The process of choosing a career path begins way before you have your graduation diploma in hand. It starts even before you embark on your higher education journey.

There are multiple steps like research, coaching, interviews, internships, and networking before you can settle on the apt educational course to pursue in aid of choosing the right career path. Here’s a quick guide to help you figure out career exploration in six steps.

1. Self Assessment and Career Aptitude Tests

Screenshot of ONet Interest Profiler Career Aptitude Test

We’re all gifted with unique, innate skills that will help us excel in particular career fields if we put our minds and efforts towards it. It would help if you took a few self-assessment and career aptitude tests to recognize these talents. You can learn more about your natural abilities and which careers they’re compatible with.

This will help you zero in on educational courses that will engage and enhance your natural skills and ease your career choices further down the line. You may look for help on Education Planner to get started.

Almost every state in the United States has an official, government-sponsored career research and planning website that helps students explore career options, educational resources, etc. You can search for “State Name + Career Research” to get to free resources like Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board based in Washington, My Mn Careers based in Minnesota, Learn More Indiana, etc.

2. Identify Careers Aligned With Your Interests and Skills

Concept Image Showing Skills with a man holding a device with skills typed over it.

Once you have your aptitude test results in hand, it’s time to look up careers that align with your interests and require your particular skill set to succeed. This two-fold step involves extensive research and career coach consulting as a foolproof way to zero in on the most compatible career paths.

Research and Gather Information

Enhance your sleuthing skills with a few internet research tips to gather information from the most reliable sources. Learn how to use social media platforms like LinkedIn as research tools, and make a list of job profiles best suited to your aptitude.

Hiring platforms like Indeed, Monster, ZipRecruiter, etc., also have a lot of valuable data and information if you want to research career paths in a particular field.

Consult a Career Coach

Concept picture highlighting the word Coaching amidst a word cloud

A professional Career Coach would be able to walk you through the ups and downs of different career paths and educate you on aspects of your chosen field you were previously unaware of. They bring experience, fresh insights, and a neutral perspective as they guide you through this critical decision-making process.

You can choose to consult a local Career Coach or discuss your options with a Career Counselor provided by your educational institution. You can also get awesome career advice via free and premium online websites that offer mentors to walk you through the process of career exploration.

3. Conduct Informational Interviews

Woman Conducting a Professional Interview and Taking Notes

Add five stars to your career exploration process by going one step ahead and interviewing people working in the industry of your choice. Folks working in companies and profiles you would like to bag can provide valuable insights into career scope, work-life balance, day-to-day tasks, and have the most up-to-date information about working in the field.

Informational interviews have many benefits besides helping you choose the right career. You’ll need to join the right social media groups like LinkedIn Groups for job seekers to find the right candidates to interview.

Once you have the right candidate, send in your interview requests, set up the interview, and look up free resources about informational interviews provided by institutes like Yale, UC Berkeley, and the Harvard Business Review to make it a successful venture.

4. Internships, Volunteering, and Summer Jobs

Gaining hands-on experience before you finalize a career is like getting a taste of a dish before ordering it. You can look up the best websites to find internships, explore social media networks, and inquire locally to find internship opportunities where you can watch professionals in your chosen field at work.

You can volunteer to help out in companies or places in positions that are, even if not ideal, adjacent to your ideal jobs to observe the work being done from close quarters. Google websites to find volunteer work and opportunities to begin applying.

Summer jobs are also a good way of networking with people in the industry. Although temporary and low-paying, they’ll help you get used to the work environment in your chosen career.

5. Attend Networking Events and Career Fairs

Concept image for networking with hands using a laptop to connect to people virtually.

Networking is an undeniable fact of career advancement. Someone in the know is more apt to point you towards better opportunities than a casual acquaintance unacquainted with your field.

Follow popular job portals to keep track of career fairs held in your vicinity. Websites like Meetup are also a good way of keeping tabs on professional networking events. If you stay at a remote location, you can attend virtual job fairs to connect with folks working in your field.

6. Decide on an Education Major

Concept image showing skills and related keywords like growth, learning, training, competence, knowledge, etc.

All the steps above lead you to this conclusive step. Once you know that you have a talent for numbers, find number crunching exciting, and love data analysis and preparing financial models, there is no point in pursuing an educational course that does not build on your skills as a Financial Analyst.

That’s one way of saying your skills, natural ability, aptitude, and educational qualifications should be in sync with your chosen career path to have a stellar professional life.

Armed with the knowledge that you’ve made the right career choice and aided by your educational qualifications, you may begin your work life with confidence, the right skills, and the best work opportunities once you’ve done your due deliberations.

Importance of Choosing the Right Career

A proper match between your skills and career will ease your adjustment with changing demands, enhance job satisfaction, allow for fast-tracking of your professional growth, and assist with career decisions.

Once you’ve decided on a definitive career path, you can start looking for the best job options for your skills, aptitude, and educational qualifications.