A butcher, a baker, a candlestick maker … or a tech guru, policy wonk, publishing magnate, etc, etc. Does this sound like your list of possible career paths? Then it’s time to narrow that list down! If you’re overwhelmed or worried about how to choose a career, ask yourself these five questions. Your responses will clue you in on what you value most in a new career path:
- What are you passionate about?
Millennnials, more than any other generation group, crave careers that align with their personal interests and passions — in fact, a recent study commissioned by Capstrat found that an impressive 72% of millennials would be willing to forgo a higher salary for a career that’s more personally fulfilling. So when you’re searching for a new career path, start by thinking about what feeds your own passions. Yes, chances are you won’t end up in a job that aligns perfectly with your passions, but identifying your most deeply held beliefs and interests will set you up to find a career that’s at least tangentially related to what you care about most.
- Do you crave structure or freedom?
The millennial stereotype may have us pegged as wild and crazy youths who aren’t big on authority and even less excited about structure — but that’s not true about all of us. Type-A personalities, especially, do well in structured environments, where the path to advancement is laid out in a fair, systematic fashion. If you’re big on structure, then large corporate environments with lots of processes and plans in place may be the best fit for you. But for freedom lovers, the less structure the better. Consider career paths with lots of flexibility; tech start-ups may be a good fit, since they’re more prone to buck the traditional hierarchal structure of more corporate cultures. Plus, newer companies often don’t have procedures set in stone, so if you get in on the ground level you might have the chance to shape some of the company policies yourself.
- Are you all about that dough, or all about vacation days?
If you’re all about the Benjamin’s, baby, that’s definitely going to factor in to your choice of career path. Keep in mind, though, that the highest paying jobs are often the most stressful and don’t really afford much of a work-life balance. For many millennials who have yet to start families, that’s not an issue. Living to work for a few years is pretty appealing if it means a jump-start on your savings account. But if you’re the kind of person who’d give up that higher salary for an extra week or two of vacation, you might want to steer clear of high-stress, high-pay jobs. Also, when you start interviewing at companies, keep a close eye on the vibe of the company culture. Even if they say they offer two weeks vacation to new hires, some companies may dissuade their employees from taking their full vacation, pegging them as lazy or less motivated than their vacation-foregoing counterparts — which may lead to passes on promotions later on.
- How do you get your best work done?
Do you bang out your best work at 10 pm at night from the comfort of your bed? Certain careers necessitate a 9-to-5 lifestyle, while others are far more forgiving of alternative lifestyles. When choosing a career, take into account the likelihood that you’ll be allowed to telecommute or set your own schedule if flexibility is high on your career wish list. The good news is that more and more companies are recognizing the benefits of allowing employees to take advantage of flexible scheduling; a 2014 survey by the U.S. Council of Economic Advisors found that more than half of full-time workers report having flexible work hours.
- Where in the world do you want to live?
Sometimes your career interests will dictate where you end up in the world — the publishing industry, for example, is largely centered in New York, while film fanatics have to head to L.A. if they want to break into Hollywood. Knowing where you want to end up — or where you absolutely refuse to settle down — is a great way to eliminate certain career paths off your list right away.
If you’re just starting out in the wide world of work, or if you’re considering a complete career change after a few years on the job, figuring out what kind of career would be the best fit for you can be overwhelming. Asking yourself questions like the ones above and taking time for introspection before you begin your career search gives you a solid starting point.
