How do I find a job without any idea what I want to do?
I am not a career counselor; however I have become fascinated with the career development industry. My view of career advice and comes from experience and the experiences of others.
Today I want to focus on career development and planning.
Did I ever take a career assessment? Sure, who hasn’t? All of us sat in the guidance counselor’s office in high school completing those meaningless tests to try and tell us what we should do for a living. To be honest with you I cannot remember what my results said, do you? If that is the only opportunity for career assessment or if that is the only time we ever think about your career options how does that prepare anyone for their future? How do you choose your career? How do you know what you want to do if a high school career assessment is your only opportunity for consideration?
I currently work at the Pittsburgh Technology Council in Pittsburgh, PA. I often say in speeches that I did not wake up one morning and say, “I really want to work at the Pittsburgh Technology Council one day!” I landed there because of an internship that a professor in college helped me get. My career assessment was not very thorough or planned. My own career journey happened with much inquiry and on the job assessment. I was willing to try just about anything. My internship was enjoyable, I enjoyed the work, I enjoyed the people I worked with and I believed in the mission of the company. And now I have been there almost five years.
These three principles has kept me at the Council and are the three principles that keep most people at their employer or makes them want to work for a particular company.
- Enjoy what you do
- Enjoy who you work with
- Believe in the mission
Has your career happened because of much planning and pre-assessment or did it happen by a random or probably divine set of events? It would be an interesting study to determine how many people in the workforce are working in a field they studied for or planned for and how many are there for reasons they cannot explain.
How about you? Are you in a company or job you planned for or did it happen in a seemingly divine series of events?
2 Comments, Comment or Ping
Nancy Owens
I am currently seeking creative ways to job/career search as I have been The Chief Operations Executive in “home management” for 26 years. Now that my “team” has nearly completed its mission and moved on to “independent” status and this phase of the mission is shutting down, I must re-enter the work force. Naturally, the title of this article caught my eye and I applaud your ideas. I am reminded of countless stories of which I have inquired from acquaintances relating to their currently held positions. It is always obvious in the work ethic, the attitude, as well as the quality of work, which employee had a passion for what they were doing, and which were there for some other reason. I also am reminded of many stories I’ve heard like the following: “I was volunteering feeding the homeless people downtown, when I began talking with a gentleman who also was working with the homeless population. We hit it off. He invited me to lunch, and the next thing I knew, he was offering me a job traveling all over the world to interview families that qualified for a program that was government-funded of which he was the director and pioneering a new study.” I asked the man who was speaking if he had had any specialized training that qualified him for the needs of the position. He told me that he had a degree in a totally unrelated field, but the gentleman who hired him took time personally to train him for the job. So much for planning for your career path. I’m voting for the divinely appointed series of events, but not just sitting back waiting for them to drop in your lap. Be busy about life, helping people, staying involved, doing good to all men and somewhere, the path will open up for us. Let me know if you ever get that study going on this. I love interviewing people and would enjoy doing something of this nature. P.S. Thanks for the talk and copy of your book from yesterday’s luncheon at CCAC. It was most informative.
Nov 7th, 2007
Justin Driscoll
Nancy
I am glad you enjoyed my talk at CCAC yesterday. Your related stories were very interesting as well.
Good luck in your future en devours.
Justin
Nov 7th, 2007
Reply to “How do I find a job without any idea what I want to do?”