Do you think you no longer belong in your profession? If you are asking yourself: “ I don’t know what to do as a profession, what profession is right for me? ”, “ What profession should I do? ”, “ I don’t know what to do with my professional life ” or even “ Shouldn’t I retrain? ”, then this article is for you!
We will detail the step-by-step method to have a clear vision of what you want to do with your life and career. This method has been tested by many employment counselors and career specialists to make choices that best match your profile.
What job to do? I don't know what to do with my life...
There comes a time in our professional life when we question everything. What job is right for me? We no longer find meaning in what we do, it no longer corresponds to our values. Or, quite simply, we no longer enjoy working in what we were previously passionate about. You no longer find intellectual enrichment in time.
We then consider creating our own business, supporting local businesses or participating in the community sector, for example.
For some it is a constant questioning, for others it is revealed later after years of professional specialization. And then everything is to be questioned… Don't worry, many people are going through the same thing as you.
The reality is that many professionals are in jobs they don't like. And when you ask your friends if they like their jobs, they'll keep up appearances with a half-hearted "Yes."
If you look back, many people do long or specialized studies to please their parents. Or to have a job guarantee. This is often the case with schools, which are very generalist, which lead to very specific professions.
On the other hand, short courses that are very career-oriented or very theoretical at university are often motivated by a strong taste for a discipline at a specific time in your life. But today, obviously you have changed.
The signs of change are often obvious. You are no longer motivated, and therefore not as good as before. Sunday evenings are stressful. And on Monday mornings you drag your feet…
But life offers many other possible choices. If you are wondering what to do with my life at 30 , you are in the key period, or even earlier. So what to do? How to find a job that you like?
Many people naturally gravitate towards a skills assessment or a free career test . But all of this is focused on professional skills and employment, without taking into account the most essential aspect: your desires and your daily fulfillment.
What job am I made for? What job is made for me?
To begin, you must learn to listen to yourself and understand who you are and what you like to do. For this first step, open the chakras of your desires and learn to listen to yourself more.
Before considering your next job, think for example about what can bring you happiness on a daily basis . You need to be proud of yourself, content and happy to get up in the morning to go to work. Change will not happen without a deep reflection on what motivates you the most.
Also think about what you didn't like about your previous jobs . You don't want to throw anything away. What you've done in the past will be useful and will help you stand out from other candidates.
On this subject, do not hesitate to consult our article on how to promote an atypical professional career .
Ok. As soon as you are in a condition, take a blank sheet of paper and a pen. Let's begin...
Which job to choose: your ideal work environment
Imagine your life if you had everything you wanted. When you wake up in the morning and open your eyes, what do you want to do?
Try to visualize the work environment that would suit you best:
- Are there other people with you? Do you need to work with other people?
- Do you need to work independently?
- Do you like going into the field? Being at the heart of a project's production
- Do you like being supervised? Do you have a boss? What is his personality, his character?
- Or would you rather be completely independent? Be your own boss?
- Do you work from home? In a small or large company? Do you have the opportunity to telework?
- Do you have responsibilities? Do you like competition? Is stress a driving force for you?
Again, if you get stuck, don't hesitate to recall the good/bad memories of your past experiences and try to identify exactly what you liked/disliked.
What work to do: identify your motivations
Ask yourself what your real professional motivations are by answering the question: "What would motivate me to get up every morning to go to work?" List your most important motivators:
- Be recognized by your hierarchy and/or your peers?
- Learning throughout your career?
- Earn a lot of money?
- Have job security and time to enjoy your family/hobbies?
- Change the world / Make a dream come true / Have an important personal mission for others?
- Developing yourself personally: your sense of communication, your leadership, your influence?
- Express your creativity, curiosity or generosity?
Once you have listed these items, imagine what your ideal day would look like taking into account the items you mentioned.
For example, if the need for recognition from your peers is a source of motivation for you, look at what functions allow you to present your know-how in public (trainer, teacher, coach) or how to put the satisfaction of your peers at the heart of your job (e.g.: customer advisor, happiness manager, train driver, etc.).
And you? What drives you?
Building your professional project
Finding the job that suits me: identifying your comfort zones
Having a sense of accomplishment is essential to fully enjoy your job. So it's important to do tasks that you feel comfortable doing. Your comfort zone.
This does not mean that these will be exclusively things that you already master 100% today. But the step should not be too high on the learning phase. Otherwise you risk not only losing time, money but also your self-confidence…
Make sure your career plan is in line with your comfort zones. That's how you'll enjoy going to work. Of course, there will be tasks you don't like doing, and they shouldn't take up more than 20-30% of your work time.
Ask yourself: "Where am I best?", "What are my strengths, qualities or know-how?". If possible, get help from your friends who will certainly be the first to praise you on certain points.
Finding your way: How to find your job? How to know what job to do?
Once you do this work on yourself, you will be guided by what matters most in your professional life. Your personal goals. You will invest more of yourself and you will naturally be better. Opportunities will present themselves to you that you certainly would not have had before.
Once you know how to answer the two questions above, we advise you to consult lists of professions, classified job descriptions, to talk to people around you and to meet people who work in the field you are looking for.
A professional in the field is worth more than 1000 advisors or job coaches! Linkedin will give you the opportunity to get in touch with the right people. By explaining your approach sincerely, many will want to share their experience and advise you. They will be able to validate your professional project, know what to do , make it more realistic and in line with the realities of the job market.
