8 answers
Annel
Student
Watsonville, California
1
Question
Asked
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How will I know what is the right career and major to pursue #Fall25?
I am a junior in high school and I have so many interests and hobbies. So many things excite me and because of love for the media and movies I see many interesting careers and fields that I think are cool, but i'm not sure which ones are for me. Or which ones I am passionate about. So before I go further into my education, how will I know for sure whether to pursue a certain career? #Fall25 #college-major #college-advice
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8 answers
Ja'Nelle Harmon
Manager of Talent Acquisition for Early Career
2
Answers
New York, New York
Updated
Ja'Nelle’s Answer
As a junior in college, it's perfectly fine not to have all the answers yet, but you're doing great by seeking advice. I understand how it feels to have many interests. When I was in high school, I reached out to my guidance counselor, who gave me an aptitude test. This test helped me match my passions and skills with potential careers. It opened my eyes to opportunities I hadn't considered before. I suggest you try something similar, and then dig deeper into the results. For example, if your results suggest careers like Human Resources, Buying, or Marketing, research what those roles involve, what skills and education are needed, and find ways to get hands-on experience. Many community colleges offer electives that can help you explore these fields further. Make sure to use all the resources available to you.
Another great step is to create a LinkedIn profile and explore job opportunities. Job postings often list the requirements and daily tasks, which can give you a clearer picture of different roles. Many companies also have "Early Career" pages with videos about jobs and internships. They might offer virtual learning sessions where you can hear from professionals and ask questions about their career paths. Start with leading companies in the industry you're interested in, and see where it leads you.
Another great step is to create a LinkedIn profile and explore job opportunities. Job postings often list the requirements and daily tasks, which can give you a clearer picture of different roles. Many companies also have "Early Career" pages with videos about jobs and internships. They might offer virtual learning sessions where you can hear from professionals and ask questions about their career paths. Start with leading companies in the industry you're interested in, and see where it leads you.
Mrinalini K
Project manager
12
Answers
Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
Updated
Mrinalini’s Answer
Identify your interests and strengths.
Research careers linked to those areas.
Try online courses or internships to test options
Research careers linked to those areas.
Try online courses or internships to test options
Sreekant Thirunagari
Software Engineer
2
Answers
San Francisco, California
Updated
Sreekant’s Answer
You don’t need to know your exact career yet. Most people discover their path by exploring and trying different things. Passion isn’t something you’re born with — it develops through experiences.
Test careers by taking short courses, joining clubs, shadowing professionals, or doing small projects. Pay attention to what makes you lose track of time, what you’re naturally good at, and which interests stay with you. Look for themes rather than a single perfect job, and remember you can always change direction later.
Start with exploring, trying, and reflecting, and your best career direction will become clearer over time.
Test careers by taking short courses, joining clubs, shadowing professionals, or doing small projects. Pay attention to what makes you lose track of time, what you’re naturally good at, and which interests stay with you. Look for themes rather than a single perfect job, and remember you can always change direction later.
Start with exploring, trying, and reflecting, and your best career direction will become clearer over time.
Wong Loke Yuen
Head of Programme cum Senior Lecturer
645
Answers
Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Updated
Wong’s Answer
Hi Annel. A helpful first step is to notice what activities make you feel excited and happy. You need to think about the subjects, hobbies, or projects that you enjoy so much that you lose track of time. Since you love media and movies, try to look a little deeper. Ask yourself what part of media you enjoy most. Do you like writing stories, editing, acting, or talking about ideas? Sometimes the right career is hidden inside the smaller details of what you already enjoy doing.
Another way to figure out the right path is to try things in small, low-pressure ways. You don't need to commit to a field to explore it. Join school clubs, take interesting electives, volunteer, or start small creative projects on your own. If you enjoy film, try making short videos with your phone or joining a media class. Trying things out helps you learn what feels fun and what doesn't.
It also helps to talk to people who work in the careers you're curious about. You may ask teachers, counselors, family members, or friends about their jobs. Many adults will tell you that they changed their career path several times before finding what felt right. You can also try having short conversations with people in fields you like, these are called informational interviews. They can tell you what their job is really like, which can help you decide if it matches what you want.
Another way to figure out the right path is to try things in small, low-pressure ways. You don't need to commit to a field to explore it. Join school clubs, take interesting electives, volunteer, or start small creative projects on your own. If you enjoy film, try making short videos with your phone or joining a media class. Trying things out helps you learn what feels fun and what doesn't.
