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When you think about it, it’s pretty insane that we’re expected to know what we want to do with our lives at sixteen. Yes, sixteen! The age where we start to think about the colleges we are applying to! Sometimes it’s even younger if you’re trying to pick your courses before high school. Then at seventeen, we’re meant to have chosen a college of our dreams. Between the ages of eighteen and twenty-two, we then have to have mapped our careers out. And at twenty-two (or beyond if you’re going for your master’s), we’re meant to step onto that ladder and begin our careers. It’s kind of crazy when you think about it. How are we all meant to know that we’ve chosen the right path?
Well, if you’re someone that’s doubting your decision, or you’re yet to get started and you have no idea what to pick, you may feel stuck. But you really don’t have to feel like this forever. If you know that you want to enjoy a great career doing something that you love, you can. Don’t worry about career progression or how you’re going to get there. Because at first, you just need to get started. But if you’re already on another track, you may not know how to do this. So let’s work out what you can do to work towards your dream career starting from today.
Work Out What You Want
So first of all, you have to know what you want to do. If you’re stuck on the wrong path, there’s a chance that you know what you should be doing instead. But if you don’t, or you’re just starting out and you have no idea what to do next, you’ll need to figure out what to do. A great way to start this is to think about your future and what your ideal life looks like. You can then work out what kind of career will support that.
Look To Your Strengths
But don’t let that be the only consideration you make. You’re also going to want to look at your strengths and your interests too. If you want to job that you love, you need to be able to enjoy doing it – and do it well. Both often bounce off of each other. So really get objective here and work out what kind of careers are going to suit you.
Get Down To It
As you’re doing this, you then need to get down to the research. It’s going to be important for you to really look into your options, what your dream career involves, and what you need to do to get started on it. Because every path will have different entry requirements.
Consider Schools
You might also then want to look into the right schools. Not ever career will require you to go back to school or even to get a college degree in the first place, but many will. If you particularly want to do something specialist, then look into the right places like the top aviation colleges or best veterinarian schools. No matter where they are, or how you’d have to change your life, if this is the path you want, aim for the top.
Look Into Internships
From here, you then may also want to consider getting an internship. Because a college degree isn’t always enough. You need to go above and beyond. A series of internships can give you experience and often open the doors to different opportunities.
Start Something On The Side
At the same time, you should definitely think about starting a side-hustle to advance your career. Again, if you want to stand out, especially if you’re changing careers later on in life, you’re going to have to prove your worth as much as you can. Whether you start a blog or a business on the side that’s related to the career you want, this is going to show off your skills and that you have initiative.
Put The Work In
And finally, it’s important for you to know that you’re going to have to put the work in to make this happen. You won’t just be able to change careers or carve out your dream career without putting in time, effort, and being patient. But if you know what you really want to do this, and that your future will be worth it, that shouldn’t be a problem. Just remember, that you can make anything happen, as long as you’re willing to work for it.
