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How to find the job that is right for you
I don't know what I'm doing #girlboss
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Kent’s Answer
Finding the job that is right for you starts with you taking a little time to understand what your goals are for having a job. For example, how urgent are your immediate income needs versus just getting started with work experience and exploring opportunities?
In finding "the job that is right for you" as a long term career objective, there are several factors to consider. These start with you coming to understand yourself and the world around you better.
Exploring questions like "How important is the amount of money I make versus my interest in the specific industry I'm working in?" or "How important is where I live versus what I'm doing?" or "How important are the hours I work (time of day or week) versus what I'm doing?" can help you learn about what is important to you. Understanding practical considerations that are of highest importance to you will help you evaluate career options on more than simply how interesting a job or field sounds.
It is also important to understand that while we spend a lot of hours at work, our career does not have to be the primary thing that defines our life. It is another question where your personal answer matters: "How important is my career to my identity?" You can find fulfilling, rewarding work that does not have to be your passion, but will support your passions outside work. In my case, while early in life I thought accounting would be a pale alternative to entrepreneurship and business ownership, having experienced both, the opposite was true. Doing accounting for others has provided a good income and work-life balance that has allowed me to accomplish other important goals related to family and community.
So, the basic advice here is to take time and give effort to exploring yourself and the world around you. Full time work is about 2000 hours each year. In 40 years that is 80,000 hours. Dedicating 10, 40, or 100 hours now to really start understanding the diversity of opportunities available, and how these align with what matters to you, will be a valuable investment in helping you find "the job that is right for you."
Make a list of 20 companies you might like to work for. Explore job opportunities at these companies.
Make a list of 20 cities you might like to live in. Explore companies and industries in these cities.
Make a list of 20 topics that are interesting to you and explore related careers.
How important is it to you to be an official leader (boss, manager, executive)?
In finding "the job that is right for you" as a long term career objective, there are several factors to consider. These start with you coming to understand yourself and the world around you better.
Exploring questions like "How important is the amount of money I make versus my interest in the specific industry I'm working in?" or "How important is where I live versus what I'm doing?" or "How important are the hours I work (time of day or week) versus what I'm doing?" can help you learn about what is important to you. Understanding practical considerations that are of highest importance to you will help you evaluate career options on more than simply how interesting a job or field sounds.
It is also important to understand that while we spend a lot of hours at work, our career does not have to be the primary thing that defines our life. It is another question where your personal answer matters: "How important is my career to my identity?" You can find fulfilling, rewarding work that does not have to be your passion, but will support your passions outside work. In my case, while early in life I thought accounting would be a pale alternative to entrepreneurship and business ownership, having experienced both, the opposite was true. Doing accounting for others has provided a good income and work-life balance that has allowed me to accomplish other important goals related to family and community.
So, the basic advice here is to take time and give effort to exploring yourself and the world around you. Full time work is about 2000 hours each year. In 40 years that is 80,000 hours. Dedicating 10, 40, or 100 hours now to really start understanding the diversity of opportunities available, and how these align with what matters to you, will be a valuable investment in helping you find "the job that is right for you."
Kent recommends the following next steps:
Updated
Ksenia’s Answer
Hi, that's a great question, and it's totally normal that you don't have the solution yet - it gives you freedom to explore and try various opportunities.
I would recommend these steps:
1. List all the things you're doing (not only professionally but routine things too) and try to see which things lit you up. May be you feel at your best when you help someone, or find errors in some processes, or offer an idea that no one else came up with, or organize friends' gathering, etc?
2. Ask your family and friends what they think you're really good at/what your gift is. We all might have blind spots - strengths that we're not aware of or can't recognize but others see it in us.
3. Combine answers from 2 previous questions and think of possible career paths (at least, should it be work connected with influencing people, or processes, or equipment, etc).
4. Explore job search to define what job titles might pertain to what you'd like to do, what competencies, skills and education are required to have this job, and whether it feels like the right path for you.
Wish you all the best in finding your way!
I would recommend these steps:
1. List all the things you're doing (not only professionally but routine things too) and try to see which things lit you up. May be you feel at your best when you help someone, or find errors in some processes, or offer an idea that no one else came up with, or organize friends' gathering, etc?
2. Ask your family and friends what they think you're really good at/what your gift is. We all might have blind spots - strengths that we're not aware of or can't recognize but others see it in us.
3. Combine answers from 2 previous questions and think of possible career paths (at least, should it be work connected with influencing people, or processes, or equipment, etc).
4. Explore job search to define what job titles might pertain to what you'd like to do, what competencies, skills and education are required to have this job, and whether it feels like the right path for you.
Wish you all the best in finding your way!