Not sure what career you want for the future? Struggling to find something you have a passion for? Here are a few ways to discover what’s out there based on YOUR interests.
Take a career quiz
A good place to start is with a career quiz. If you have no idea what you want to do, a career quiz could suggest ideas based on your strengths and interests that you may not have thought of before. It’s a great way to start exploring the various industries that you might like to explore further.
Career Quiz
Look at your strengths and skills
Think about all the things you are good at and use them as inspiration to create a list of careers to consider. Are you good at communicating with people? Maybe you could work in hospitality or customer service. Are you creative? Maybe you could work in marketing or design.
A great way to identify your strengths is using a SWOT analysis. You can use it to figure out your strengths, weaknesses, threats to your goals, and the opportunities you have if you put your mind to it.
SWOT worksheet
Think about your hobbies
Your hobbies are obviously something you enjoy doing, so maybe you could make them into a career. For example, if you love sports you could try coaching. If you love video games, you could look into esports careers or becoming a games tester. If you love to cook or bake, you could explore the catering industry.
You might choose not to mix your hobbies with work, but it can still be a good starting point for inspiration even if you don’t pursue that career path.
Or try something completely new
Look for classes/workshops or events in your local area that you could try for the first time! By exploring things that are new or out of your comfort zone, you can find out what you like and don’t like – and you could create lots of new strengths and opportunities for your SWOT analysis. There are lots of free online courses to help you build skills and interests, too. Get out there and discover all the possibilities! Think of it as fun lifelong learning – and spreading your wings to fly.
Local events and workshops
Find training opportunities
If you’re new to a career, then internships, work experience, traineeships, and apprenticeships can help you build your skills and explore different career roles. By getting hands on experience with different career types, you’ll find out what tasks you enjoy and what works for you. You can find them in so many industries from farming to aerospace engineering. The only limit is your imagination! These signs to look for in a good quality employer will help you find and apply for training you can trust.
Find local opportunities
Research potential salaries
Whether your potential salary matters to you or not, take a look – it could show you which industries could be a good option for you. The kind of lifestyle you want to lead in the future could influence what kind of role you want to take on, and where you see your career journey going.
Could you work for a charity and help your local community, or do you think you would be better suited for a big corporation? Do you expect to be in a higher paid senior role at a particular point in the future? Which career could give you this option?
Take a look at our Careers Hub to explore the Labour Market Information (LMI) of all types of careers. It’ll show you how much you could expect to get paid, how many hours you might have to work and how many jobs the industry is creating.
Careers Hub
Look at your role models
Think about who you look up to. It doesn’t just have to be a celebrity – think about the people around you too. Do you know any people you think of as successful? What do you admire about them? If you can, ask them for advice. You can also look at their career journey to see what yours could look like.
Not everybody starts out where you might think they do. Some people don’t find a career they love straight away, and some people still reach their goals with unconventional paths.
Thinking about your role models might also give you an idea of what skills and experiences you need to build for the careers you explore. For example, a lot of astronauts have military or pilot experience that helps with their role. Some paramedics go to university to study, while some start as trainees and get hands-on experience straight away while they study. There isn’t only one route to any career destination.
Get creative. Aim high. Balance your energy
When we say “nothing interests me”, there could be all kinds of reasons for that. You know yourself best. It might be that you are struggling with your wellbeing at the moment. Maybe you haven’t been given the opportunity to try new things and spread your wings to see what you enjoy. Maybe you’re feeling low-energy or unmotivated, because energy and motivation are not constant – they ebb and flow.
These tips might help you get out of a rut, if you’re feeling stuck:
- Enjoying hobbies while keep up your energy levels
- Activity: How would achieving a goal make you feel good about yourself?
- 5 ways to boost your creativity when you don’t feel creative
Talk to a friend
If you’re struggling to find careers that match with your strengths, or you just can’t think of any careers you would like to look at further, then ask someone for help. The people who know you the best could have a pretty good idea of what you might like and could even suggest some ideas you haven’t come across.
Remember…
There isn’t always such a thing as one perfect career for you, so don’t be too disappointed if you don’t find it straight away. Sometimes it takes a lot of trial and error to discover what works for you – and there are a lot of ways to get there. Don’t give up on finding your future career yet – there are lots of things you could enjoy, you just haven’t found them yet. Make sure you keep exploring – the world is your oyster!
