How Do You Know What To Do With Your Life?

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How do you know what to do with your life? This is a question someone recently asked in an online forum. They’ve tried several majors in college, and nothing has interested them enough to stick through. They’ve also tried working in various trades like truck driving, satellite installation, marketing, and restaurant management.

Nothing seems to pique their interest enough to keep pursuing it. They asked, “How can I find a career I can settle on and build my life finally?” Here are a few of the most helpful responses.

1. By Accident

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“Seriously. I graduated college and started job hunting. I majored in computer science, so I was looking for coding work. I was working with a temp agency. Turns out it was for a video game tester job. I hadn’t even considered that as a career option. I interviewed and got the job,” someone shared.

2. Passion

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“I’m 41 years old and still don’t have anything figured out,” somebody said.

Someone else replied, “Yep. Forty-eight still have no idea. There’s nothing I can’t do if I try, but I don’t know my passion yet. I can tell you it’s nothing involving the cold, though.”

3. A Book

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“I read a book called “What Color is Your Parachute” about 40 years ago and did what it said. I ended up in the mortgage industry. That turned out to be a great career for me. Just retired,” someone divulged.

4. Do the Best You Can

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“I can honestly say that I was very fortunate to work where I am and had no idea of still being here after ten years of moving up the ranks. The point is that I didn’t have it figured out. I still don’t. Just do the best you can,” someone suggested.

5. Changing Careers

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“31-year-old male, still figuring out what to do. I’m about to change my career drastically and start as a programmer,” a user shared.

6. Talent

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“I did everything I wanted to as a child, except becoming an astronaut. I put myself in a bunch of weird circumstances that wound up with me being everything I’ve ever wanted to be. Now I fix things for a living because that’s my talent,” someone explained.

7. Happy Doing it

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“I began a career path in animation because I had liked to draw. I hated it, so I quit. What I then realized was that it doesn’t matter what I’m doing for work; it matters if I’m able to be happy doing it,” someone realized.

8. Corporate Job

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“You will know when you know. I didn’t find my first good corporate job until I was 37. It started at 60k and left 15 years later near 180k. It can happen,” somebody encouraged.

9. Goals

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“Start thinking about goals outside of your professional life, and consider your jobs a series of projects to pay for those goals,” a person suggested.

10. Life is Dynamic

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“No one EVER figures it out before it happens. Life is dynamic, so you must abide by the ebbs and flows of progress,” someone expressed.

11. I Always Knew

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“I always knew I wanted to be a programmer. I studied programming at school and went to university to study programming. After graduation, I became a programmer, and I am happy with it,” someone shared.

12. Counselor and Therapist

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“I’m 34 and currently still see a counselor and therapist on what I should do with my life. If you figure it out before me, please let me know,” someone reassured.

13. It Will Find You

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“Accident, you’ll never find what you’re truly looking for; it will find you. If you’re putting zero effort into your life, this doesn’t apply,” someone explained.

14. Cannot Find Work

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“I got a degree (software development) that I’ll never be able to use and cannot find work in any other fields, so I dedicated my life to my studies and writing/illustrating books I’m working on,” a person shared.

15. Went Back to School

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“I decided to pursue psychology. I was focused on mental health. Became a research assistant. I didn’t like the job as I wasn’t working directly with people I wanted to help. So, I went back to school for social work,” someone mentioned.

16. Financial and Professional Thing

Young woman covering her face with her hands while she's trying to pay bills and manage her money — Image Credit: Pormezz via Shutterstock.

“I haven’t, and I’m 35. I knew I wanted a few things, which I’ve got in the strangest ways, but I’m not where I’d like to be—mostly financial and professional things.

17. Find Happiness Elsewhere

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I think it’s a misconception that we must love our jobs passionately. I’ve worked many different jobs, and honestly, what I tell people is just find a job you can stand and find happiness elsewhere,” a user suggested.