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When is the best time for me to start looking into a career? How do I choose wisely!!!?

Am currently in my second year of high school and still don't have any idea of what I want to do in the future.

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Melissa’s Answer

In my experience, it is never too early to begin actively exploring what career may be best for you, but you don't need to feel pressured to make a final decision right away. If you’re still in high school, you can take steps to explore future careers and figure out what interests you and what may be a good fit. You can complete a summer internship in a field that interests you, take career interest tests to discover potential career paths that you may have never considered in the past, research the academic and professional requirements related to your current dream job(s), or get a part-time job to begin to develop your professional and/or people skills. If you are choosing to attend college and haven't decided on a career path when you start, that's okay! It is normal to start college by studying a variety of subjects before you decide firmly on a major or path to a certain field.
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Steven’s Answer

If you are going to a four year college you won't need to "declare a major" (ie focus on what you think you want to do after college) until late in your Sophomore or even early in your Junior year. If you are going to a community college you have a bit of time to decide but start thinking about it. In the case of going directly to work you need to really decide soon what field you want to work in, if you want anything other than a basic job. That field may require some training or even certification.

Steven recommends the following next steps:

Determine what you are doing after high school
Think about what you don't want to do as a career
List the things that interest you most as a career
At some point prioritize those
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Alyssa’s Answer

It is okay to not know what you want to do; I found my career path after watching a documentary my senior year of high school! Find things that interest you and look into them (ie. job duties and find people in the field you are intrigued by and ask them questions). High school tends to put an immense amount of pressure of people to figure out what they want to do for the rest of your life when you haven't figured out yourself yet. Don't be hard on yourself. Take your time and find out what is best for you!

Always remember: Finding out what you DON'T like is sometimes far better than figuring out what you do like!
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Maria’s Answer

My recommendation is to check what areas you have seen you enjoy, are you more inclined into math or sciences? Check with your school counselor to determine if the school offers any guidance, assessments or events where professionals come to talk to the students about their careers. Don't feel you have to know immediately but make a plan on how you are going to explore your career options, what resources are available so that in the next few years you are equipped with more information and can make a decision.

Outside of school, you can also have discussions with family, friends, neighbors. Ask if they enjoy their work, what they do, what did they study in college, etc. Build a network of resources at school and if possible at home to obtain more information and then you can start analyzing what career path to take on.
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Jerome’s Answer

You can start anytime, and the advice below is all great. The one thing I'd add -- there's rarely a "hard wall" you hit once you pick a direction, and most folks have at least 2 or 3 careers over their lifetimes. So even if you go down a road and decide later that it's not for you, that's OK; go ahead and change it.

The one caveat concerns picking a college major; before you invest a lot of time and money in a specialized degree, try to do an internship, volunteer gig, or at least spend a good deal of time talking to those who are in the field. You're better off delaying that decision till you have sufficient experience or information rather than jumping too early. Otherwise, the world's all yours!

Good luck with your journey...
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