.webp)
The U.S. Department of Labor found that people hold, on average, 12.9 jobs before they’re 55. This was a relatively small study, but it’s a fact backed by many anecdotes. People change jobs a lot. Sometimes, they even change career paths.
Yet this probably won’t stop the dread of feeling like you don’t know what to do with your life. When you’re feeling stuck, paralyzed, or straight out of options with the career choices in front of you, what can you do?
You’ve asked your parents, your friends, your school advisor, and maybe even ChatGPT. Do something you love, they say. (How can you know you’ll love being an Underwater Welder until you try it?) Do something that makes you money. (There are a lot of jobs that can do that, all of them with drastically different skill sets.) You’ll figure it out. Will you? How?
There is no one right way to go about a career path. The truth is, people change their careers all the time, and it’s never too late to figure out and start your dream career. There is also nothing wrong with not having a dream career, and building a fulfilling life does not require the perfect job, as we’ll talk about later.
For now, here are 6 things you need to know about yourself before you choose a job.
Know Your Values
Your values make up your moral compass. They inform how you make decisions, how you act, and what you fill your time with. Having a job that opposes your values will make it difficult to enjoy and succeed at that job.
Make a list of all your values. Rank them from the most important ones that you will not budge on, to the ones that you’re willing to be soft with. This is a common activity used in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. Some examples of values include:
Independence and autonomy
Stability
Work-life balance
Fun
Creativity
Protecting the environment
Giving back to your community
Consider what values are already present in your life, and how you would like to exemplify or change them with your career.
Journal Prompt
Journaling could look like writing down your thoughts, talking to a friend, or even talking out loud to yourself.
What values go into your everyday decision-making? Do you agree with these values, or do you wish they were different? How would you change them, if you could? Why are these values important to you? What values will you not bend on, and what values are you okay to step around?
Know Your Needs
Unlike playing dress up as a kid, your job is not just for fun. It is, in part, a transaction: you show up, perform a skill, and get paid in return. Your job allows you to support the rest of your life, which may include a family, house, hobbies, and other dreams.
Your job has to meet your needs.
Write out a list of your needs. Be as specific as you can. For example:
A job that pays at least $70,000.
A job that allows me to choose where I live.
A job with little to no travel.
A work-from-home job that doesn’t mind if I have to watch my kids.
A job that allows me to take extended vacations once in a while.
These needs can be as specific as you need them to be. They'll form the framework for your job hunt. If a job doesn’t match a need, it’s cut from your list.
Journal Prompts
Where do you want to be in 5 years? What do you need to get there? What do you need from your job to support your current lifestyle? What sacrifices are you willing to make to your current and future lifestyle? What sacrifices are you not willing to make?
Know Your Wants
Also important to know is your wants. These are the things you’ll be looking for in your job and can help narrow down your career field, but won’t be a make-or-break deal when it comes to accepting job offers.
Wants can include:
Working outside
Working collaboratively with people
Creative freedom
The ability to make a positive impact in my community
Chances for growth and new skill development
Travelling to new places
Pension, retirement, and other salary perks and benefits
Paid lunches
Unlimited PTO
Rank them by how much they align with your values. You might be able to stomach a career without unlimited PTO, but it’ll be hard to thrive in a career that clashes with your values or doesn’t provide your needs.
Journal Prompts
Describe your dream life. What’s around you? Who is around you? Describe your house, daily routine, upcoming events, vacations, goals, and desires. What parts of this life would be nice to have, and what parts do you need to have?
Know Your Skills
As a kid, you really wanted to be an astronaut, until you realized how much math they are required to know.
Knowing your skill set is hugely important in choosing a career. Not only that, you should know your limitations, too. Some examples of skills include:
Talking to people
Problem solving
Deep-think work
Writing
Organizing and planning
Math and science skills
Creativity
Some limitations might include:
Long hours at a desk
Constantly working with other people
Managing others
Quick thinking
Be honest with yourself about what your skills and weaknesses are. It’ll help you find a job you can truly thrive in.
Also, remember that your current skill set isn’t set in stone. You can invest in new skills through college, certificates, work experience, and more. But you have to consider the cost of investing in those skills, both the monetary and the time commitment.
Journal prompts
What is your dream job? What skills, certifications, and degrees do you need to get there? How much time and money are you willing to invest? What career could you build with your current skillset?
Know Your Ideal Lifestyle
Most people spend, on average, a third of their time working. The work environment and your day-to-day activities as an employee have a huge impact on your mental health, relationships, and overall life satisfaction.
Before you choose a career, make sure you understand what type of lifestyle it will demand of you. Consider if you’re okay with a lifestyle that includes:
Hard, manual labor
Many hours outside
Working late or on the weekends
Relationships with coworkers and employers
Sitting at a desk for most of your day
Some of this might be exciting for you. Some of it might make you want to quit on day one. Know what type of work you’re actually getting into before you sign up. For example, how much of a chemical engineer's position is in the lab, and how much of it is behind a desk?
Journal Prompts
What type of lifestyle do you have right now? Are you happy with that lifestyle? If not, how would you change it? What would a career that supports your lifestyle look like?
Know Who You Are Outside of a Career
From our earliest time in elementary school, we are asked,
“What do you want to be when you grow up?”
We dress up as doctors and astronauts, pretend to be chefs and veterinarians.
But the truth is, your job is not all that you are. In fact, for many people, their job is the least important and interesting thing about them. As you’re considering your career paths and trying to figure out what you want to do with your life, don’t neglect all the other parts of your life.
Family
Friends
Hobbies
Travel
New skills
And so much more! Maybe your job is just a way to pay for your next flight ticket. Maybe you find your true joy in raising a family or renovating an old house. Maybe you’re really interested in zoology but don’t want to give up the stability and flexibility of your corporate work-from-home job, so you start volunteering at your local zoo instead.
There are ways for life to be fulfilling outside of your career. Make sure you’re caring for your whole person, not just your career, as you make these decisions about what to do with your life.
Need help deciding on a career path or finding a sense of purpose outside of your job? Contact Lifebulb. Our mental health therapists and life coaches can help.
