Do you wish there was an easy way to figure out what you wanted to do with your career? What if I told you there was a fool-proof way to build yourself a career that made you feel happy, successful and fulfilled?
In Part 1, I was talking about struggling to find my career path. Read on to discover the final two lessons I learned in successfully finding my own career direction, and identify the biggest differences between people who have fulfilling careers, and those who don’t.
I know what it’s like to feel trapped in a school or job that you hate. I also know how it feels to get so into your work that you forget what time it is. I think we’d all prefer to have the second experience over the first, but finding a job that matches your interests and life-goals can be tough.
It took me 10 years to figure out what I wanted to do with my career, but I’m going to show you how to do it much quicker!
Lesson 3 – Perseverance beats natural talent
Traveling the world hadn’t brought me any closer to identifying my career path. Feeling desperate, I jumped into everything I thought I liked and might be good at. Cooking in fancy restaurants, applying to (and being rejected from) the RCMP, freelance journalism, and sales. In every case, the reality of the jobs didn’t match what I hoped they’d be.
Grudgingly, I started applying to jobs in the civil engineering industry and eventually got an entry-level position. The money was good and I did well, but the work was completely disconnected from my personality and interests.
I knew something had to change. The positive side of trying so many careers was it helped me decide on what I did like and was good at.
Getting a good career is a marathon, not a sprint. You might feel like a failure, but you just haven’t figured everything out yet. Each career “mistake” taught me more about myself, and brought me one step closer to what I’m doing today.
Lesson 4 – Don’t be afraid to ask for help
Finally armed with the knowledge of what I liked and what I was good at, I quit my job and enrolled as a full-time student. This time, I talked to anyone and everyone to understand how to use my qualifications after I graduated.
I met people for coffee, chatted with CEOs and went on information interviews. This gave me insight into the reality of many jobs. I spoke to someone in Marketing, and his job sounded amazing! I’d never considered it as a potential career direction before. A marketing role fit my personality, skills and interests. And here I am today talking to you as “the marketing guy”!
Organizations like JVS Toronto help connect you with professionals and mentors across every industry. Take advantage of this. Find out if your “dream job” is actually what you imagine it to be before you jump into it.
I graduated and started an entry-level marketing job with an organization I’d interned for over the previous summer. Since then, time has really flown by. I’ve worked harder than I’ve ever done before, but even the toughest days are a thousand times better than my old jobs. After many attempts, I’ve finally found a career that makes me feel happy and fulfilled.
You can avoid my mistakes and find your own career path much quicker.
Get to your fulfilling career by:
- Not rushing into education or training you have serious doubts about
- Making the effort to understand your inner motivations and values
- Knowing what you’re good at and like to do
- Learning from your mistakes and not giving up, no matter how many times you fail
- Getting help, wherever and whenever you can
In my experience, people make the effort to follow these principles are the ones who are the happiest in their careers.
Find your career path in 4 weeks
Our professional Career Counsellors will be able to guide you through all the steps of finding your career path in just four weeks.
Career Counselling will help you:
- Understand your values and motivations
- Discover what makes you happy and fulfilled
- Decide on what to study in college or university
- Get a job you’ll enjoy that uses your education and experience
- Find career paths and jobs that are matched to your interests, skills and life goals
Learn how we work with you to uncover your values and motivations and match them to jobs that fit your personality and skillset.
Make sure to take advantage of our free resources. Don’t forget that you can always access free one-on-one career coaching at any of our five Employment Source locations across Toronto and York Region.
Thanks for reading,
– Ian (The Marketing Guy)
PS: If you already know what your dream job is, we have free resume, interview and networking workshops to help you stand out when applying!
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