How to figure out what you want to do next - Part 2
When I was small, my stepdad often asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. We would then have long discussions on the vast amount of possibilities that are ahead of me. I loved these chats because they triggered reflection and made me feel like anything was possible.
Most frequently, my answers would revolve around being a psychologist, which was based on the fact that I absolutely loved understanding the contexts of people and having meaningful conversations about things that really matter to them.
While this option was valid, I had yet to explore other options that could satisfy my interest in understanding people - other possibilities could have been life coaching, social work or journalism, to name a few.
Equally, I was unnecessarily narrowing down my options as I focused on only one inclination, leaving others behind. For example, I also took great pleasure in beauty and running new projects, which I didn't consider at the time.
That's why it is important not to jump to conclusions too early and give yourself the time and room to explore different possibilities.
Undoubtedly, the first step in this process is understanding what makes you tick. If you have read Part 1 of the article, you have already defined what you need from the world - you know your priorities, inclinations and the stimuli you need to feel enjoyment.
The second step, which we will explore in this article, is to understand what the world can offer you and to create links between your newly formed understanding of yourself and what the job market has to offer. In this way, we will make sure that your self-awareness brings tangible benefits in the pursuit of your career.
To do that, we're going to approach this from two angles.
1) The first angle is to evaluate all the jobs you have ever considered and how they match the priorities and inclinations you have identified in the first part of the article.
2) The second angle is to evaluate the jobs that could match your pleasure points but ones you have not considered previously.
Both angles are intended to do one thing: help increase the chances that you will consider jobs that closely match your needs and that you will enter the (new) career world well-informed.
For the entrepreneurial spirits: when I say job market, I don't only mean jobs that are already out there. I also mean jobs we can create ourselves, so entrepreneurship is definitely in the picture.
Okay, let's begin.
1. The jobs that were already on your radar
Let's start with the easy one.
It may well be that with your newly gained self-understanding, you will come to realise that the jobs you have been considering do not match your inclinations or what you might enjoy in a job. It might also become clear that there are some obvious winners that tick most of the boxes.
To identify these patterns:
1) List all the jobs you ever considered doing. Anything that comes to mind, note it down.
2) Break down each job into its components.
Here, you want to understand what the job consists of. What are the daily to-do's, work dynamic, what you get out of it, etc.
For example, I work as a strategy consultant at the moment. The job consists of solving problems, constantly learning, working with clients, building presentation decks, analytical skills, working a 9 to 5 (which is usually more 9 to 8), stability of income - you get the idea.
3) Validate your list
To make sure that our imagination of a job corresponds to what the job actually entails, validate your assumptions with a quick Google search. Check job descriptions and online articles or watch a day-in-the-life video of someone with this job. This should give you a pretty solid understanding of any profession. Throughout, add or remove elements as you see fit.
4) Compare with your self-understanding list
Cross-check what you need from the world (your self-understanding list) with what the world can offer you (the job component lists). Are there any clear winners? Which jobs tick the most boxes? And which ones tick the boxes that are most important to you?
Keep the list safe and with that, let's move on to the second angle.
2. The jobs that were not on your radar but that can potentially be a fit
The second angle to approach this from, especially if you have never considered what you would like to do, is to think through potential jobs that match your interests.
You might be reluctant to work through this angle. It might seem like you are boiling the ocean.
Chances are, though, that with the priorities and pleasure points you have identified for yourself in the first part of the article, you will be able to identify new jobs that you have not considered previously. This is because a single priority can have multiple, non-obvious variations.
Let's build on the drawing example we touched upon in the first part of the article. We said that drawing can be made up of multiple elements, including selecting a colour palette, freedom and so on.
Let's say you take great pleasure in playing around with colours, mixing, matching and creating new shades.
You sure can continue drawing like you did when you were a child and keep this inclination in the hobby sphere. But if you wish to have it present in your daily work, what are some professions that can speak to this passion of yours?
When I asked ChatGPT, here's the list I got:
- Graphic designer
- Interior designer
- Fashion designer
- Makeup artist
- Colour consultant
- Photographer
- Textile designer
- Marketing and advertising specialist
- Product designer
- Gardner and landscape designer
- Food stylist
All these could satisfy your craving for beauty in your everyday work. The list is plentiful, so you could use your intuition or other inclinations and priorities to trim the list down.
Here's how I would approach it:
1) Select a few inclinations most important to you and set priorities.
Your list of inclinations and priorities is likely quite long. And some of them are probably more important to you than others. To narrow down the scope, I suggest focusing on the crucial ones. Of course, you're more than welcome to go through all of them if you have the time and strength :)
2) Identify jobs that correspond to your priorities.
Try to come up with as many jobs as possible for each inclination and priority you have identified. This isn't a time to consider which ones you would want to do - get as much as possible on paper. If you're stuck, use Chat GPT like I did above.
2) Once you have the list, cross out the ones that are a definitive no.
3) For the remaining ones, go through the process of approach 1.
Start with step 2 of the 1st approach, break down the jobs into their components, validate your assumptions through a quick Google search and compare with your self-understanding list.
3) Next steps
Ok, nice. We now have a list of potential jobs from the two approaches we went through.
Now what?
If you have identified a couple that are clearly a good match to your preferences, what do you do?
While we have done a first validation of our assumptions, now is time for arguably the most important step - speaking to people who work these jobs.
I know - it sounds scary, will be uncomfortable (but only at first) and you're probably wondering how you will speak to people who work these jobs if you don't know any.
You're probably also thinking that you don't need to do this step - which you don't. But doing it will give you many benefits:
- It will help you validate the assumptions you have made in previous steps.
- It will give you a complete and honest view of the benefits and drawbacks of different jobs.
- Will result in new opportunities coming your way, if done right.
- Will save you time in the long run on writing unsuccessful applications because you don't understand the company culture or because you get into a job that is not at all what you expected it to be.
- And most importantly, it will be accompanied by a significant mindset shift: the world is open. It is easy to get in touch with people you previously thought were impossible to reach and people are willing to help. All you need to do is go out there and ask.
How do I know?
I used this method to speak to 50 strategy and management consultants before moving from the health sciences. I did not know any of them, we shared no mutual contacts and they were all willing to have a 30-minute video conversation with a complete stranger asking for some help. And the best part is that speaking to them resulted in much better applications that were tailored to specific office cultures and industries and resulted in 8 interview referrals.
A forthcoming article will focus on how exactly you should go about this next step.
One last note – choosing a job does not mean it will be until retirement. Your preferences and priorities will change over time, as will your skillset, which will unlock new possibilities for your career.
This is fine and absolutely normal.
I have also selected strategy consulting as a great option for now but I don't plan to stick around forever.
It is just a process to get you started.