How Do I Figure Out What I Want to Do in Life
If y'all're stuck in a job you hate, you're (unfortunately) not lone. In fact, an astonishing more than 80% of Americans are dissatisfied with their jobs.
I, too, was unhappy in the corporate job I took right after college. Like many people, I'd put more thought and effort into getting the task than into figuring out if it was something I really wanted. There's enough of research and advice out there on how to write the perfect resume and ace that interview. Merely when it comes to figuring out what you want to do with your life, the strategies aren't so clear.
I realized that, although I could predict and pontificate about a career path that might make me happier, I would never actually know until I was into the thick of it. I had an idea that I might like to do something related to entrepreneurship, simply I didn't exactly know what that meant. Did I want to join a startup? Start my own? Try to get into venture uppercase? Join or starting time a non-profit? Exercise international development work abroad?
More importantly, I didn't know how I could figure it out without a huge investment of time, like starting another full-time job with a new company.
But then I had a different thought. I decided to enter a competition to shadow Dave McClure, who runs the accelerator 500 Startups. Being selected every bit one of the top 6 finalists gave me the kick I needed to quit my job, fly downward to Silicon Valley, and begin what I call a "cocky-education program" on something they don't teach yous in school, but is arguably the nigh important thing of all: what I wanted to practice with my life.
Over the next few months, I began cold emailing anyone I could think of who I was interested in coming together and learning from. To my surprise, I had a shockingly loftier response rate. I got to meet with the founders of Airbnb, Foursquare, Kiip, Mint, Color, and many more, and besides various investors and professors in the Bay Expanse. I asked them almost their career path, how they'd come up to where they were now, and what recommendations they had for figuring out my next move.
And I didn't cease in that location. I too volunteered at major conferences, such equally DEMO and Founder Showcase, then I could run into more people and attend the talks for costless. I checked out various events and talks in the region, and fifty-fifty sat in on classes at Stanford (which the professors were kind enough to permit me find). Finally, to become a full holistic experience, I lived in a co-op in Palo Alto and had an amazing time learning nearly cooking, co-operative living, and alternative lifestyles.
One of the virtually important conversations I had was John Krumboltz, an international career skilful who teaches career coaching at Stanford. He advocated an thought that stuck with me: testing out the different career experiences I was interested in, in the most low commitment fashion that I could for each option. I had just been introduced to the entrepreneurial concept of "minimum viable product"—an interesting parallel, I idea—so I decided to utilize these same principles to deciding what to practice next with my career.
I began "prototyping" the unlike work experiences that I was considering—dipping my toe in each—and then I could effigy out which I liked best. Again using my favorite tactic of cold emailing, I reached out to and secured "shadow experiences" with companies including Launchrock (a 500 Startups company), Dojo, Causes (started by Sean Parker), Kiva, the Stanford d.schoolhouse, and Ashoka (a non-turn a profit that supports entrepreneurship). I spent 1-v days with each visitor, not merely learning from them, but as well helping them out wherever I could. At Causes, I helped produce success reports for clients and saturday in on strategy meetings and interviews with potential hires. At Kiva, the CEO Matt Flannery let me follow him around for the day (the literal definition of a shadow) and experience "a twenty-four hours in the life," complete with accompanying him on his daily walk in the park to clear his head.
And then, what did I acquire through all of this? I realized that I wanted to pursue my own business organisation, as soon as possible. In one of the classes I sat in on at Stanford, the professor asked the students how they wanted the world to be unlike when they died. I knew then that not simply did I want to be passionate about what I was doing—I wanted others to be, too. I wanted my business organization to do something that helped other people find and pursue career activities that they were passionate about.
Since then, I was accepted into an incubator chosen Startup Republic of chile and an academic program chosen Singularity University (started by the founders of Google and based at NASA), which take helped me to work towards that objective e'er since.
Merely looking back, I'yard so happy that I took the time to prototype my different career options—and am grateful for the fact that it was nearly free to do then (much cheaper than say, an MBA, which many people say they take to figure out what to do with their lives). I learned more in those few months than I had in years.
And whether or not you can take a few months off from work—you tin learn similar that, too. If y'all're not quite sure about your career path, pick a few things you think yous'd rather be doing, and and so prototype them yourself past setting up experiences where you can try out your different options. Find companies you'd like to work for and individuals whose career paths you admire, and then reach out to them to encounter if you can shadow with them for an afternoon, a solar day, or a week. Attempt advisory interviews, volunteering, fifty-fifty internships, and more. And don't exist surprised when they say yes, or fifty-fifty if many of these experiences atomic number 82 to job offers—without you even request for them.
1 thing that really surprised me during my feel was how hands approachable, open, and helpful most people are. Common cold emailing has get perfectly normal, as has saying "I saw you lot on Twitter and thought you seemed interesting, and then I wanted to achieve out." This is the first fourth dimension in history that people'due south career interests and hobbies are listed online and are hands searchable—and it's an amazing opportunity to create your own network beyond simply the people yous come across in person.
Take it from me: If you lot're trying to decide on your adjacent pace, it's an opportunity you tin can (and should) take reward of.
Want help deciding on your side by side steps or prototyping your ain career? Get in touch with me about my career coaching services at jenn.turliuk@gmail.com.
Jennifer Turliuk's the author of How To Figure Out What To Do With Your Life (Side by side), available on Amazon. She's the CEO of MakerKids, the leading provider of award-winning programs, camps and parties on Robotics, Coding, and Minecraft. Jennifer studied exponential technologies and how to apply them to education as part of the Singularity University Graduate Studies Programme (based at NASA Ames). Her work has been featured in The New York Times, Forbes, Huffington Post, Fast Company, Wired, and more than. She's an accomplished public speaker and has spoken at convocations, TEDx, SXSWedu, Maker Faire, and MakerCon. In her spare time, she enjoys dancing, musical theatre, and wind sports. Follow her on Twitter: @jenniferturliuk and sign upward for her newsletter at Jenniferturliuk.com.
More from Jennifer TurliukSource: https://www.themuse.com/advice/how-i-figured-out-what-i-wanted-to-do-with-my-life
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