Ask a five year old what she or he wants to be when they grow up. Typical responses are a doctor, teacher, police officer, firefighter… Few young ones (and only some adults) know what career path will lead them toward a meaningful life. No five year old says “I want to be a highly specialized operations manager.” They don’t even know what the enormous breadth of options are. As we grow and develop our strengths and identify values, we learn what careers and roles fit us. We are always learning what we want to be when we grow up. Career option awareness is the first step to knowing what roles might be fulfilling for you. The next step is knowing your skills and the final step is knowing your values. Grab a sheet of paper or open a new document and start taking notes for your career planning adventure!
What do you like?
Even more important, what don’t you like? Maybe a cubicle environment is the bane of your existence. Maybe the thought of being on your feet all day is the worst. Explore available careers options by researching and networking. Find opportunities to job shadow someone in a role you are interested. If you can’t spend a half day with someone, go for dinner/coffee and interview them regarding their job and career path. Afterwards, reflect to yourself, “do I like about that career or job? What don’t I like?” These activities will help you become aware of what roles could be a part of your career plan.
You got skills!
What are you good at? Find out with StrengthsFinders or reflect on strengths and qualities that you identify in yourself. Ask a friend, colleague, or teacher what they think your strengths are. Now write them down. The next step is to research careers good for your strengths. A simple google search will do.
Another option is to visit with a school counselor, mentor, or consult a career coach. Getting an objective outsider to help you research is an effective way to discover your career desires. They will help you by asking questions to help narrow down your interests and giving suggestions of career paths that would best utilize your strengths.
What do you value?
A meaningful life means spending your time on the things that matter to you. Your career path will affect all areas of your life. For an example, think of public facing roles like a CEO, politician, teacher, celebrity etc. Their private lives are more public than say an accountant or software engineer. For better or worse, we pay attention to the private lives of some people compared to others because of their jobs. If you value a strong separation between your work and home life, take in consideration how your chosen career path will affect your private life.
Another example is family life. What do you value more? Time with your family and friends or being able to give more time to your career. HOLD YOUR HORSES, NOW! I’m not saying you have to choose between family and a career. Not at all. You can “have it all” if that is what you choose. What I am saying is that your career path will affect how much time and energy you have to give to your friends and family. At one point in my career, seeing my parents once every two months was about the extent of how much time I had for my family. I was younger and I valued building my career more than family. My work got the best version of me. Now I see my aging parents many times per week while working in a less demanding role. It’s what I value. One more example: Think of a CEO of a global company. She is required to travel for extended periods of time and you can’t always take your young family with you on a 2 week trip to Asia. What is more valuable right now? Some roles fit better at different times in your life.
What about time off? Some careers are more flexible than others. Being a consultant vs working for a corporation lends itself to a more flexibility in when and how much you work. Renting a booth as a cosmetologist also lends itself to a DIY schedule since you set the available appointment times. Often times, the flexibility comes with irregular income. It’s ok if you prefer the certainty of a corporate job over a flexible schedule. Granted the United States isn’t known for its generous vacation allowances. What it comes down to is what you value more-- flexibility versus stability.
What do you value? Privacy vs High impact in a community. A demanding career vs a strong focus on family and friends. Flexible schedule vs stable schedule. Large benefits package vs higher earning potential. Entrepreneurship vs corporate consistency. There are many things to consider.
Bringing it all together to create your career path can be very exciting. You know what you like and whether a career path exists. You know your strengths and what roles fit your strengths. You know what you value. Create a three part venn diagram and label the three circles with “What I like”, “My Strengths”, and “My Values”. Begin listing the careers and positions where they fit. Ask where they fit. Look at the overlap of all three circles. That’s the winner! Finding a career path that brings you to the place where you like what you do, it utilizes your strengths, and supports your values is key to Meaningful Success.
Quick tips about career paths and job options
Learn what’s out there- Check out the Bureau of Labor Statistics for options and projections
There’s two basic paths- Do you want to be a leader or an individual contributors
Industry makes a difference- A marketing manager in one industry can be very different than a marketing manager in another industry
Review annually- life changes fast. You will develop new strengths, value different things at different times and new careers are emerging constantly
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