How to Find Your Dream Career

You've probably heard the phrase, "Do what you love and the money will follow." It can be tricky to strike a balance between the visionary and the practical. We spend a majority of our lives at work, so it's important for that work to be satisfying and compatible with who we are. So how do you find the career that's right for you?

Instructions

Self-Assessment

1. Examine your interests, values (what factors are most important to you in your work life) and talents. You can seek the help of a career counselor or use online career interest inventories available (see links below).

2. Ask yourself what your dream job looks like.

3. Give details, like the work environment, type of activity you'd be doing, what skills you'd be usingand who your customers would be.

4. Remember what you wanted to do when you were a kid. Do you still think of that as your dream job?

5. Imagine your worst nightmare job. What specifically would make it a nightmare job to you? Knowing what you wouldn't want to do often clarifies what you would enjoy.

6. Identify what your favorite job was out of all the work experience you've had. What did you like about it?

7. List your greatest strengths. These don't have to be limited to professional skills. Include any hobbies or special talents you might have. You may be surprised to later find that skills you have from recreational activities can help you find your dream job.

8. Make a list of your dream jobs based on this information.

Gather Information About Careers

1. Conduct informational interviews. Talk to people in career fields that interest you based on your self-assessment. People generally love to talk about what they do and most people will be glad to talk with you, preferably in person, for twenty minutes or so. Ask questions such as these:

   - What is a typical day like in your job?
   - What do you like about your work? Dislike?
   - What do you find most challenging?
   - How did you get into this field?
   - How did you prepare?
   - What's the typical salary range?
   - What personal qualities are necessary to be successful?
   - What skills would I need to be competitive in this field?

2. Look at written and online resources, like the Occupational Outlook Handbook, the Dictionary of Occupational Titles, and so forth. These sites have detailed information on occupations as well as stats on job outlook and demographic information.

3. Take a personality test like the Myers-Briggs or the Keirsey (a shortened version of the Myers-Briggs) and compare the results with those of your dream jobs. If you find that you are an introverted person and motivational speaker is one of your dream jobs, you might want to cross that one off the list.

4. Do job-shadowing. This is where you literally follow someone around at work for a few hours watching them do their job. It's an excellent way to get the real scoop on what that type of job is really about.

Compare Career Options

1. Write a summary of info on each career option you've explored. Include information such as a description of the type of work, skills and education required, and job outlook.

2. Compare the information. Make a list of pros and cons for each possible career path.

3. Determine what your priorities are. If you're interested in doing work that requires going back to school but you value having a lot of free time, decide which is more important to you.

4. See if you can combine some of your dream jobs. There might be a career in which they overlap.

5. Ask yourself which of the careers you've explored seems to fit you best. Select one. It might be difficult narrowing down the list, but you'll be able to accomplish more by focusing on one career goal. Remember, you can always change careers later on.

6. Now that you've found your dream career, pursue it!

Tips & Warnings

• Use as many methods as you can to explore careers, instead of just looking at career descriptions in resource books. These are helpful, but you also want to get as much information as possible from folks who have experience in the fields you're interested in.

• Keep in touch with the contacts you make to expand your network.

• Consider your values as well as your interests and abilities when making decisions about the career that's right for you.

• If you can picture yourself working in a particular career, and picturing this excites you, then it's likely a good match!