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 Profile – 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 Profile.

So that’s you underway! 

Seriously, it can be daunting but help is at hand. Check out meeting options or get in touch via the contact page.