How can I help myself choose a career path?

You can take an aptitude test. I took one in the career office at my school and it focused more one what type of person/personality I have and less on job labels.

You have to take the results with a grain of salt but it’s a great place to start.

That’s the same thing I’m wondering. I know I probably want to do something in the arts.. but that’s pretty open-ended.

I’m 35 and I have been in your shoes. It took me two years of floundering about in college before I found what I wanted to do. I’ve always gravitated back to jobs where my natural abilities are utilized. Not everyone can do every job and do it well. Everyone has a talent or ability of some sort, find yours. I would caution you to be careful about making a career of your hobbies or outside interests. I have found that my hobbies serve me far better as relief from my career and I enjoy and look forward to my hobbies more than if I were exposed to them constantly.

Start by looking into some very broad categories. Like medicine, technology, construction, the arts, etc. Wipe the slate clean and don’t immediately discount any paths. Then find a way to get exposed to these categories. I did this through volunteering which was very rewarding in and of itself. For me I love medicine. I love everything about doctors, hospitals, patient contact, etc. So in high school I got involved in volunteer work and got to do some amazing things. Ultimately I was not able to become a doctor. I didn’t have the core necessary to become a great doctor. You will find there are a ton of volunteer possibilities for many many career fields.

It really is up to you, there are no tests you can take or advice anyone can give you about what makes you happy.

For me it was kind of difficult
First I took a year off
Then I went to a colleg I didn’t like
After that I went to another college that I didn’t like either
On my third try I finally got to the college I really wanted to go, then for the career path, I chose business because I love making money…
I think you should attend college at 21 not 18, you need to be a little more mature to take the right choice

My mom told me that at some point you have to decide what you want on your tombstone: he made a lot of money, or he loved his job.
When I was 5, I wanted to be a fire truck. I got as close as I can, and now I’m a firefighter. I love my job.

I’ll get my crystal ball…..

Try this book. It helps you figure out what you want to do.
What Color Is Your Parachute

thanks for the input guys, I’m scared I’ll choose something and become bored because I’m always changing my mind things. I’ve changed my major 3 times already.

I’m telling you… the crystal ball works every single time…

@QC: You say that as if it’s the end of the world if you don’t make the right choice right this instant. There is nothing wrong with making changes!

Remember it’s the journey not the destination.

Ask people who seem very suited to what they’re doing how they came to it.

I had a great English teacher in high school. I asked her if she always knew what she wanted to do and how she figured it out. She said she went off to college and was encouraged to explore her options. She did this by taking required classes and a whole lot of classes she just wanted to take—stuff she was just interested in. After 3 years of this, her parents told her “Judy, we’re only paying for four years of this.” So she went to a career counselor with all her courses written down and said “This is what I’ve been taking. What’s the quickest degree I can earn, and what can I be with it?” The counselor told her see could be a high school English teacher. So that’s what she did.

If you knew what a great teacher she was you’d realize how wonderful this story is to me. I’m sorry I can’t do it justice.

Keep in mind that most people make career changes, these days, multiple times in their lives. You’ll find your way. You just need to be moving toward something.

technology related careers are always fun. i took up Information Technology in college and had no regrets ever since. things are always changing, etc. no boring times. ;)

what is information technology?

IT. You know… computery stuff.

what specifically though?

IT is just the huge umbrella that all types of technical skills involving the computer fall under. A networking specialist would be an IT person. A help desk person, a programmer, a web designer, a cisco engineer, a computer hardware repairman and an application designer would all be considered IT.

I know that there’s a degree you can get at a college here that’s Information Technology Management which is essentially telecommunications classes, computer lab classes, programming classes and object oriented design classes. But you also have to take accounting classes, economics classes and other regular buisnessy stuff.

Consider a vocation vacation

Rember to keep your options open. I started out thinking I wanted to be the traditional wife and mother (45 years ago). Things can change between the ages of 20 and 30. When I had to make another choice, as a single mother I went for financial stability. I was good at my job but after a while I kept looking for challenges so I kept changing employers. Fast forward 15 years and no more kids at home so I could work for less money. After some serious soul searching, I took a year to make a career change again. I will be retiring in a couple of years after twenty fulfilling and happy years.

Use your head but listen to your heart. Over the next fifty years you will change and so will your career.

Well what are your interests. I’ve known what I wanted to be since grade 6.