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Excited for Mondays Excited for Mondays
  • HOME
  • SERVICES
    • Career Counselling For High School Students
    • Career Counselling For Adults
    • Career Programs For Schools and Parents
    • Career Change Workshops
  • ABOUT
  • BLOG
  • CONTACT
  • CAREER RESOURCES
Jul 01

What DO you want be when you grow up?*

You’re probably completely frustrated by the inevitable “what do you want to be when you grow up?” conversations.* But, step back, take a breath, and think through some strategies for getting career decision making right.

It goes like this:

  1. learn more about yourself;
  2. learn more about the world of work; and
  3. put these together: make good career plans.

*if you’re 3o+ and still don’t know, you need this too!

That’s it.

This isn’t about the destination. It isn’t about what the work you’ll be doing for the rest of your life. No, this is about starting well when you leave school or make a career move.

First steps.

Time for some focused thinking about career possibilities. Start with the clues you’ve already got.

 

1. Love is the answer

Think about what you loved doing when you were younger, how you spent your down time, hobbies or interests, the kind of sports you played – solo or team; the subjects you do or did well in at school – these are clues to developing a strong sense of self-awareness. Take a moment to think through these.

hint – if you can’t remember, get out some old photos and have a look at what you were doing, and what you were loving!

Get talking to people who know you well to think with you. Tell some stories about what you remember, what you were into. Think in terms of, “I remember when you were 8 and you were totally into ….” Or “You’ve always loved (reading, sport, wildlife, animals …)” “you’re a thinker”. “You’re really good at (English, maths, science, PDHPE, technology, design …”).

There might be some things that you hate too! That’s okay, use this. Let the ideas flow – include everything!

Notes for Gamers: I know gaming could be the answer to everyone of these questions! Look here for expanding your thinking about jobs in gaming (or revisit some of the career ideas you had before you discovered gaming). Creative skill set – careers in gaming

2. Talk it out

Talk about what you’re learning and make a note of what you’re seeing. This is your self-awareness growing. Start generating your ideas into a long list. The list doesn’t have to be about courses or future careers. It is about self-awareness. Try to avoid having your ideas shut down too soon: find someone who is happy to listen; who wants to work with you.

3. Help is at hand

You might even want to use some career profiling tools to help develop your self-awareness. Ones I like include:

Morrisby Online – includes aptitude testing with a bunch of self-awareness tools built in. You’ll need a log in to access the assessment. Best used with a career counsellor. Find out more about Morrisby Online.

My Career Match – a personality driven assessment tool. Positive language and affirmations PLUS a long list of career options to consider. Log in required. Here’s the page: My Career Match

I can provide a login for you as part of one of the Excited for Mondays career counselling packages. 

Eparachute – another online profiling tool; part of “What colour is your parachute?” by Dick Bolles. Use this link for a discount on the JUMP assessment (US$3.99 – special price for Excited for Mondays readers).  http://eparachute.com?ao=Z48W7OK07J6R024Y

Eparachute can also be used in a follow up career counselling meeting.

So that’s you underway!

Get back to  me if you need a hand: Email me

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About The Author

I'm a career counsellor who loves helping people to explore who they are and where in the world that could take them. A creative at heart, ballet, music, and writing have fuelled my career dreams. I am passionate about learning, life and making the world a better place.

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3 Comments

  1. School to work to where? - excitedformondays.com.au
    17 December 2016 at 12:16 am ·

    […] in the longer term. Spend time thinking things through, talk to people you trust. My article, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’  will get you started. Get advice and support from people you can […]

  2. Parents of Year 12s and the big career question - what are you going to do next year? - Excited for Mondays
    24 July 2017 at 10:18 pm ·

    […] What to read next? What do you want to be when you grow  up?  […]

  3. University open days open doors - Excited for Mondays
    2 August 2017 at 6:55 pm ·

    […] What DO you want be when you grow up?* […]

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Excited For Mondays is a career counselling service based in Sydney. Offices in Macquarie Park and Cherrybrook.

When you are ready to make a plan for your career change, Excited For Mondays will help you discover what it is you are called to do in life!

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