Finding a Life Calling: Your Career Choice as a College Student

When you leave high school and move on to post-secondary, you are faced with a lot of difficult choices. It’s that time in your life where your teenager lifestyle comes to an end and your adulthood begins.

When you think about future, your first thoughts usually are: What will I do? What type of career is most suited for me? How will my financial situation look like in ten years?

Even though you’re having fun being a student, it’s very much advised to begin taking responsibility for your life. That means thinking about what’s coming next, preparing for your life after university and ultimately, make difficult life choices.

So many students lose it after they’re done with their student years. Some of them find themselves without a life plan. Some of them find themselves under-qualified and often end up working at jobs they don’t enjoy. Either way, these unfortunate events can be avoided.

The other problem comes when you simply don’t know what you would like to do. Sometimes it’s a matter of not knowing what you’re good at, sometimes it’s just that nothing really attracts you. Finding your career choice as a student is quite tough, that’s why this process should never be neglected. After all, you don’t want to end up being a professional student or taking general studies for years, without any real focus.

In this article, I will teach you a few important tips that will allow you to explore different ideas and concepts. It will also set you on the path to finding your “dream career” or your life’s calling.

Perceptions of future success

Every person has an unconscious desire to be successful. Some of you may have already gained awareness concerning this desire and integrated it into your conscious thoughts. But what does successful mean? Can you agree that being successful is something extremely abstract?

For me, success could mean having financial freedom and traveling the world. For you, it could mean establishing a family and having eleven kids and four cats. For my neighbor, it could be the achievement of being a top lawyer in his town. You see, success is extremely subjective.

As you go through your student years, it is essential to dream about your own success. Notice that I mentioned “your OWN success.” That means not being influenced by external influences such as your parents, friends, lovers and so on.

That’s the first part. Second of all, you need to be careful not to be stuck with certain future expectations that have been “placed” inside your head earlier in your life. For example, let’s say that while you were a kid, someone important to you kept telling you that being a doctor is the best career choice. Unfortunately, you have created a strong belief that what they said is true and that’s what you also wish from your life.

But sometimes, these beliefs can become very sabotaging. They can lead you on the wrong path and that’s not something you want to experience in life. That is why, I would recommend you clear your mind, become aware of those beliefs and think about your future success using your “free mind.” You can become anything you want; why settle for something you don’t fully enjoy?

3 important tips to help you choose wisely

Since I finished university, my life was a total mess. And by mess I don’t necessarily mean bad. When I was no longer a student, I was desperate. I didn’t know what to do. I soon began experimenting with all sorts of jobs. In the end, I had worked 23 completely random jobs until actually figuring out what my true “dream job” was.

Right now, I am a freelance writer at Australian Writings, a great writing services company. In my early twenties, I never thought I would ever end up doing what I do today. It took me a lot of years to figure out what is truly suited for me, what I am good at and what would keep me pumped for the rest of my life.

As someone who has been there, I will offer you some great tips on how to approach your future career. I wish someone would have done that for me earlier in life, so I could have got to where I currently am much faster.

Tip #1 – “If there was no money in this world, what would you LIKE to do?”

Start by asking yourself this powerful question. What would you do if you weren’t motivated by money? Is your answer confirming your main idea of future? If not, you’re not on the right path. In order to have a successful and fulfilling career, you must LOVE what you do.

You have to be hungry for progress, hungry for performance. Some people go to work in order to just pay bills. That’s not a good way of looking at life. A dream job is a combination of passion and hard work. But actually, with passion, work becomes play. Most of the times, every passion can be turned into something that can help you self-sustain.

Tip #2 – You never know until you try

Finding your dream job isn’t easy. It’s not like you search for it for several months, and boom, you’ve got it. What most people do is settle with what they have. They get into their comfort job, even though what they do isn’t making them happy.

After you finish college, you’ll find a lot of opportunities. Along with the multiple opportunities, you’ll have to make choices. The choices that you make will completely change your future, so you should be very thoughtful before considering to go for something.

To tell you the truth, most of the people who found their “life calling” failed and reconsidered several, or even dozens of times. The most important thing: don’t settle until you’re certain that what you’re doing is what you are supposed to do. Are you passionate, excited, and fulfilled with your job? Is it something that’s going to last? If not, you’re not there yet!

Tip #3 – Don’t be afraid to ask questions

Instead of applying for a job, reach out to people who already work in that field. After you find one or two people who are already advanced on that career path, approach them and ask for an informational interview. Begin asking all the questions you have about that specific career and find your answers before actually starting to work.

You have no idea how much time of your life you can save by doing this simple strategy. Those people you’ll be “interviewing” have already gone through every possible scenario concerning their job. Find out what their most daunting problems are, what they love about their work and get as much information as possible.

Conclusion

Here’s the truth: not everyone finds their true life calling. You know why? Because they aren’t even looking for it. Don’t be that type of person. Do not settle for mediocre. The moment you stop being afraid to try and experience new career paths, the moment you’ll be one step closer to your awesome future job.

Each and every one of us is good at some things and bad at others. We’re alive for a reason and we should make it count. Never stop pursuing your dreams and don’t give up searching for your life calling. The moment you find it; it’ll be worth it!

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