4 answers
McKenna
Student
Elk River, Minnesota
3
Questions
Asked
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How do I decide what career is best for me when I'm interested in so many things?
How do I decide what career is best for me when I'm interested in so many things? I know I want to help people, but I can't decide what I for sure want to do.
4 answers
Dr H
Dr. H's Research
1464
Answers
Australia
Updated
Dr’s Answer
Hey McKenna!
First off, I love that you're asking this question because it shows that you're thoughtful about your future and genuinely want to make a meaningful impact.
I completely agree with Michelle—having a lot of interests doesn’t mean you have to choose just one and forget the rest. Teaching is an amazing career because it allows you to incorporate many of your passions. Whether it’s history, science, writing, or even public speaking, teaching gives you the flexibility to bring different interests into your work. Plus, as Michelle said, don’t let outside opinions influence your decision too much—if teaching excites you, go for it!
Diana also made a great point about using career assessments like ONET to get some clarity. These tools can help you understand which fields align with your strengths and interests. But beyond that, the best way to figure out if something is right for you is to experience it firsthand. Shadow professionals, volunteer, or try part-time jobs in different fields. Seeing what a career looks like in real life can make your decision much clearer.
And if you’re still unsure, here’s the best part—your career doesn’t have to be set in stone. You can always start in one field and transition into another. Teaching is one of those careers that you can step into at different stages of life. Maybe you try another passion first—like social work, healthcare, counseling, or even nonprofit work—but if you ever want to return to teaching, that door will always be open.
So, if there’s another field that fascinates you, explore it! You can always bring those skills back into education later if you choose. And if you do become a teacher, you can grow into other roles like school counseling, educational leadership, curriculum development, or even public speaking. You’re never locked into just one path.
At the end of the day, trust yourself. Explore, experiment, and see what feels right. You’re on an exciting journey, and no matter what you choose, you’ll find a way to make an impact. You got this! 🤗
First off, I love that you're asking this question because it shows that you're thoughtful about your future and genuinely want to make a meaningful impact.
I completely agree with Michelle—having a lot of interests doesn’t mean you have to choose just one and forget the rest. Teaching is an amazing career because it allows you to incorporate many of your passions. Whether it’s history, science, writing, or even public speaking, teaching gives you the flexibility to bring different interests into your work. Plus, as Michelle said, don’t let outside opinions influence your decision too much—if teaching excites you, go for it!
Diana also made a great point about using career assessments like ONET to get some clarity. These tools can help you understand which fields align with your strengths and interests. But beyond that, the best way to figure out if something is right for you is to experience it firsthand. Shadow professionals, volunteer, or try part-time jobs in different fields. Seeing what a career looks like in real life can make your decision much clearer.
And if you’re still unsure, here’s the best part—your career doesn’t have to be set in stone. You can always start in one field and transition into another. Teaching is one of those careers that you can step into at different stages of life. Maybe you try another passion first—like social work, healthcare, counseling, or even nonprofit work—but if you ever want to return to teaching, that door will always be open.
So, if there’s another field that fascinates you, explore it! You can always bring those skills back into education later if you choose. And if you do become a teacher, you can grow into other roles like school counseling, educational leadership, curriculum development, or even public speaking. You’re never locked into just one path.
At the end of the day, trust yourself. Explore, experiment, and see what feels right. You’re on an exciting journey, and no matter what you choose, you’ll find a way to make an impact. You got this! 🤗
Simona Zaffaroni-Lucas
Financial Analyst
36
Answers
Madrid, Community of Madrid, Spain
Updated
Simona’s Answer
Hi McKenna - very good question and while the feeling might be overwhelming, perhaps you can take a step by step approach by starting to ask yourself what do you like the most. What are your core skills and values? Where do you feel more confident and that you know you can push yourself. Maybe research for careers that align with multiple interests.
I think it will help if you try job shadowing, even if you speak with friends who may have had the same questions.
