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Amina
Student
Gardena, California
1
Question
Asked
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How can I get a better idea of knowing which career will keep me happy in the long run?
I am the kind of person that doesn't feel comfortable with making a decision until I know every possible choice or outcome. I understand that a career can't fit someone perfectly and that I will never know for sure how I will feel about my career twenty years from now, but I am still scared of getting tired of the one I choose and being stuck with it. I wonder how people who still love the career that they've had their whole lives knew that it was right for them.
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1 answer
Yasmin Mohamed Alamin
Clinical Nutrition Student
63
Answers
Cairo, Cairo Governorate, Egypt
Updated
Yasmin’s Answer
Hi Amina 👋🏻...
It’s completely normal to want certainty before choosing a career, especially if you’re someone who thinks deeply about long-term happiness. The truth is, nobody knows “for sure” that a career will keep them happy forever. What people do instead is pay attention to patterns in what energizes them, and they make decisions step by step.
A good way to think about it is this: careers aren’t lifelong contracts. They’re more like chapters. You grow, you learn, you shift, and your path adjusts with you. Most adults who still love their careers didn’t magically know from day one — they paid attention to what made them feel alive, useful, and curious, and followed those signals.
If you want a clearer sense of what could keep you happy long-term, try focusing on the parts of work that matter most to you: the environment you enjoy, the type of problems you like solving, the pace of work that suits you, and the kind of impact you want to have. Those preferences stay surprisingly stable, even when your exact job changes.
And you don’t have to commit blind. Shadow someone in a field you’re curious about, take an introductory class, volunteer, or talk to people who are doing the work. Real exposure gives you answers that overthinking never will.
You don’t need to see twenty years ahead. You just need to follow what feels meaningful now, stay open to learning, and trust that your path will evolve with you — because almost everyone’s does.
It’s completely normal to want certainty before choosing a career, especially if you’re someone who thinks deeply about long-term happiness. The truth is, nobody knows “for sure” that a career will keep them happy forever. What people do instead is pay attention to patterns in what energizes them, and they make decisions step by step.
A good way to think about it is this: careers aren’t lifelong contracts. They’re more like chapters. You grow, you learn, you shift, and your path adjusts with you. Most adults who still love their careers didn’t magically know from day one — they paid attention to what made them feel alive, useful, and curious, and followed those signals.
If you want a clearer sense of what could keep you happy long-term, try focusing on the parts of work that matter most to you: the environment you enjoy, the type of problems you like solving, the pace of work that suits you, and the kind of impact you want to have. Those preferences stay surprisingly stable, even when your exact job changes.
And you don’t have to commit blind. Shadow someone in a field you’re curious about, take an introductory class, volunteer, or talk to people who are doing the work. Real exposure gives you answers that overthinking never will.
You don’t need to see twenty years ahead. You just need to follow what feels meaningful now, stay open to learning, and trust that your path will evolve with you — because almost everyone’s does.