I’m trying to give someone advice on choosing a career that will suit them better than the one they’re in and hate. I wanted to get together a list of good questions for them to ask themselves so they can use the answers to compare options like “do you prefer to work sitting or moving around,” “do you want to not work weekends” etc.

  • AFK BRB ChocolateEnglish
    16•18 days ago

    I end up having similar conversations with college folks (interns mostly). I usually say something along the lines of:

    • If there’s something that you’re so passionate about that you’re going to do it regardless, it’s worth taking a shot at making a living at it. Things like writing, acting, and music are really hard to to make it in, but if it’s really a passion, you might as well give it a go. It’s good to have a Plan B though.
    • If you aren’t super passionate about something, or you don’t have the starving artist mentality or whatever, next is to look at things you’re good at that you don’t hate, especially if there’s room to grow in them. If you’re good at math, for instance, you could consider being an accountant.
    • If you don’t feel like you have any especially marketable skills, then you’re looking for something that’s more broadly available, like retail or whatever. Of you can find something that teaches a skill, that’s a plus.

    Broadly, there’s a passion, there’s a career, and there’s a job. There’s nothing wrong with any of those, but people tend to be happiest in that order. I personally wasn’t super passionate about anything, but liked computers, got a CS degree, ended up as a software engineer at a rocket company, and now manage the software organization there. There were other things I enjoyed, but I figured programming was the most marketable, and that’s worked out for me.

    What people tend to like or hate the most about where they work are the people and/or the boss, and that can be good or bad pretty much anywhere. Good to watch out for red and green flags when you’re looking.

    • @ApyteleOP
      5•18 days ago

      This is actually pretty solid. I’m firmly in the “passion” category, and while I’ve gotten better at it over the years, I often struggle to remember other people just have careers and jobs, and find true fulfillment elsewhere. Now that said, my passion pays somewhat poorly (but steadily!) and isn’t even slightly competitive (I’m even considering leaving the field at this point) but it’s something I care a lot about being done well.

      • AFK BRB ChocolateEnglish
        3•18 days ago

        I should have mentioned what you just did: your passion doesn’t have to be your job.

        Tangentially, as I get closer to retirement, one of the things I hear from retirees is that they planned on doing a lot more of their hobby when they retired, but found that the hobby felt more like a job when they tried to do it all day. So sometimes it’s better that you keep something you enjoy as something that you can just do when you want.