Tips for Finding a Career

The job market has not been this bad in generations and it is hard to say when the end of that is in sight. Millions are out of work and scrambling for very few open positions. It is similarly hard to find promotions, new jobs and better positions. That said, now is the time for finding a career. With the current workplace at its lowest point, now is the time to go back to school, take additional courses or certifications and go about getting a new career; by the time your work is done, the job market should rebound. So the only question is: what career do you want?

Finding a career is not quite as easy as it sounds. Maybe you were like me and were raised to believe that you can be anything you want to be. As empowering as that seems to be, it is also terrifying. How can I be anything? There’s so many anythings! But finding a career does not have to be terrifying if you listen to yourself.

Go to a calm place and close your eyes. Forget about money. Forget about schooling. Breathe deep and think: what is it you love to do? Have you ever heard the saying, “pick a job you love and you’ll never work a day in your life”? That saying is not true (we all still have to work, even if it is at something you love), but there is some wisdom behind it. If you are going to work, why not work at something that you like to do in the best situations? Remove all the negative thinking behind it. Being a lawyer means taking classes in law school, being an actor means auditions, being a baker means people will think I am foolish, etc. None of those things matter if you believe in yourself.

Finding a career is not simple. Most of the time, people assume that work is not supposed to be something that you like. That there is a separation between things you like and things that you have to do. While that might be true in some cases, you will spend over a third of your life at your career. It is important for this to be something you think is worth a third of your life. This is crucial as you think about finding a career.

Once you have finished thinking about and finding a career, the hard part begins. You have to go back to school, take classes, give up a job you already have. That is scary. But it is never as bad as it actually seems at the time. You will thank yourself for taking a chance on you.