But I would first start with myself by listing what jobs I can see myself pursuing and assign each your values, pro’s/con’s and what skills are required. So later if you really want to pursue that opportunity, you can also check which courses are available that can better support that choice. Good luck!
I think it will help if you try job shadowing, even if you speak with friends who may have had the same questions.
But I would first start with myself by listing what jobs I can see myself pursuing and assign each your values, pro’s/con’s and what skills are required. So later if you really want to pursue that opportunity, you can also check which courses are available that can better support that choice. Good luck!
Diana V. MS, CRC, LPCC
16
Answers
Updated
Diana V.’s Answer
One thing you can try is a free online assessment available via Onet- it’s a federal site run by employment development department no need to even put personal information unless you want to email your results to you for future references. It takes five minutes. Will give you a quick idea of your overall interests based on very basic work interests questions. Next step is research thousands of job titles and videos that match your personal assessment.
Have fun with it! No cost and anyone can use it.
Added -go all the way to the bottom of this page past the questions to resources/ more/ career readiness resource page/ career one stop/ young adult and that takes you directly to the link I referenced onet career one stop.
Have fun with it! No cost and anyone can use it.
Added -go all the way to the bottom of this page past the questions to resources/ more/ career readiness resource page/ career one stop/ young adult and that takes you directly to the link I referenced onet career one stop.
Michelle M.
Actress
3284
Answers
Updated
Michelle’s Answer
Hello again, McKenna !
I just provided advice to you for your passion career in Education, so I am not sure that you don't actually know what career you want, perhaps it's more of the negative influences you've mentioned in your other question. Educators ALWAYS have a wide variety of interests, so that's not unusual and it doesn't mean that you have to make a career out of everything you're interested in. If you stick with pursuing teaching, you most likely will be able to incorporate many of your other interests into a teaching career.
It may be helpful to join an extracurricular at school in which you can start sharpening your skills to become the teacher you've expressed you want to be in your other inquiry. Something like the debate team, a history oriented club, a writing club. Anything that will prepare you for your dream career. Try not to get caught up in people's opinions about teaching like I've mentioned in your other post, just start doing things that will enhance your outlook for being involved in education. You can even volunteer at your local Department of Health and see if you can do presentations for the community after being trained there. Never lose your passion for your stated career in education because it is really a very important, meaningful way to give to the world.
Even though in this post you're expressing confusion, I believe that you know what you want as expressed in your other post, so go for it. Start gaining skills now and college will show you how wonderful it will be to stick with your field of interest regardless of what others say.
I wish you well in all you do !
MY ADVICE ABOUT YOUR CHOSEN CAREER TO BECOME A TEACHER https://www.careervillage.org/questions/1039431/should-i-do-the-career-i-want-even-if-everyone-says-i-wouldnt-like-it
I just provided advice to you for your passion career in Education, so I am not sure that you don't actually know what career you want, perhaps it's more of the negative influences you've mentioned in your other question. Educators ALWAYS have a wide variety of interests, so that's not unusual and it doesn't mean that you have to make a career out of everything you're interested in. If you stick with pursuing teaching, you most likely will be able to incorporate many of your other interests into a teaching career.
It may be helpful to join an extracurricular at school in which you can start sharpening your skills to become the teacher you've expressed you want to be in your other inquiry. Something like the debate team, a history oriented club, a writing club. Anything that will prepare you for your dream career. Try not to get caught up in people's opinions about teaching like I've mentioned in your other post, just start doing things that will enhance your outlook for being involved in education. You can even volunteer at your local Department of Health and see if you can do presentations for the community after being trained there. Never lose your passion for your stated career in education because it is really a very important, meaningful way to give to the world.
Even though in this post you're expressing confusion, I believe that you know what you want as expressed in your other post, so go for it. Start gaining skills now and college will show you how wonderful it will be to stick with your field of interest regardless of what others say.
I wish you well in all you do !
Michelle recommends the following next steps:
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