It also helps to talk to people who work in the careers you're curious about. You may ask teachers, counselors, family members, or friends about their jobs. Many adults will tell you that they changed their career path several times before finding what felt right. You can also try having short conversations with people in fields you like, these are called informational interviews. They can tell you what their job is really like, which can help you decide if it matches what you want.
Simona Gadow
Account Executive (IT Sales)
8
Answers
Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Updated
Simona’s Answer
I was exactly like that too! Many interests and directions I felt vaguely pulled towards. I can't give you a straight-forward answer, but what has helped me in building a life I'm really happy about are those considerations:
1. Don't make a hobby your career. There are several reasons:
- Once you're paid to do something and once there is pressure to do it, you are likely going to lose your passion for that hobby sooner or later.
- You need a hobby you love that has nothing at all to do with your work because it helps you relieve stress and keep you grounded, it's a time of the week when you can leave the work pressures behind. If your hobby is your career, you lose that outlet.
- Oftentimes, a career based on a hobby is not very lucrative (unless you don't care about the financial aspect), because many people will want to pursue that career. It's better to get skilled at something not everybody can do, or wants to do, because that certainly pays better, and it gives you more opportunities because you don't have 10,000 competitors who want to do the same thing.
2. Many people look towards their passions when it comes to finding the ideal career, but what helps much more is looking towards what grinds people a bit about you. What do you get criticised for? What are your "weak" points? Those are the things that you turn into true superpowers. For example, I've had a good amount of people complain that I can be very pushy when I want something. So I turned around and went into tech sales and made a good career out of it so far. The very pushiness that put people off sometimes, is the driving force that propels me forward today (without annoying my customers and colleagues too much, I hope!)
So for example, for someone that has "a big mouth and never let stuff go", wouldn't a law degree be a great match? Someone who's a "people pleaser" would arguably do great in med school due to their perfectionist streak - if that interests them. Someone who's away with the fairies a lot might do well to go into marketing.
3. What's the lifestyle you want to live? It's important to get that down. Here are some questions you should be clear on:
- Do I want to make good money or is it more important to follow a higher calling? A lot of the time, and especially at the beginning of your career, those two things will rarely show up for you in the same job.
- Do I want a job that lets me have a family/own life (whether you want kids or not is not so relevant at this point because you're likely to have a spouse, or a pet, or at some point aging parents, etc.), or do I want to travel/work frequently and perhaps miss important birthdays, holidays, milestones etc.? Will I be okay to miss my mom's birthday, or my kid's school play, because I'm a physician currently in surgery or a pilot currently flying over Qatar? Or do I want a job that lets me close my laptop every day at 5pm to show up for my loved ones? Disclaimer, there is no right or wrong answer here, it just has to be what you really want.
4. Lastly, in today's world, I'd have an eye on which jobs are easily replaceable with AI, or at least which jobs will be fundamentally impacted. There's a whole host of jobs that might not disappear, but where AI will make people so much more productive that instead of hiring 100 people to do the job, companies can make do with 5. So take care not to go into an industry that will face immense pressures.
All in all, it is important to note that what you study might not be what you pursue later on. If you're unsure, it's a good idea to get a degree that gives you a wide range of possible jobs, for example business & economics, which lets you enter just about any corporate function in most companies - and also enables you to start solo later on, if you wish. I've had colleagues in tech sales that were psychiatrists before, or in the military, for example. I myself did my undergrad degree in language translation. Life takes you all sorts of wild places, so don't feel like picking a degree is like a marriage to a certain field for the rest of your life :)
All the best!
1. Don't make a hobby your career. There are several reasons:
- Once you're paid to do something and once there is pressure to do it, you are likely going to lose your passion for that hobby sooner or later.
- You need a hobby you love that has nothing at all to do with your work because it helps you relieve stress and keep you grounded, it's a time of the week when you can leave the work pressures behind. If your hobby is your career, you lose that outlet.
- Oftentimes, a career based on a hobby is not very lucrative (unless you don't care about the financial aspect), because many people will want to pursue that career. It's better to get skilled at something not everybody can do, or wants to do, because that certainly pays better, and it gives you more opportunities because you don't have 10,000 competitors who want to do the same thing.
2. Many people look towards their passions when it comes to finding the ideal career, but what helps much more is looking towards what grinds people a bit about you. What do you get criticised for? What are your "weak" points? Those are the things that you turn into true superpowers. For example, I've had a good amount of people complain that I can be very pushy when I want something. So I turned around and went into tech sales and made a good career out of it so far. The very pushiness that put people off sometimes, is the driving force that propels me forward today (without annoying my customers and colleagues too much, I hope!)
