During the summer I read an article in the New Scientist called 'Finding your meaning at Work: 6 things salary can't buy'. It was the result of a sociologist collating research on this topic and finding that there were six characteristics that help. It is worth a read as it is very short.
I was interested because as a Careers Adviser I spend a great deal of time talking with students about what they might be looking for in a job. By the way, it is true that you can talk to a Careers Adviser even if you have no idea what you want to do. Sometimes students already know these things they are looking for because they have reflected on them but don't know which job they apply to. Other students I meet need prompts from me to get them thinking. What I hear the most is that students are looking for a career that has meaning for them. Other words they use is something worthwhile or putting something back. These are all very individual concepts so part of my job is actually helping students to work out what that means for them. This New Scientist article might help but there is other advice and information in the Choose a Career Section of our website.
No-one says it is going to be easy trying to work out what you want to do with your life. Think about what’s your story. What are the common themes in the things you have done so far? What skills are you most drawn to using? What are you interested in? What do you find boring and why? What are your values in relation to the type of work you do or the employer you will work for? Being open minded and aware of your strengths, skills and interests is more important than pinning a label on your future job title.
Be curious and get talking to people doing jobs you could do. You can learn a lot from people who enjoy their work. We organise for employers to come onto campus for Careers Fairs and individual employer events. Talk to family and friends, lecturers and anyone else you might know. Use the Bath Connection (google on University website) to contact Bath Graduates and use LinkedIn Youniversity to find Bath alumni
Ask for help because everyone needs help with big decisions. Engage with Careers Service resources and our Team because it will take a while to work through this but we can help you every step along the way.
Other blogs on this theme:
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