The Big Question: What Do I Do With My Life?

By Brittany Loeffler on October 31, 2017

It’s the question most young people have once they finish college: what do I do with my life? Now that you’ve earned your degree, it’s time to start building a career and a life that makes you happy. After going through a set track of going to school for most of your life, you may be used to having people guide you along the way and telling you what to do next. That disappears after you graduate.

Imagine yourself standing in a room and there are doors all around you, each one propped open, just waiting for you to walk through it. These doors are opportunities and different routes your life can take. It’s intimidating, especially with the Millennial generation’s fear of missing out on things. Just keep in mind that you have many options and your life is what you make it!

via Pixabay

Get to know yourself

You are the one person who truly knows who you are. You know what makes you genuinely happy. You know what you are passionate about. You know yourself best. This is a great stepping stone for figuring out what to do with your life.

Determine what makes you happy and how to pursue it in a career. If your passion is traveling, become a travel agent, blogger, photographer, or tour guide. There are so many opportunities out there that will make your passion into a career.

via Pixabay

Look ahead to the future

It’s the famous question: where do you see yourself in 10 years? It’s time to seriously answer that question. Where would you like to see yourself in 10 years? This vision may be very different than the life you live now or it may be very similar; it depends on the person.

Next, determine the steps you need to take in order to get to your vision. What do you need to do in order to live a life that makes you happy? What do you need to do to make the money to support the lifestyle you want? By determining these factors, it will help lead you in the direction you need to take.

Talk to people

It is easy to look past people and write them off as regular people with regular desk jobs. The truth is that everyone is unique and you never know who may have the coolest job in the world! Make it a point to talk to people, whether it is the guy sitting next to you on the train or an informational interview. By learning about people’s lives and how they got to where they are, it may give you an idea of what you want to do with your life.

via Pixabay

Determine your skills

What are you good at? What are some things that you feel confident doing that you know other people struggle with? It could be writing, sales, or computer programming; it can be just about anything!

Once you’ve determined your skills, it’s time to figure out how to monetize those skills! Hopefully the things you are good at make you happy, which will lead you to a happy life. Take a look at different career options that require your certain skill set and start applying!

Take some time off

A lot of college graduates will take some time off before settling down into a career after graduation. Take some time off and get to know yourself. Now that you don’t have intense deadlines to meet and papers to write, you will have a lot of free time to think and try new things.

This can be a time to travel and see the world or it can be a time to get involved in certain activities you have always wanted to try. Meet new people and get involved in different organizations or groups that you have always wanted to try out. This is your time!

via Pixabay

Embrace new opportunities

New opportunities will come your way from left and right. Don’t be afraid to embrace them! Try new things until you find something you enjoy doing. There may be an opportunity that comes along that you never thought you would be interested in and may end up enjoying.

Having a diverse resume can lead you to the ultimate dream job, so don’t write off certain jobs or opportunities because it isn’t what you see yourself doing for the rest of your life.

via Pixabay

Know that it will be okay

After talking to older people with tons of experience, you will soon figure out that life is not linear. There will be dramatic twists and turns and you may end up somewhere you never even imagined! Enjoy every stage of your life, no matter how difficult it may be, because it will all be okay in the end.

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