Next, you need to translate this information into an action plan. The main
question here is how do I get people to pay me to do what I love to do? In
order to do this you will need to assess the practical skills you now have.
These are not just job related skills, but also skills you learned from all
aspects of your life. Ask yourself what skills you learned in school, on the
different jobs you have had, in your hobbies and in the various roles you have
played, such as parent for example. Write these all down. Underline the skills
you particularly enjoy using. You also need to consider your values and
character. If you think you would like to be a reporter, but are shy by nature
it probably is not a good choice for you. But related careers might be.
Once you have all the skills you can possibly think of written down make
another list using only those you underlined. Now the question becomes what
kind of job requires the skills I most enjoy using? Dictionaries of
occupations, available at employment services offices and school career centers
will help you find a list of occupations that require those skills. Some of
these are available on line and all you need to do is fill in a form to get a
list of occupations you can print out.
After you have your list of possible occupations, you need to do some
research on the ones that strike you as most interesting. Again, dictionaries
of occupations will give you some basic information on the entrance
requirements, working conditions and duties among other things. In order to get
more detailed information you will need to access local labor market
information on the web. State and Provincial governments make this information
available for their local areas. Here you will especially find information on
the demand for the occupations that interest you.
After narrowing down your list of possible occupations to a few, talk to
those already in the field to learn from their experience. Informational
interviews like these not only help you learn from someone else’s experience,
they can lead job interviews for you. Those in the working in the field that
interests you can best tell you the pros and cons and how to get a foot in the
door.