Don’t know exactly what you want to for your career? The good news is you’re not alone!
In my parent’s generation and the one before theirs, you worked wherever you could find a job. Just having a job that paid the bills was a huge accomplishment. Finding a job that was meaningful or doing work that you truly enjoyed was a luxury for some, but those people seemed to be few and far between.
Today, we go to school for years and get out of school expecting our lives to fall perfectly into place. Well, for some of us it takes a little bit of time and work to get to that point. You may be in a job that pays well and supports you, but something is missing. You crave doing something that has significance and something that will leave a legacy that is bigger than yourself. You constantly have that itch or craving to do or be something more, but you feel stuck. How can you be better or do better or somehow make a bigger difference that provides more value?
If you are a millennial like me, a lot of these thought and questions probably run through your head on a daily basis.
The good news is it’s perfectly normal to not have everything figured out just yet. We no longer live in a world where you are stuck in a single profession for your entire life, working against the clock. There are other options. It doesn’t matter if you are an inspiring entrepreneur or a bricklayer, you have to find something that matters to you and makes you happy.
Too many people spend their whole lives working and never take time to actually enjoy what they are doing or look up to see the bigger picture. Don’t be one of those people. Find your passion and your purpose.
The Muse recommends 6 strategies to help you find a job that satisfies you:
- Being confused about the job search is perfectly normal.
- Know yourself and what you like to do – no matter how silly it may seem.
- Think a lot, even if it takes a while to decide.
- Try it out before you decide it’s the right fit.
- Reflect on what makes people unhappy, and then see if it’s a possible business opportunity.
- Be confident: “The difference between success and failure is the courage to give it a go.”
So take the time to try a few of these. Maybe start a blog or keep a journal and record the things you love and the things that aggravate you. Take on an internship to explore different positions in different companies. Not every position is going to be a grand slam, but as Babe Ruth famously said, “Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.”
