Me, Me, Me... Why it's important

Since we were little kids, our elders have always asked what we wanted to be when we grew up.  Back then, our answers were firefighter, police officer, doctor, nurse or astronaut.  Now that we are older, everyone expects a more serious answer.  Many of us simply do not know, some of us have an idea, and very few are certain of what they want.  I believe that no matter where we place ourselves on the spectrum of certainty about career goals we all need to stop and assess ourselves to figure out where to go next. 

We are often hesitant to begin our process of self-reflection because we simply do not know where to start.  The following questions are an easy way to start thinking actively about your future without getting overwhelmed:

1)      What is important to you and why?

Answering this question openly and honestly is quite beneficial because it offer insights into what drives you to do the things you do.  This is a question only you can answer for yourself, as your answers will ultimately differ from your peers and mentors even if you do share many of the same values.  The weight you place on things such as stability, money, flexibility, and work-life balance determines which career fields may work best for you.

Ultimate Goal:

Figure out what are your general behaviors and tendencies that stem from your values

2)      What are the three things you would give up sleep for?

Asking this question highlights your major interests, which could be anything from exercising to protesting gay rights.  It will also shed some light on subconscious behavioral patterns you may have that stems from a deeper want.  For example, I recently realized that I love to read about women in business and the unique career challenges I may face being a woman.  This realization came after I forwarded ten or so articles about women in business to my mentors in less than two months.  This pattern made me realize that I like to win, and to do that I need to know the rules of the game.

Ultimate Goal:

Hone in on areas for further exploration.  This gets you thinking about the type of career you may want based on your interests.  Go even further by imagining some of the characteristics of your dream job and start asking questions to see if anything like it exists.

3)      In which areas do you excel and how does it compare to your interests?

Assess if there is a disconnect between your skills and your interests.  For example, if you absolutely love to dance but you lack rhythm and coordination it is unlikely that you will be a professional dancer.  This may be highly exaggerated but it emphasizes the point.  You should consider pursuing interests that you do have a gift for and pursue the others as hobbies.

Ultimate goal:

Become an optimistic realist. The point is not to sell yourself short by avoiding risks, instead it is to maximize your chances of success and personal fulfillment by pursuing activities in which you perform well and like participating.

4)      What do you bring to the table?

Do you create the most ingenious weekend get-togethers? Can you actually figure out how to get all the colors to match on a rubix cube? Do you have a gift of selling your ideas to other people?  These are some of the things you should consider to figure out where your strengths and “vulnerabilities.”  In the working world, companies want to know what you can do to help them create more value, so knowing yourself in this regard is very useful.

Ultimate goal:

Pinpoint your selling points, e.g. personable, analytic, or detail-oriented. Also, recognize your “vulnerabilities” and start brainstorming ways to improve them.

5)      Success is...?

Each person wants something different in life.  Some want to be on the cover of Forbes magazine while some only aim to have a house in the suburbs with a white picket fence.  Define what success is to YOU.  Whether it means having the freedom to relax every weekend or to travel to a new country every month, you decide.  Having a personal definition of success is the first step towards creating a fulfilling life. 

Ultimate goal:

Working towards forming an ultimate life/career goal

Thinking about life after college is downright scary.  However, just as you conquered the monster under your bed years ago, you can conquer this. With a little work and determination, you can go from being clueless about your future to being capable of taking the reigns of your life.