How does life go from answering ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ to ‘What am I even doing with my career?’. Many of us probably assumed that we would graduate high school, study something we are passionate about at university and then pursue a long, fulfilling career in that field.
But life is way more complicated and nuanced than that. Firstly, many roles are completely different in practice from what we see in TV shows or imagine in our heads. And, secondly, the world of work is rapidly changing and half the roles available today did not even exist five years ago. This makes it hard to know exactly how to navigate our career and find a pathway that is both impactful and fulfilling. If you have no idea what you are doing with your career, the best place to start is by asking yourself the following four questions.
1. WHAT ARE MY TOP STRENGTHS/SKILLS?
Make a list of both your top hard skills (i.e. technical skills) and soft skills (i.e. people skills). If you get stuck, think about what your colleagues or people in your life ask for your help with or tell you that you are really good at.
2. WHAT TYPES OF ACTIVITIES AND TASKS DO I ENJOY?
Think about the activities that you enjoy doing at work. Perhaps you like presenting to clients? Or writing reports? Or analysing data? Also consider any activities or hobbies ...
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