Career Choice and Self Discovery

Preparing for college can be very stressful and competitive. Examples of this include: getting the best test scores, highest GPA, writing essays, and the list of activities goes on. Students are told that in order to achieve these milestones, you need to overstress yourself. Pressured by outside opinions, intelligent students may end up pursuing careers that they are not passionate about because of popularity, pay, and status. Parental influence may not be relevant for the future. I think students should focus on what to do after high school by first discovering themselves, then choosing the right career choice. This should be based on the following factors: what you are good at, what you value, and why you want to do it. 

First, how can I figure out what I am good at? Many high school students ask themselves this question. Figuring out who you are is an important question to ask yourself, as well as a difficult one to answer. Within my research, I have found a few key strategies that you can use to help yourself figure it out. “Self-assessment is the first step. The more you understand yourself and your motivations, the more informed and productive your career search process will be. Start by reflecting on your interests, values, skills and personality traits, as well as key experiences you have enjoyed” (Columbia University). An example of this strategy is that I have worked with special needs kids, and that experience helped me learn that I like working with kids. This skill gave me a lot more patience, which comes with working with kids in general. There is also better communication, when it comes to working with other people. Another experience is when I am working with kids ministry in my own church in Chicago and it confirmed that I love working with kids. By reflecting on my interests and experiences, I have learned that this is a great strategy to find out what you are good at for a potential job in the future.

Secondly, how can I figure out what I truly value in life? You will spend a large portion of your life working in your career field. If you are doing something that you value, your time will be better spent. If you are not doing something that you value, this can lead to unfulfillment in your life. You may also feel discouraged, overwhelmed, stressed and purposeless. “For example, one student shared gaining value from “just practicing being independent, making choices for myself, and learning to control my stress through exercises I practiced in class’” (Hareli, Maya, et al). In this article, it describes how this one student values working independently. So, a career that requires working with other people might not be the right job for them if independence is something that they value. I learned this through social-emotional observation skills. I value working with kids meaning that I would not fit in the category of working independently. When you are working with kids, you are working with many different people at the same time.

The purpose of a career can impact how you see yourself, and the rest of your life. It’s important to identify your career purpose so you can see yourself in a positive and purposeful way, with minimal regrets. “For many professionals, especially physicians, the work time probably totals closer to one-half their day. Either way, that's a huge chunk of your life. This puts into perspective the significant impact our career choices can have on how we view our lives” (Goldsmith, 2011). One way to find your purpose is through trial and error. As previously mentioned, I worked in a special needs program. Through that program, I was able to figure out what felt purposeful and impactful in my life. The purpose of my career is to help kids with disabilities learn and grow.

Overall, the goal should be to figure out what you are good at, what you value, and why you want to do it. To start your journey and the process of what that looks like, you must look deep into yourself and your life experiences. Trial and error are a huge part of life experiences. They can be negative and positive, but either way they have purpose, because they will lead you to the right path. Start by reflecting on past experiences, thinking about future opportunities that may arise, and even practically looking into college resources that may have questionnaires for you to take. One strategy that caught my attention was trying different career paths in high school. Personally, my journey was one of self-reflection as well as experience that led me to where I am today. I also urge readers to find a career with impact and purpose to leave the world a better place.