Finding a career path, or even finding any old job, is hard. You knew it would be hard, but nobody ever told you it would be this hard. I know, because I was in the same position once. Of course, the business landscape is changing all the time, so whilst the generation before you may roll their eyes at the plight of the millennial generation, they don’t understand what it’s like for you to search for a job in this day and age; especially if you’re a recent graduate with little to no experience.
Whilst part of the reason may be a scarcity of jobs in any and every industry at the moment, perhaps you’re struggling because you still haven’t quite putting a pin in what it is, exactly, that you’re looking to do. The job market is a competitive place, and if you only have a vague, general interest in a position, you’re going to lose out to the next guy who’s wanted that very job throughout his entire life.
You need focus. You need to find a specific area that intrigues you and run away with that idea. That doesn’t mean you’re trapped in one industry for the rest of your life. It means that you’ve made a start. To make a start, however, you do need to settle on something. Just test the waters, and see what happens. You might love the job, or you might hate it and quit after a few months. Either way, you’ve gained an experience.
If you’re struggling to even make that first step, however, then perhaps I can give you a little advice to steer you in the right direction.
Are you tech-savvy?
In the modern era, most younger people are. When it comes to connectivity and the internet, it’s easy to dismiss this as a social skill, rather than a business skill, but businesses are all about socialising. Businesses are all about people.
If you eat, sleep and breathe social media, perhaps there is a career path for you in that area. There are so many businesses out there that need to use social media and a well-designed website to succeed in the ever-competitive world of online marketing and SEO, but older companies or, simply, non-tech companies don’t always know where to begin. If you market yourself properly, you could be the missing piece of the puzzle. All those hours spent tweaking and re-tweaking that one picture of your brunch for the perfect Instagram post might finally come in handy.
Training courses.
Even if you’ve recently graduated, there’s no harm in training for something else. You could consider routes such as hvac training school, if you’ve ever considered becoming a technician of any kind.
Life is a learning curve, and every experience is knowledge gained in your mental bank. If you’ve changed your mind about what you want to do with your life, then follow that new path. Don’t stick with something you’re not happy doing, because that would be a waste of time.
Self-employed work.
Maybe the thing holding you back from finding the perfect job is that so many careers want to shape you into their ideal employee. If you feel resistant to this, it could be because you have your own ideas about what you want to achieve in the business world. Maybe there’s an entrepreneurial streak within you, and that’s a good thing. It means you can make your own success.
Taking up freelancing could be the way forward. You don’t have to start a big business with a huge team; you can start your own solo business, writing blog articles, designing graphics or developing websites for big clients across the world. It’s a lucrative and growing industry, so if you’re somebody who likes to chase their own opportunities, this may be the opportunity you need.
