5 answers
Jaydian
Student
Gallup, New Mexico
1
Question
Asked
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How do I narrow down my choices on what I want my career to be?
I'm a Junior in high school. I love movies, and I'm in a sport, but I'm interested in medical field, and art . I'm unsure on how to decide on my career.
#career #medicine #art
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5 answers
Brian Thiese
R&D Chemist
2
Answers
Bedford, Ohio
Updated
Brian’s Answer
Excellent question! I highly recommend shadowing people that work in different positions/fields. I did this and it was super helpful when picking my career path. You can learn so much just by watching and talking with someone at their work. A great starting point would be to shadow a doctor, nurse, or scientist in the medical field.
Amanda, Becky, Magnus, & Owen .
6
Answers
New York, New York
Updated
Amanda, Becky, Magnus, & Owen’s Answer
Hi Jaydian,
As a high school student, you’re already ahead of most people in thinking about your career. First of all, it’s completely normal to not know exactly what you want to do for the rest of your life — and you shouldn’t feel pressured to have it all figured out at your age. Many people get to college and still aren’t sure what to study, or end up switching majors halfway through.
With all the possibilities out there, it’s good to start somewhere with the knowledge that you can always change your mind later. A good way to think about your career is choosing something that fulfills you. Consider what you love to do and what you’re passionate about — what it is that brings you fulfillment and joy — and follow that path.
If you’re having trouble deciding and not sure what to major in once you get to college, you can always fall back on a general program like Business or Communication which will teach you skills that are valuable and applicable in any industry — and won’t pigeonhole you if you do change course.
When you do have some careers in mind — for example, a career related to one of the interests you mentioned — look into internships or volunteer opportunities that will bring you into those worlds and help you get to know them better. Talk to people who work in those fields (maybe someone you know or someone you find via LinkedIn) and ask them what their day-to-day is like. It’ll give you an idea of whether that career fits with your priorities and the lifestyle you want to have (travel, family, etc.).
And above all, remember that just because you choose a certain career doesn’t mean you have to give up your other interests altogether. You can always build them into your schedule as hobbies, volunteering, side gigs, and more to further enrich your life.
Best,
Amanda, Becky, Magnus, and Owen*
*Note: This answer combines input from a group of marketers with more than 40 years of professional experience — all currently working at a global tech company. We hope you find our answer helpful and wish you the best of luck!
As a high school student, you’re already ahead of most people in thinking about your career. First of all, it’s completely normal to not know exactly what you want to do for the rest of your life — and you shouldn’t feel pressured to have it all figured out at your age. Many people get to college and still aren’t sure what to study, or end up switching majors halfway through.
With all the possibilities out there, it’s good to start somewhere with the knowledge that you can always change your mind later. A good way to think about your career is choosing something that fulfills you. Consider what you love to do and what you’re passionate about — what it is that brings you fulfillment and joy — and follow that path.
If you’re having trouble deciding and not sure what to major in once you get to college, you can always fall back on a general program like Business or Communication which will teach you skills that are valuable and applicable in any industry — and won’t pigeonhole you if you do change course.
When you do have some careers in mind — for example, a career related to one of the interests you mentioned — look into internships or volunteer opportunities that will bring you into those worlds and help you get to know them better. Talk to people who work in those fields (maybe someone you know or someone you find via LinkedIn) and ask them what their day-to-day is like. It’ll give you an idea of whether that career fits with your priorities and the lifestyle you want to have (travel, family, etc.).
And above all, remember that just because you choose a certain career doesn’t mean you have to give up your other interests altogether. You can always build them into your schedule as hobbies, volunteering, side gigs, and more to further enrich your life.
Best,
Amanda, Becky, Magnus, and Owen*
*Note: This answer combines input from a group of marketers with more than 40 years of professional experience — all currently working at a global tech company. We hope you find our answer helpful and wish you the best of luck!
Judith Quitoriano
Tutoring, mentoring, adjunct prof, pastoral counseling
53
Answers
Pacifica, California
Updated
Judith’s Answer
It is really great to think about this question while in High School. With this early consideration, you have an opportunity to target the experiences which you are considering as a career. Volunteering, interviewing those in the field, as well as applying for internships can and will narrow your choices based on new experiences and information. It may be that you will still have a lot of interests, but some of them, you are not as good at as others. That is not a detriment, because you may be able to access this tool kit to bring creativity into your career. This may keep you engaged in your career in a sustainable way. In this way you may be able to pivot should the market for your job change. I believe that in today's world, one needs to anticipate with a road map where you will go should options change. Id want to wish you a long, healthy and happy career.
JENNIFER KAKER
art/painter
1
Answer
Arlington, Texas
Updated
JENNIFER’s Answer
Alright so I suggest that you do the Mapp assessment and path source they will help you narrow it down though id ask yourself what is i wanna do instead of focusing on the money aspect or anything else because something you wanna do you will have higher motivation and energy for . those two places i suggested are online and path source is a free app and Mapp assessment is online and does cost and is very accurate I'm glad to see your thinking about your future .
take pathsource test
ask parents or save money
take Mapp assessment
ask self what it is you want to do
give it your all
JENNIFER recommends the following next steps:
Erin O'Driscoll
Project Management/Data Analytics
6
Answers
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Updated
Erin’s Answer
What's great about this question is that you have a breadth of interests already. That will help you find something you are passionate about. One thing you can do to get excited about opportunities after college is research careers that fit with your interests. Since you have many and are having trouble choosing one, if you find a specific job that is tailored to your interests, you can figure out which college courses/degrees will fit best, and pursue that.
On the other hand, college is a time of exploration, and while it is important to go into college with some sort of plan (so you don't waste time or money), universities have many classes across many subjects, so you're bound to find some career field that you'd be interested in pursuing further. Colleges also have great career counseling programs that will pair you with a counselor that can help steer you in the right direction towards a career path that you want.
Hope this helps!
On the other hand, college is a time of exploration, and while it is important to go into college with some sort of plan (so you don't waste time or money), universities have many classes across many subjects, so you're bound to find some career field that you'd be interested in pursuing further. Colleges also have great career counseling programs that will pair you with a counselor that can help steer you in the right direction towards a career path that you want.
Hope this helps!