So for example, for someone that has "a big mouth and never let stuff go", wouldn't a law degree be a great match? Someone who's a "people pleaser" would arguably do great in med school due to their perfectionist streak - if that interests them. Someone who's away with the fairies a lot might do well to go into marketing.
3. What's the lifestyle you want to live? It's important to get that down. Here are some questions you should be clear on:
- Do I want to make good money or is it more important to follow a higher calling? A lot of the time, and especially at the beginning of your career, those two things will rarely show up for you in the same job.
- Do I want a job that lets me have a family/own life (whether you want kids or not is not so relevant at this point because you're likely to have a spouse, or a pet, or at some point aging parents, etc.), or do I want to travel/work frequently and perhaps miss important birthdays, holidays, milestones etc.? Will I be okay to miss my mom's birthday, or my kid's school play, because I'm a physician currently in surgery or a pilot currently flying over Qatar? Or do I want a job that lets me close my laptop every day at 5pm to show up for my loved ones? Disclaimer, there is no right or wrong answer here, it just has to be what you really want.
4. Lastly, in today's world, I'd have an eye on which jobs are easily replaceable with AI, or at least which jobs will be fundamentally impacted. There's a whole host of jobs that might not disappear, but where AI will make people so much more productive that instead of hiring 100 people to do the job, companies can make do with 5. So take care not to go into an industry that will face immense pressures.
All in all, it is important to note that what you study might not be what you pursue later on. If you're unsure, it's a good idea to get a degree that gives you a wide range of possible jobs, for example business & economics, which lets you enter just about any corporate function in most companies - and also enables you to start solo later on, if you wish. I've had colleagues in tech sales that were psychiatrists before, or in the military, for example. I myself did my undergrad degree in language translation. Life takes you all sorts of wild places, so don't feel like picking a degree is like a marriage to a certain field for the rest of your life :)
All the best!
Jerome Dees Jr.
Sales Professional and Networking Expert
818
Answers
San Francisco, California
Updated
Jerome’s Answer
I think the honest answer is that it may be difficult to know. I am a big fan of using the first year of college to take general education and explore what is available. I think people feel like they need to have it figured out as a college and I simply don’t think that is true.
Take a couple classes, reach out to people in the alumni Association and talk to the professors about the industry, what they like and what they don’t like.
Basically gather data so you can make a informed decision
Take a couple classes, reach out to people in the alumni Association and talk to the professors about the industry, what they like and what they don’t like.
Basically gather data so you can make a informed decision
Rebecca Tang
Banking
2398
Answers
Hong Kong
Updated
Rebecca’s Answer
Thank you for your question. I am glad to know you have a wide range of interest.
Below are my suggestions :
1. There are many careers related to media and movies, e.g. media content creator, journalist, video editor, actor, producer, costume designer, etc. You find out more related careers online.
2. Find out more on these careers and determine what you have interest
3. Speak to someone who are working in these careers. Seek guidance from your mentor, school career counsellor, your parents, etc.
4. Shortlist 1-2 careers you would like to pursue
5. Explore the entry criteria of the relevant courses and training
Hope this helps! Good Luck!
May Almighty God bless you!
Below are my suggestions :
1. There are many careers related to media and movies, e.g. media content creator, journalist, video editor, actor, producer, costume designer, etc. You find out more related careers online.
2. Find out more on these careers and determine what you have interest
3. Speak to someone who are working in these careers. Seek guidance from your mentor, school career counsellor, your parents, etc.
4. Shortlist 1-2 careers you would like to pursue
5. Explore the entry criteria of the relevant courses and training
Hope this helps! Good Luck!
May Almighty God bless you!
Alexis Gerth
10
Answers
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Updated
Alexis’s Answer
My suggestion is to not go in planning something very specific, or at least plan back up degrees/ focuses. In college you learn a lot about yourself, and you change, have different goals, et cetera. It's important to keep your mind open, and focus on maybe a range of focuses you'd be interested in. I would suggest shadowing, talking to people within the careers, maybe work or volunteer in some of those places, and get a feel for how your life will be life after you graduate. I personally changed my focus 3 times, and I am about to graduate. I am taking a gap year to solidify what I want to do by shadowing, working, and volunteering. Also, if your college has a careers in _____ class, take it! It can help you to understand yourself more and what is important to you.