How do I find my dream job?

Do you remember when you were 18 and being worried that you didn't have a response (or even an idea) when others asked you what you were going to do for your first job, much alone an ideal profession, since you didn't know what you wanted to do with your life? It's quite natural for most of us to change our minds about what we want to do after high school or change our minds about what we want to study in college before committing to that area for the rest of our lives. If you don't have any idea what you want to accomplish with your life, how can you possibly locate the job of your dreams?

The short version is that you should evaluate your needs, speak to other people, talk to yourself, think about who you are, consider your strengths, talk to other people, educate yourself, and ultimately do what makes you happy. A recent poll conducted by Gallup found that sixty percent (60%) of all millennials are interested in finding new employment (opens in a new tab). Therefore, it is not at all uncommon to find oneself thinking either "I don't know what profession I want" or "I need a career change but don't know what to do." Both of these thoughts are perfectly normal.

One thing is to be aware of the possibility, and perhaps even the inevitability, of a shift in one's line of work. But when you're ready for a shift, how can you tell what kind of work you should be doing or which professional route you should take? It is so simple to become comfortable in a job or position that you aren't truly pleased with, and as a result, you could lose out on the opportunity to have the work of your dreams without ever realizing it.

The question now is, how can you prevent yourself from entering a professional rut? And with so many options available, how can you possibly choose the one that will best serve your long-term professional interests?

This article (which was originally written by Elana Gross and has since been updated) offers six suggestions for how to determine what it is you want to do with your life, discover a line of work that you are passionate about, and triumph over the challenges of being unsure of what you want to do with your life.

A GUIDE TO CHANGING YOUR CAREER AND LOCATING YOUR DREAM JOB, INCLUDING HOW TO DETERMINE WHAT YOU WANT TO DO

LEAD WITH YOUR STRENGTHS

CONSIDER YOUR HISTORY IN ORDER TO AVOID GOING IN CIRCLE

HEAR FROM OTHER PEOPLE TO FIND OUT WHAT KIND OF JOB WOULD MAKE YOU HAPPY.

START YOUR STUDIES FIRST, THEN DECIDE WHAT KIND OF CAREER YOU WANT LATER ON.

THINK ABOUT THE TYPE OF WORKING SETTING YOU REQUIRE.

DO WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY (EVEN IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT It MEANS FOR A CAREER YET), even if you don't know what that means for a career yet.

1. LEAD WITH YOUR STRENGTHS

It doesn't imply you don't know what you're excellent at just because you don't know what vocation you want to pursue in the future. Creating a list of your capabilities is an effective strategy for honing in on the areas in which you excel. If you find that you have trouble doing so on your own, seek the advice of a trustworthy friend or colleague at work. Alternatively, you might use a self-analysis tool such as the Myers-Briggs type indicator.

It is a strong method for evaluating a professional path that will match those strengths while also complementing those strengths to take an active look at what you are excellent at and what aspects of your personality make you tick.

If you put in enough effort or time, you can certainly become proficient in everything you set your mind to. But you can save a lot of time and avoid becoming frustrated if you allow your talents guide you to what you should be doing rather than trying to force yourself into a job that isn't a good match for you. This is because following your strengths will take you to the right path.

You could, for instance, have persuaded yourself or allowed others to persuade you that you are not a person who is good at mathematics, only to find out that you like applying logic to discover solutions to issues.

In such situation, you could be surprised to find out that you truly have a love for something that you had previously written off, such as web development. It is simple to let one's preconceived notions to prevent them from having a successful career in technology; nevertheless, if you take the time to look at one's strengths, one is likely to be pleasantly surprised by what those strengths indicate one about one's potential for success.

2. CONSIDER YOUR HISTORY IN ORDER TO AVOID GOING IN CIRCLE

Answering the following questions about each of your prior places of employment will help you get a better understanding of how you felt about those positions, which will in turn help you choose if you want to seek for jobs with similar or different features in the future.

What aspects of the firm did I appreciate the best and least?

What aspects of the company culture did I like the most, and which did I dislike the most?

What aspects of my supervisor did I like the most, and which did I dislike the most?

What aspects of the individuals I worked with did I appreciate the most, and what aspects did I dislike the most?

What do you consider to be the single most difficult aspect of working there?

When was a time in my life when I felt the most content and proud?

What do you think was my greatest achievement?

What aspects of my duties did I like the most, and which did I dislike the most?

Evaluating your history may also help you recollect critical instances that you may have missed that would have made it evident that you weren't pleased with the job that you were doing. This can be helpful if you're trying to figure out why you weren't satisfied with your work. When reflecting on the past reveals a series of unfavorable occurrences associated with a certain employment or line of work, this is an indication that it is time to pursue other opportunities.

There's a good chance that you're passing on possibilities in other areas that would be a far better match for your skills and requirements in those other areas. Understanding your own history is essential to figuring out the types of circumstances that will bring out your greatest work and make you the happiest version of yourself.

3. FIND OUT WHAT YOUR DREAM JOB IS BY DISCUSSING IT WITH OTHER PEOPLE.

You should begin your job search by requesting and scheduling informative interviews with individuals working in sectors that interest you. These interviews will allow you to learn about the pathways that other people have taken in their careers and gain advise on how to advance your own career. Inquire about their current position, their professional history and goals, as well as the industry they work in.

