How to choose a career path

The average person dedicates a lot of time and energy to working, and having a plan can help guide you towards a career that feels fulfilling. Career planning helps you set goals and define the actions needed to reach them, breaking major milestones into smaller, manageable steps.

Another benefit of exploring career paths and developing a plan is that you gain a deeper understanding of yourself as you define your skills, strengths, weaknesses, and more. This kind of self-awareness can help to uncover better opportunities so you can feel more satisfied at work. A few questions to consider are:

• What am I good at? Think of activities that you know you can do well. This doesn’t have to be work-related, but it could be. For instance, maybe you’ve written high-quality blogs that drive traffic, or you have a knack for pitching ideas.
• What do I enjoy? It’s great if this is the same answer as what you’re good at, but it doesn’t have to be. Maybe you excel at putting together a great project plan, but your real happy place is on the tennis court. Either way, you can find skills or traits that are applicable in some way towards a professional role.
• What are my best skills and strengths? The things you’re good at or enjoy doing typically encompass multiple skills. Writing blogs, for instance, requires research, copywriting, proofreading, communicating with stakeholders, and some light project management.
• What are my areas for development? You also want to account for some of the areas where you could improve. If you want to work in marketing, but don’t consider yourself very detail-oriented, you might want to think about how you could work with others to catch mistakes before your customers do.
• What are my values? When you can align your career with your values, you’re likely to feel more fulfilled. For example, if you’re passionate about contributing to the advancement of science, you might enjoy a career in data analysis as a scientific researcher. Or if you appreciate connecting with your local community, you might find a career as a city planner or a local business owner more satisfying.
• What qualities do I seek in an employer? Beyond the day-to-day work, think about the overall experience of being at a particular company or organization. Do you think you would fit in better at a large, global company, a smaller, local business, or even your own business? There’s no wrong answer, and different types of companies may align better with your strengths, goals, and values at different times in your career.

Answering these questions gives you a great starting point for further research and exploration. Understanding your skills, interests, and values helps you be better-equipped to find career paths that you align with. There are various ways to get objective answers to these questions, from introspection and journaling to more formal tests and assessments. You could also ask friends and family about some of these things. You might be surprised by some of the things others notice.

Your skills play a big role in how to choose a career. You can think about skills in three categories: hard, soft, and transferable. Hard skills are technical, job-relevant skills like data analysis, or proficiency with marketing or accounting software, for example. Soft skills are interpersonal skills that are valuable in any workplace, such as communication or collaboration. Transferable skills are the skills you pick up in other areas of your life which could be applicable in any number of ways.

Understanding transferable skills

These are skills you learn through things like hobbies, interests, or even other work. Let’s say you do some occasional graphic design work to help some friends with their creative projects. That means you’ve developed skills like creative strategy, technical proficiency in design software, time management, and project scoping. All of these could potentially apply toward a role in creative development or UX design. Or, let’s say you organize events for a social club. This will mean you’ve likely developed skills like scheduling, planning, communication, and coordination, which are also the essential skills for project management.

A helpful way to identify your transferable skills is to make a list of all the hobbies, interests, and experiences you’ve had, and list the skills you used or learned in each of them. You may have already noticed some of these skills while you were assessing your skills and strengths, but this exercise can help you uncover additional hidden talents. Are there any themes or patterns emerging? If you apply the same skills in different contexts, these are likely some of your strongest transferable skills. This is especially helpful to know if you don’t have a lot of formal work experience or if you’re trying to transition into a new role or field.

Once you have a grasp on your skills and interests, it’s time to explore career ideas. This is where you start researching different industries, roles, and work environments. Since this is an exploratory exercise, it’s okay to cast a wide net instead of limiting yourself to what you know.

There are several ways to start exploring career options. For instance, the Bureau of Labor Statistics offers an “Occupational Outlook Handbook” with detailed overviews of jobs across a huge range of industries. These job overviews include information on general responsibilities, educational requirements, and average salary expectations. You could also try looking at industry publications, online forums, or social media groups specific to that career. Finally, don’t forget to look around you: Friends, family, and former colleagues can all be valuable career resources, as can career coaches and mentors.

Once you’ve identified a career path you’d like to pursue, take a closer look at any potential gaps between your skills and the role’s requirements. Part of career planning is figuring out how to close those gaps so you can land your dream job. Whether it’s pursuing a degree, earning a certificate, or just taking some classes, there are lots of options for learning and upskilling to enhance your career prospects. For instance, Grow with Google’s certificates and courses offer job-ready skills in fields like digital marketing, data analytics, and more.

Finding a career path is a journey, not a destination. Success typically comes from having the self-awareness of knowing what you want and what you’re good at, along with being open to new experiences and challenges. Exploring different career options with tools like Career Dreamer can help you identify opportunities you might not have considered.