its great to see young individuals thinking about these things early. I would recommend trying everything and always remembering that just because you pick one path doesn't mean that will the path you must choose forever. I got my degree in pre-law and was an admin at a nonprofit after school, then worked at other non-profits, marketing, proposals and now recruiting. Try as many different things as you can and you will find the thing that you really enjoy over time. You can start now by volunteering. I thought that I might want to be a nurse so I volunteered a my local hospital, if there is something that you are interested in see if there is a volunteer opportunity to give you that experience. You can also find a mentor that might tell you what a day is like in a certain field.
Best of luck!
Great question! Its great to see young individuals thinking about these things early. I would recommend trying everything and always remembering that just because you pick one path doesn't mean that will the path you must choose forever. I got my degree in pre-law and was an admin at a nonprofit after school, then worked at other non-profits, marketing, proposals and now recruiting. Try as many different things as you can and you will find the thing that you really enjoy over time. You can start now by volunteering. I thought that I might want to be a nurse so I volunteered a my local hospital, if there is something that you are interested in see if there is a volunteer opportunity to give you that experience. You can also find a mentor that might tell you what a day is like in a certain field.
Best of luck!