Just make sure that you come prepared with questions in advance so that you can get the most out of these meetings or conversations, and afterward, in addition to saying "thank you," which should go without saying, do everything in your power to find a way to return the favor.

Also, don't restrict yourself to the individuals you already know or to those with whom you have relationships. Attending events such as conferences and seminars might help you make connections.

Participate in talks on Twitter and other social media platforms, as well as in Facebook groups. Visit LinkedIn and read the job descriptions of other users, as well as articles and interviews with individuals who have positions that you find interesting. For example, if you're wondering about what a typical day is like for a WordPress developer, you can perform a simple search on Google, and you'll probably be able to discover a lot of information (including a podcast or two) and individuals to get in touch with.

Make sure you have a good understanding of what it is like to do the job on a day-to-day basis before you commit to a certain line of work or fully discount other options.

4. START YOUR EDUCATION FIRST, THEN DECIDE ON YOUR NEW PROFESSION LATER

When the chance arises, try your hand at something completely different. Participate in in-person and online seminars, read books, and educate yourself through YouTube tutorials. If you put yourself out there and try new things, you could discover that you have a knack for user experience design, digital marketing, Python programming, or even something completely else!

The point is that there are so many opportunities to acquire new skills in today's world, and if you take advantage of those opportunities, you have a fantastic opportunity to discover a passion that provides you with greater versatility in terms of career options, assists you in obtaining a job, or that you can transform into a new line of work entirely.

If nothing else, you'll walk away with a new talent that you'll be able to put to use in your present work (and who knows? You could even be paid more for it!) or a fresh pastime that you may develop into a profitable side career.

5. THINK ABOUT THE TYPE OF WORK ENVIRONMENT YOU REQUIRE.

Are the individuals at the potential place of employment you're looking at collaborative or competing with one another? Are they friendly with one another outside of work? Do they operate as a group or independently all of the time? Are workers obliged to come into the office every day or do they have the option to work from home? How does it feel to have a good balance between work and life? What kind of pay do they anticipate being offered?

When you are looking for that ideal job to explore new career alternatives or to change jobs entirely, these are all vital questions for prospective workplaces and employers to ask you.

It is also a good idea (and not difficult at all) to do some preliminary research on your own — both about industries in general and employers in particular — using some Google searches and job boards to see what a typical job offer looks like from job postings in your desired field. This can be done to learn more about the industries in general as well as employers in particular.

If you know that you do your best job as part of a group, then it is essential for you to choose a firm that places a high priority on working together. Freelance or contract employment, which enables you to manage yourself and establish your own terms, may suit you better if you're more productive working alone or if you don't enjoy the grind of full-time job. This kind of work also gives you more flexibility.

Concerns about schedule and adaptability are treated in the same manner. If you are the kind of person who thrives in a structured setting and enjoys providing direct feedback to a manager for direction, then you should probably search for a typical work that is 9 to 5 and takes place in an office setting.

But if you'd rather have the flexibility to work from home or while traveling as a digital nomad, and if you're more at ease being your own employer or supervisor, then investigating remote employment might be the key to finding the professional fulfillment you've been seeking for.

You may always attempt picking up some extra job on the side to assist you figure out where you stand with these issues if you aren't sure where you stand with them. For instance, if you now work in a hierarchical setting, you may want to experiment with freelancing on your own for a while and see if it makes a difference in how you feel.

If you generally spend your workdays by yourself, you could try developing some relationships with your coworkers instead, or you may work on a collaborative side project to see whether or not working with others is more your style.

6. IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS FOR YOUR CAREER YET, DO WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY EVEN SO. DO WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY.

When it comes to your professional life, there are two very important things you need to ask yourself:

What is it something you like doing so much that if someone asked you to do it for free, you would do it?

Consider the following: if you like doing something so much that you would do it even if you weren't paid for it, wouldn't being paid to do the thing that you love most be the definition of a dream job?

Make an effort to visualize the "work you'd perform for free" and then begin to make connections between it and paid opportunities available in the same industry.

What is it that would bring you the greatest joy (as opposed to what would bring you the most financial success)?

You shouldn't necessarily take the most prominent career just so you can wow people at cocktail parties. Despite the fact that we all have to pay the bills and, presumably, still have enough money for a happy existence, we all have the same basic financial needs.

Instead, you should focus on picking a career that will not only make you happy now but will also provide you opportunities for personal development and advancement in the future.

Consider what actually piques your attention rather than focusing on what first seems to be the most profitable or influential option on paper.

You should make an effort to pinpoint the activities and hobbies that hold your attention in such a manner that you are constantly able to conjure up at least a glimmer of enthusiasm about them, and then you should utilize those passions to steer you in the direction of a relevant line of work.

Finding a career that fulfills all of your professional aspirations shouldn't ever require you to give up who you are or what you believe in, and the good news is that this isn't always the case.

If you follow the advice given above, you will be able to get a solid understanding of what motivates you professionally, which will allow you to locate job openings and a career path that are a true match for your requirements and preferences.

You could believe that you don't know what you want, but if you take some time to think about it and show some dedication, you'll find that what you desire is really rather close at hand.