I Don’t Know What To Do With My Life! Tips For Finding Your Career Path

Do you know how some people grow up knowing what they want to do from a very young age? Yeah, well, that wasn’t me.

Every year in my School Days Keepsake Album, it would ask the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” And every year, I would answer something different: a school teacher, nurse, mom, model, flight attendant … Even when I got to high school, I still had no clue what I wanted to do with my life. I dabbled in art, Spanish, sociology, and psychology — but I didn’t feel a strong pull in any one direction.

My College Years

When I went off to college, I started out as an undecided major. I took my basics along with a ton of social science studies. And while I enjoyed my classes, I still had no idea what I should do for a career. I ended up switching majors numerous times until I finally settled on anthropology for a major with a sociology minor.

What did I plan to do with those?

No clue. All I knew is if I got my Bachelor’s Degree, everything else would fall into place.

After college, I took off a couple of months from my waitressing job to backpack around Europe and to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. Throughout my travels, I kept thinking back to the folklore class I had taken. In this class, we had learned about the varying birth practices from around the world. And all of a sudden, it hit me — I wanted to be a midwife!

When I got back to the U.S., I started researching midwifery and labor and delivery nursing and decided to apply for nursing school. I felt so proud that I had finally figured out what I wanted to do with my life.

Working as a Nurse

Fast forward a few years, and one nursing degree later, I found myself working in a hospital on a pediatric unit (Yup, it turns out I didn’t enjoy labor and delivery like I thought I would).

There were many things I enjoyed about nursing, such as the critical thinking that was involved, the joy of helping others, and working with a great team. But there were more things I disliked about nursing than I liked, such as staffing shortages, odd and long working hours, dealing with doctors who were demanding, demeaning, and condescending, and don’t forget the stress of having patients lives in your hands. In the course of one short year, I went from idealistic and excited to totally burnt out.

From there, I went on to prior authorization for Medicaid, then to surveillance and utilization review, and finally on to clinical research for pharmaceutical companies. These roles were better than my hospital days, but they didn’t bring me joy. In fact, I dreaded going to work every Monday morning.

Becoming a New Mom

As soon as I got pregnant with my daughter, I planned for my departure from the work world. Since I knew I’d be unemployed for an extended period, I saved as much money as I could during my last nine months working as a nurse. I saved $15,000, which I thought would last me at least 12 to 15 months. But my savings dwindled much faster than I anticipated. Even though my husband’s income covered major expenses, I still wanted to have money for mommy and me classes, play-dates out, and my regular coffee fix at Starbucks. It was during this period that I started looking for work-at-home gigs.

I had no clue what I wanted to do. What I did know was that I didn’t want to put my daughter in daycare, and I didn’t want to work in the nursing field. My goal was to make just enough money, so my daughter and I could continue participating in our outside activities.

Looking for Work-From-Home Jobs

I searched online for work-at-home opportunities but encountered a bunch of scams. I read tons of books on changing careers, starting a business, and working from home. I talked with friends and family about different career options and had even considered starting a personal concierge business or building a website. I also asked past employers and friends who were self-employed if they had any work that I could do from home. My efforts finally paid off, and I started working from home, 10 hours a week for a small publishing company completing marketing tasks.

Starting a Blog

Once I had money coming in, my mind was free to focus on other things. And that other thing that kept popping into my head was starting a blog. If I had such trouble finding a home-based career, there must be other women who were facing the same issues. It was at this time that I decided to create The Work at Home Woman.

For months, I researched work-at-home ideas, wrote content, and brainstormed monetization methods. Eventually, I bit the bullet, hired a graphic designer, and created the website. I officially launched on March 19, 2009.

For six years, I continued to do freelance work for the publishing company and work on my blog, which continued to grow by leaps and bounds. But I was stressed out. My position with the publishing company evolved into a much more dynamic role, as did my blogging business. Even though my blog was making a good amount of money, I was afraid to let my freelancing gig go because it provided consistent income each month (never based on fear). I finally decided to part ways with my freelance gig and focus on my blog full time. I should have made this break sooner, but live and learn.

Today, I have a career that I LOVE. I never dread Monday mornings; in fact, I look forward to them. And regarding income, last year I tripled what I made working as a full-time nurse, and this number is will be even higher this year. When you have a career that you adore, there’s no limit to what you can do.

Tips For Finding Your Career Path

1. Ask Yourself These Questions

First, you need to ask yourself some tough questions. In Michelle Goodman’s book, The Anti 9 to 5 Guide, she has a great list that can help you uncover your passions and interests.

Here are a few from her book to get you started:

• What’s on your nightstand? What books and magazines are you reading?
• Out of your friends’ jobs, which one are you most jealous of?
• What’s the one thing you’ve been talking about doing forever that your friends are sick of hearing about?

2. Identify Your Strengths

Next, you’ll want to identify your strengths. In Marcus Buckingham’s book, Find Your Strongest Life, he suggests that women keep a journal of when they feel happy and empowered and describe exactly what they were doing. On the flip side of this, write down when you’re feeling stressed, unhappy, and anxious; this will help you identify activities and potential careers that you should stay away from.

3. Evaluate Your Friends 

When I worked as a nurse, I worked for a company where many of the employees were disgruntled and unhappy. This negative energy sucked the life out of me quickly, and I, too, became one of those disgruntled and unhappy individuals.

Who you hang around has a huge impact on your outlook and creativity. Start hanging around people that are positive and empowering and watch your creative juices start to flow. If you’re trapped in a dead-end job, try joining a professional networking group or taking up a new hobby to start expanding your circle of friends.

Related Content: Escaping Negative Patterns: When to Press the ESC Key On Your Life

4. Examine What You Are Reading

As you see, in this article, I’ve mentioned two different books that can help you find your niche. Whether you’re looking to find your perfect niche or you’ve already found it, you should constantly be reading. It helps to cultivate and stimulate your mind, and it enables you to grow as an individual. Plus, reading is an inexpensive way to learn new things.

Related Content: Best Work-at-Home Courses to Start Earning Money This Year

5. Take a Career Assessment Test

There are many online tests that you can take that can help you hone in on the perfect career path for your personality. Some tests, like the Myers-Briggs Personality Indicator, will cost you $69.95 to take. Other tests, like enneagram personality tests, are free. When you’re struggling to figure out which path is right for you, these tests can sometimes shed light on new career ideas.

6. Try New Things 

I had no clue what I wanted to do. I fell into blogging, marketing, and advertising, and it turns out I love it. So get out there and read articles, take classes and personality tests, attend events, try out new things, and talk to people, lots of them. The more you open yourself up to opportunities, the more ideas and information will flow your way. Lastly, don’t be afraid to apply for jobs, start a business, or change careers entirely. Each position you take leads you one step closer to your dream job.

Related Content: As a Parent, Should I Go Back to School?

Conclusion

Seriously, it took me 30+ jobs and 37 years to find my ideal career path. Don’t let other people’s expectations steer you down the wrong road. Keep taking baby steps forward, try new things, and learn everything you can along the way. As long as you don’t give up — you will find your dream career path too!

How long did it take you to find your dream job? How many jobs have you had in your lifetime? Drop us a note; we’d love to hear from you!