If you’re unsure about what career to pursue after graduation, a good first step is to explore various career paths to decide what best aligns with your skills, interests, and values. Whereas your ideas may change as you learn more about yourself and the available options, you should find it helpful to have a path or two in mind to serve as a starting point. Here are some tips to guide you.
1. Figure Out Your Options
It’s impossible to consider all the possible careers. Besides, many will be unsuitable for you because they require skills that you’re unlikely to be able to develop or involve work you’re not interested in. However, it’s a good idea to keep your options open at the start of your career exploration.
Compile a list of all the careers that may work for you. Seek advice from the career center on campus, read about what jobs are in high demand, and talk to people in your life for their suggestions, including friends, professors, family members, and coworkers.
2. Create a Shortlist
Research the careers on your list to figure out which you may be interested in. Read their job descriptions, look at labour market projections, and find out what kind of education and experience you need to qualify for positions. Use the findings from your research to narrow down your options into a shortlist of at least two occupations. You may have several ideas that are quite similar, each with different benefits and possible downsides.
3. Learn More About Your Top Choices
Take your research to the next level by learning about what it would be like to work in a particular occupation. Beyond reading about careers, hear from professionals about what the work is like. For instance, you could set up informational interviews to ask your questions or do some job shadowing.
4. Decide on Your Next Steps
At the end of the process, decide what you need to do next. You may want to start over with your exploration if the career didn’t end up resonating with you at the internship. Otherwise, a next step is likely figuring out if you meet the educational and experience requirements. You may need to think about changing majors, applying for summer internships to gain experience, or searching for volunteering opportunities.
Bear in mind, the career you ultimately want may not be available as an entry-level position. In this case, you’ll need to figure out what jobs will lead to it. If you need an advanced level of education, it may be worth finding a way to work part-time in the field while you complete your studies. Working in the field in any capacity will have the benefit of helping you develop connections and potentially finding a mentor.
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