Career Exploration: Important Steps in the Process

Planning Your Future: A Guide to Career Exploration

You can start saving for your future any time, whether it's right now or years from now. Discovering what you want to do with your life is essential during your time in high school. To determine what steps to take next, you should conduct an exploratory career search to learn more about the options available to you.

Investigating potential occupations might help direct your schoolwork and extracurricular activities. When you have a rough concept of future ambitions, you can take suitable curriculum, obtain skills, and effectively transition into college or job after graduating from high school.

But how do you even start? Use these guidelines to identify promising occupations.

Step 1: Identify What Matters to You.

You can choose from an infinite number of jobs out there. While you're still in high school, making a decision can feel like a lot of pressure. Knowing which paths will serve you best even if you alter your mind later will keep you moving forward in a direction that will bring you happiness. That's why it's important to consider your own personal tastes first.

The BigFuture job Quiz is a good example of such a survey that can help you find a job path that fits your interests. Next, examine your personal beliefs and abilities. Is the amount of money you make the most crucial aspect of your job? Think about the benefits beyond getting a paycheck. Some, for instance, can help you start your own company, have a greater impact on the globe, or learn new skills. Finding the greatest fit is easier when you know what matters most to you.

Step 2: Research Career Options.

After compiling a list of potential occupations, you should investigate each one to see if it's a good fit.

Career Exploration Questions to Answer

Here are some questions to ask yourself and answers to look for while deciding on a career path:

What do people in this career do?

Can you picture what your ideal day entails? Looking at broad job descriptions can give the impression that a certain profession is a good fit. However, describe a day in the life of someone whose job intrigues you.

In what type of environment do people in this career work?

Consider your potential workplace carefully. It's true that some people do better behind closed doors. Some people, though, are more suited to working outside throughout the day. In the workplace, some people thrive when given the freedom to work at their own pace and in complete isolation, while others thrive when given the opportunity to interact face-to-face with their coworkers on tough projects. Find out what kinds of settings are common in your field of interest.

What salary do people in this career earn?

After deciding on a profession, it's time to investigate pay levels. Although the weight that money holds in your search may shift over time, it will never be completely irrelevant. You can't tell for sure how much money you'd make in a certain job, but you can find out what the average salary is for someone in that field.

Location, scale, and level of experience all play a role in determining the salary range for any given position. The compensation of a leader will be significantly more than that of an entry-level professional. That's why it's so important to do pay research.

Is this salary enough?

If you want to know if a job's compensation is sufficient to cover your living costs, you can do it by assuming a tax rate of 22%, which is the national average. To obtain an idea of how much money you could make each week, divide the annual income by 52 weeks.

Consider what your likely costs could be. How much is a month's rent in the area you're interested in? Can you tell me about possible auto payments? Spending money on amusement? Pricey medical care? Find out how much other grownups spend each week by talking to them. Think about how yours could compare.

You can figure out if you would have enough money to cover your expenses each week by looking at your possible take-home earnings. There are many unknowns, but you should have some kind of approximation to work with.

Is this career growing?

As both technology and society progress, so do employment prospects. Many occupations of yesteryear have long since vanished. Check out the job outlook in the area of interest. While it's impossible to know for sure what jobs will be in demand in the years to come, you may learn more about projected occupational shifts to get a head start. Using real-time data from the job market, BigFuture's Career Search can provide you with the latest and greatest insights as they develop.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts robust employment growth across the board over the next decade. Those items are:

What education or training is needed to enter this career?

It may be more time-consuming and expensive to get the kind of in-depth job training required for some careers. Four-year colleges, two-year colleges, apprenticeships, certificate programs, and other forms of skills training all offer promising pathways to successful employment after high school graduation. BigFuture College Search is a good place to start investigating some of these options.

As you look at various options, keep in mind that certain programs produce superior results than others. There are many financial aid options available to students. The more prepared you are for the financial realities of your chosen profession, the better off you will be.

Step 3: Set a Goal.

Once you've narrowed down your alternatives, it's time to consider your long-term goals and the best way to get there. Make a decision and do something to kick things off. Here you will find additional information on the topic of professional goal-setting.

Step 4: Review Your Plan.

Exploring potential careers isn't something you do just once. It's something that everyone will go through at some point in their lives. Your preferences and dislikes evolve alongside your expanding knowledge. Make regular assessments to see if your interests, values, and abilities continue to line up with your intended outcomes. Restart the procedure and revise your strategy if there is a discrepancy.