Six questions to help you find your ideal career

Many of us have been there: working Monday to Friday, week after week and year after year, periodically coming up for air to wonder, “When will I find what I am meant to be doing with my life?”

For some, this question has always been in the back of their mind, and they have learned to adjust by living with a quiet dissatisfaction, thinking that no one can really have it all. For others, this question may arise at a crossroads in life, accompanied by a strong feeling that life is too short not to pursue the life they want. In either situation, the desire to make a change is there, so what is getting in the way?

Quite often, it comes down to the following statement:

“I have no idea what I want to do with my life.”

If this is you, don’t worry: there are ways to explore the question. Before trying to work out what you want from your life, ask yourself whether the statement above is really true. Be honest with yourself. Is it that you don’t know what you want, or is something else stopping you, such as fear of failure, a lack of confidence or feeling overwhelmed by all the steps it may take to get there? To move forward, you need to understand what is stopping you.

Six questions to help you find your ideal career

If you find that not knowing what you want is preventing you from moving forward, here are some questions that may provide clarity. Your responses may change at different points in your life, so it can be helpful to revisit them periodically.

1. What are my core values?

Identify what is important to you in life and make a list. When making the list, focus on your whole life and not just what is important in a career. There are no wrong answers.

Maybe you love to travel, so freedom and adventure are important. Or perhaps financial security matters to you, so having a steady income will be high on your list. Take the time to understand yourself and what you need to feel fulfilled.

2. What are my strengths?

Understanding what you are good at may help you find greater fulfilment in your career and perform effectively. You might think you already know your strengths. If so, write them down.

Once you have done this, ask a few friends and colleagues what they perceive your strengths to be. We often have strengths we don’t recognise in ourselves, so it can be helpful to gain another perspective.

3. What are my skills?

These are the things you have learned along the way. Some may be natural abilities you have developed throughout your life, while others may have been learned through work, education or training.

Think about both technical skills, such as budget planning or knowledge of programming languages, and transferable skills, such as negotiation or presenting information clearly.

4. What lights me up?

This is a way to think about the activities you enjoy. You may find that, when you are writing, you could go on for hours. Perhaps you are in your element when organising tasks or events.

If you are struggling to identify what you enjoy, think about what you like discussing with friends or which activities cause you to lose track of time.

5. What are my must-haves in a job?

Think about what you must have in your career to feel fulfilled. This should align with your values but will be more specific to the job itself.

For example, if learning is one of your values, you may want to work in an environment where you can continue to learn and grow. During this exercise, it is important to differentiate your must-haves from your nice-to-haves.

6. What are my deal breakers in a job?

This is another way to explore your must-haves by identifying what you cannot tolerate in a job.

If it is essential for you to be home for your children at the same time each day, a role requiring long or unpredictable hours could be a deal breaker.

Once you have answered these questions, it is time to play the role of career detective and identify careers that fit your values, strengths, skills and interests.

Take a sheet of paper and create columns labelled values, strengths, skills, interests, must-haves and deal breakers. Add your answers to the questions above. Then list all the careers you can think of that align with your list.

This is where you can use blue-sky thinking: avoid practicalities at this point and get all your ideas down. When you have exhausted your ideas, share your brainstorm with friends to gain their perspectives and suggestions.

Taking action

Now it is time to take action. This is often when reality sets in. You may have found that a career as a writer aligns with your values, strengths and interests, but you find yourself wondering how to move forward.

Before developing a plan, consider whether you have competing values or priorities. For example, if you value creativity but financial security is higher on your list, moving immediately into a career with an unstable income may involve a difficult trade-off.

This is the time to understand what is most important to you and decide how to proceed. In the writing example, you might begin as a part-time writer or look for a writing role in a corporate setting that offers a steady income.

You may find through this exercise that several career paths could support a fulfilling life. It is then time to start exploring the next steps.

It can feel daunting at first, especially if you are considering a complete career shift, but try not to let those feelings deter you. Start by taking small steps. Talk to people working in the career – or careers – you are considering, and think creatively about how you could begin moving in that direction.

Volunteering, shadowing someone or doing part-time work can be practical ways to test a new career without immediately committing to a full-time change.

One final point: your ideal career may not represent your calling, and that is OK. An ideal career is one that helps you live the life that matters to you. It could be your dream job, but it could also be a job that you enjoy enough and that provides what is important in the rest of your life.

That is why it is important to understand your values. It all comes down to the choices you make for yourself. You have the ability to take action and work towards a more satisfying career, one step at a time.