Why are we so determined to name a specific job title for what we want to do with our career? Why does it have to be so specific? Is it just that we all feel better (parents included) if we can say…’Yes, I know for sure I want to be a _____ fill in the blank?’ Wouldn’t it be better to describe your ideal job as something like this:
Find a position where I can leverage my background in working with young people as well as my teaching and facilitation skills. Inspire others to dream big and live LOUD. Combine my knowledge of interviewing and what it takes to work in a professional environment & share those secrets with young people to give them an EDGE.
This ‘career vision’ statement has allowed me to be open to many different roles and positions. I never could have told you that THE job I wanted was to manage a program for High School Interns at Microsoft and create a program that would infuse the corporate business culture with young, fresh ideas. Why? Because that job didn’t even exist when I was in high school – that job didn’t exist – UNTIL I CREATED IT.
You don’t need to know the exact job title you want, if you have a career vision statement you’ll know the job that’s best for you when you see it or when YOU create it. Maybe the job you want doesn’t even exist today. Think more about the things you want to be doing, your strengths, list them out and start finding the jobs that meet fit those things. Especially for young people – only thinking in terms of job titles narrows your opportunities and doesn’t allow you to be open to the possibilities. Instead of forcing a NAME to what we want to be ‘when we grow up,’ let’s instead focus on the passions, interests, traits and characteristics of a job that inspire us to wake up every morning and LOVE what we do!