Imagine what it would be like to work in the career of your dreams! Each morning you’d wake up excited about going to work. In fact, work just might even seem more like play! Wouldn’t that be a nice change?
Have you thought about what your dream job looks like? It’s possible that you don’t know exactly what your dream career is – you just know that your current job certainly doesn’t fit the bill. In this situation, you owe it to yourself to do some serious thinking and discover your true calling.
Rather than dropping everything and plunging forward into the unknown, however, there are ways to ease into a more personally productive path. Before you know it, you can be enjoying your work once again!
Follow these simple steps to discover your dream career:
1. Go after it. If you already know what you truly want to do, you just have to build up the courage to go after it.
• Maybe you work a daytime job and you dabble in graphic design at night. You constantly say, “Someday I should start my own graphic design business.” Well, it’s time to stop saying “someday” and move forward with your dreams!
• You could start your own business part-time while you’re still using your regular job to pay the bills. Then, when you build up a full-time income stream from your own business, you could leave the old job behind.
2. Consider your hobbies. If you’re not sure what you’d like to do, it’s a good idea to start with your hobbies. Spend some time researching different types of jobs related to your hobbies. What do these people actually do from day to day?
• Better yet, find someone who already enjoys this career and ask for advice. If you like what they’re saying, maybe you’ve found your new career!
3. Look to your strengths. Another path to find your dream job is to identify your unique talents. Everyone has at least one special talent. Can you turn yours into a career?
• For example, perhaps you’ve always been good at drawing cartoons. Maybe you can try your hand at publishing some witty cartoons, or research the world of classic animation styles for further ideas.
4. Go to a job fair. This is a good way to discover new careers. Even if you need to go back to school for some specialized training, you’ll at least get a better idea about the companies that are hiring.
5. Complete a career assessment. There are many different career assessment options, including free career tests online. After answering questions about your personality and preferences, you’ll receive a list of potential careers that mesh well with your likes and talents.
6. Take a class. While it does cost some money, it’s really an investment in your greatest asset – yourself! If you enjoy what you’re doing, you can pursue career options in that field. If you don’t like the class, you can just move on to something else with no harm done.
When it comes down to it, if you’re self-aware and know what makes you truly happy, you can find your way to your dream career. It’s okay to give yourself time to figure things out. In the end, the efforts you put into your search will all be worth it.
