23 May 2018

There’s a lot of pressure to figure out what you want to do with your life. It starts around kindy and from there it never really stops. Even though I’m out of school and in a Real Adult Job, people still ask me what I’m doing.

The thing is, I suck at making decisions so trying to figure out what I wanted to do after high school was a bloody mess. I didn’t have a clear idea about any career pathways, let alone one that I wanted to do, so by the time it came to make any actual decisions, I wondered if becoming a hermit was a legitimate career choice (apparently not).

I know that there’s a tonne of you out there struggling with the exact same thing I did. People tell you to ‘find something you’re passionate about’ and ‘follow your dreams’ but the thing is, when you honestly have no idea what you want to do these bits of advice don’t help. Here’s some that hopefully will.

1. Go to careers expos

Go to a careers expo–not to muck around with your mates and miss a day off school but to actually talk to people and figure out what your options are. Skills Show Australia 2018 is a good place to do this–you’ll be able to suss out a heap of career options you probably haven’t considered before and try out different trades and skills, so you can figure out if you actually enjoy them.

This one is run over three days in Sydney and you can go along on the 2nd, 3rd or 4th of June. Entry is free (yewwww) and you can head here for more details, or (if you’re already really keen), go straight here to register.

2. Figure out what you don’t like

I know you’re trying to balance study, work, a social life, sport and whatever else you’re doing but if you have a spare couple of hours on the weekend, get out and try something new. Volunteer at events, try free classes or join a local workshop on coding or floristry.

You might hate it and drop it after one go but at least you’ll have a better idea of all the things you really don’t want to do and, if you’re lucky, you’ll find something you really like and can go from there.

3. What would you do if money was no object?

One of our favourite questions is what you would do if money was no object? Some say travel, write a book, start their own business or adopt all the dogs at their local animal shelter.

It can be a bit of a tough question, so actually take some time to think about it. When you break it down it reveals a lot about what you should be doing with your life.

4. Do all the personality tests

While a personality test isn’t going to give you final answer about what you should do, they can definitely help you out. This one is pretty good and will highlight what your strengths and weaknesses are. When you figure out how you operate, you can start to work out what sort of jobs and careers would work for you.

It’s important to remember that this isn’t a foolproof plan (just a helpful guide) so don’t limit yourself just because an online test put you in a certain box.

5. Talk to everyone

You’re never going to figure out what you want to do if you don’t get out there and talk to people. Ask your teacher what they did after they finished high school, ask your mum what her very first job was and ask your next-door neighbour how they figured out what they wanted to do.

Don’t be afraid to reach out to people and ask how they got where they are (our team is always keen to tell our stories, all you have to do is ask).