career direction

How to figure out your career direction…

First, find the career you want to pursue. Next, reverse engineer the path to get to the job. This is UPLIFT Leadership’s college-to-career philosophy.

Here’s the problem: Many young people lack enough self awareness or work experience to inform their future decisions. (It’s not your fault.) Most high school students make college and career choices based on: parent or peer influence; cultural or societal expectations; or assumed status or earning potential. Many choose jobs that sound familiar or prestigious.

Truth is: Very few students actually become doctors and lawyers. Maybe they will. Maybe you will. Chances are, they will decide on a different occupation. (Some will end up in jobs that don’t exist yet.)

Career pathway planning begins with self awareness and evolves with experience.

Many people end up choosing careers as they gain more experience… At each crossroads, you decide: “Yes, this is me,” or “No, it isn’t.” With each job, you make a choice: Continue on this path. Or go a different direction.

Figuring out what you don’t want to do is equally valuable…

Often, you hear stories about people going to college and deciding two years into their degree that it’s not interesting to them anymore. Or they start their first real job after graduation only to find a year into it that they hate the work they’re doing. Then, they have to start all over. 

Moral of the story? The ‘wrong’ career and college choices can cost a lot of time and money.

It’s worth it to take a proactive, introspective approach to career-industry exploration… 

1. Establish your industries of interest. This is a discussion of values.

2. Narrow down your hobbies or skills. This can translate to job fields. 

How do interests intersect with industries? 

• A student who cares about how things work–machinery, vehicles or electronics–may connect with careers in technology, engineering or construction. 

• A student who cares about how the world works might be excited about life sciences, natural resources, farming, forestry or outdoor occupations.

• A student who cares about how people work could be interested in medical science, psychology, sociology or anthropology.

• A student who cares about connection–conversations and collaborations–could pursue a role in education, entertainment, nonprofits and care or service industries.

How do skills or hobbies translate into job fields?

• A student who is interested in art, drawing or photography might be drawn to creative careers, such as: design, marketing or architecture. 

• A student who loves solving puzzles might be interested in careers involving research, accounting or forensics.

• A student who enjoys working with their hands may end up in trades, food service or personal care. Examples include: building, woodworking, manufacturing, cooking or baking, caretaking or cosmetology.

Are we all asking the wrong questions?

Your teachers, counselors or family members may be asking you where you want to go to college or what major you want to study… Instead, start with the end goal or desired job in mind. Once you determine career direction, you can create a career path plan that includes potential colleges, trade schools, training programs or other certifications needed to attain that job. A career path plan can also include financial calculations to help you understand your costs, projected earning potential and predicted ROI or break-even point—where your education expenses or debts balance with your future income.

Is there a process for guiding career direction?

UPLIFT Leadership uses a combination of data, intuition and deductive reasoning to guide its career-industry exploration process. It’s not one method or test; it’s a variety of tools. Designed like a game, students participate in competitions, multi-sensory lessons and movement-based activities to help generate self awareness that leads to career direction. 

Over the summer, UPLIFT Leadership hosts an experiential education program called The Career Summit. This interactive, multi-day workshop is designed to help you: figure out what you want and how to get there; find a job and get hired; succeed in the workplace and build job readiness skills; and advance in your career through continuous learning and mentorship. To learn more or to enroll, visit www.upliftleadership.org/career-summit. 

To make this opportunity more accessible and encourage economic equity, students who identify as low income are eligible to participate at no cost. To be considered for a scholarship to attend The Career Summit, visit www.upliftleadership.org/career-summit-scholarship.