Confucius said, “Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life.” Although this is a great advice, it’s not always as simple as it sounds. It can be very difficult to determine how to pick a career you love. Many times people don’t really know what career they love. Is there a reliable method of how to pick a career that one loves? Here are some steps to discovering the career you love.

Discover and pick a Career you’ll love

1. What excites you?

The greatest sign that you are on the wrong career path is not enjoying what you do. Although being passionate about what you do is not the sole requirement for being content in your career path, it is very important because your passion keeps you working at your career even during tough times.

2. What are you good at?

Sometimes you are not passionate about any career or perhaps there are multiple career areas you love and you don’t know how to pick a career path out of these. This is the time to focus on the skills you have and choose a career path that is in line with your skills.

3. Ask Other People

Sometimes asking others about their career is a very good way to discover a viable career. Asking people about what they do might just create a fire in your belly. Many people have solved the problem of how to pick a career they love in this way.

4. You can find a career by Interning 

A great method of how to find a career you love is trying out different careers. An internship allows you to experiment with industries and careers. You discover careers that are good for you and might fall in love with a one. Internships can also build networks which could be very useful in your future career journey. It is important to note that some internships are unpaid.

5. Find a Mentor

A mentor can guide you on how to find a career that’s great for you. They can help you move your career a step higher and give you tips to keep you on the right career path. A mentor can also introduce you to new careers that are very appealing to you.

6. Take a Career test 

Career assessments are used to help people understand how their personal attributes i.e. preferences, values, skills, motivations, and aptitudes, affect their success and satisfaction with various career and work environments. They play a crucial role in career development and in answering the question of how to pick a career you love.

They are very effective because they help you understand your strengths, weaknesses motivations etc and match you with careers you suited for your profile. 

Taking a career test can help you pick a career you love

1. It helps to reveal your skills 

When your skills match your career, your job becomes less stressful and more enjoyable. It is easier to do things you are skilled at. Taking a career test will help reveal your skills and match them to a career. Your skills and values are a good beginning point to start a gratifying career according to Heidi Grant. 

2. It helps to determine your personality type

Different careers suit different personality types than others. A career test will help you determine your personality and the career that works for you.

3. It helps reveal your true motivation 

People perform better and apply creativity to what they are excited about. If we focus on a specific goal, we tend to be more organized and deploy a well-structured strategy in achieving the expected result. Taking a career test will help you know which career you are excited about.

4. It helps reveal your aptitude level 

Aptitude is defined as acquired or natural ability for an individual to perform certain tasks. Taking a career test will help you know your strength and weaknesses, you will also fully understand which career path is best for you and which one you should totally avoid based on your aptitudes. For example, if your spatial aptitude is very high you can venture into careers related to design, art, architecture etc. If you possess high numerical aptitude, then you can venture into careers like accounting and financial management. Understanding your aptitude level will help you in knowing how to pick a career that is best for you.

5. It helps you understand your values

If your personal values are not in alignment with your career, you may end up hating your career and not be as successful as you wish. One of the tips to having and keeping a great job is knowing and understanding your personal values. After knowing them you need to match them to a job where you can thrive. Your values need to be in sync with: the type of work you want to do; the place you want to work; and the people you want to work with. Taking a career test will help you discover your values and match them to an appropriate career.
I hope you enjoyed my tips in determining how to pick a career you love. Do what you love as a career and work become less stressful and more enjoyable. To avoid making a mistake in choosing a career, take a career test!