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Do What You Love and You Will Never Work a Day in Your Life

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Find the Perfect Career

Choosing a career is one of the most important decisions you will make in your life. If you find something that you love, enjoy and are passionate about, then going to work won’t feel like work.

In order to find work you enjoy doing, you need to think carefully about your different passions and talents.

  • Check out your local library and other sources for vocational guidance.
  • Sign up for free online career test that will help you in discovering your skills, values and interests.
  • Volunteer or intern with a job that interests you.
  • Talk to other people that are in careers that may be of interest to you.

Make an informed choice about pursuing a career in a field that piques your interest. Above all, keep an open mind. Confucius says “ he that would perfect his work, must first sharpen his tools.”

How to Find a Career You Love

Finding a career you love one that does not feel like work—can be a difficult task, especially considering some hobbies do not naturally lend themselves to paid employment. However, by taking the following steps, you should be able to find meaningful work.

1.   Speak to a career counselor or use a skills profiler.

A career counselor can help you to translate your talents and passions into paid employment. Your career counselor can help you to determine what is most important to you in your work and what you need in order to be fulfilled.

For those who do not want to go to a career counselor, you can use a skills profiler to match your skills to a job. This website–Career One Stop–allows you to enter the skills you have that could potentially translate into work that you are passionate about.

2.   Determine what is most important to you in a job.

A career offers many different opportunities. Types of work cater to different personalities and more often than not one criterion is more important to you than the others. It is important that your role fulfill your professional needs.

Some needs to consider are:

  • Is it important that I help others in my job?
  • Do I prefer to work independently or as a team?
  • Do I excel in computer based work, or field work?
  • Is my preference to be creating, enforcing or problem solving?

For example, you may want to do something you find interesting, but also have a lot of social engagement at work. It is best to outline everything you need to feel fulfilled and happy at your work and then to prioritize what is most important to you. This will also help during your job search.

3.   Make a list of potential careers.

If you have determined you really want to work with animals, you could make a list of all of the different careers that would allow you to achieve that goal. You could list everything from veterinarian to zoo keeper to full-time dog sitter. The point is to see how you can find jobs that will let you do what you most want to do. Make considerations like potential to growth and salary in the next step.

4.   Make logistical considerations.

This is where you consider the nuts and bolts of some of your top professions (established from the steps above). Be sure to consider some of the following when trying to narrow your list. It is okay to be practical. Your income and city are important when considering a career change and their importance should be weighed appropriately.

  • Commute
  • Working hours
  • Industry growth potential
  • Salary range
  • Location

5.   Research the job market and requirements for jobs on your list.

Some jobs will be easier to get than others. Don’t give up on the market right away. Regularly checking listings is a good way to determine if there are a lot of requirements you need to fulfill in order to enter your chosen career field.

This research can be helpful to you as you prepare to move forward in your ideal career. Do what you love and you will never work a day in your life. In the end, trust what you feel about the career choice , not what someone else suggest for you.

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