When You’re Told, “You Could Do Anything”

Source: No author listed, SVG Silh, CC 0

When looking for a career, your friends and even a counselor might say, “You could do anything.” They’re trying to be supportive if not a downright cheerleader, believing you’re so bright and motivated that you could pursue virtually any career.

But often, that’s not helpful because it doesn’t narrow your choices. Or you may have doubts as to whether you can do anything or even one thing very well.

The following questions may help you narrow to a wise choice of career:

1. Are there any careers you’re already considering? Usually by the time you’ve sought career advice, you’ve spent a long time pondering the issue. It may be that the best idea you’ve already come up with is a darn good one. Waiting longer for something better may be less wise than getting started on your current #1 choice.

2. Which one or two of the following are the abilities you’d most like to use in your career: words, people, investigating, hands-on, entrepreneurial, artistic, or office-detail including computer work?

3. Now think of one or two things you most enjoy talking or reading about. Just a few psychology-related examples: relationships, anxiety, genetics, organizational development.

4. Can you think of a way to combine your answers to questions 2 and 3 in a career? For example, if you said you’re a people person who’s interested in relationships, might you want to be one of these: a social worker, relationship counselor, family psychologist, or specialty counselor such as in interracial relationships?

5. To help ensure that the previous questions don’t narrow you prematurely, consider scanning the table of contents of the authoritative Occupational Outlook Handbook, available free online or my book, Careers for Dummies, which informally profiles 350 careers and self-employment opportunities, each with a link to an article or video with more information.

6. For any career that intrigues, Google it, for example, [“eating disorders” counselor]. Look for both articles and videos.

7. This may seem odd coming from a career counselor, but it usually matters less which of your candidate careers you choose than whether you get started in one and make the most of it. That means getting good training, yes perhaps at a university, but your practical supervision, for example, in fieldwork, internship, or on the job, may end up of more practical value. On the job, be like a scout: trustworthy, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, thrifty, and brave. Also, seek guidance from trusted people. Too, keep learning what’s of interest to you and that would be valuable in your career.

The takeaway

Too many career-searchers sit on the sideline waiting for a career that sounds just right. The truth is that by the time you’re old enough to be reading this, if there were just one quintessentially perfect career for you, you likely would have long known it. Most people grow to love their career only when they become expert at it and thus are successful and respected.

So yes, use this article’s approaches to finding a well-suited career but then choose one and throw yourself into it as if you were passionate about it.

Maybe “you could do anything,” but these ideas may be more helpful in your search for career passion or at least career contentment.

I read this aloud on YouTube.