7 steps to take when you don't know what you want to do with your life
Flickr / Kacper Gunia
"So, what do you want to do with your life?"
If this question strikes terror into your heart and you're unable to render an answer, you're not alone. Even some of the most successful people figured out what they wanted to do later in life.
Luckily for you — and anyone else who hasn't quite figured it all out yet — there are a few steps you can take to help you stay calm and move toward a career you'll love:
Jon Chase/AP1. Take a deep breath — this is normal
The first step to recovery is acceptance.
Understand that the way to your dream career is not always a straight path, says Ryan Kahn, a career coach, founder of The Hired Group, and creator of the video course "How to Get Hired." What's important is that you're traveling in the right direction.
"You may find in your career that the journey getting there is more fun than the destination," he says.
If this advice isn't consolation enough, then consider the many success stories that began much later in life.
Julia Child didn't learn to cook until her late 30s, and she wrote her first cookbook when she was 50. And Jon Hamm was working as a waiter at 29, not a successful actor playing a philandering ad man in a hit TV show.
2. Consider your strengths
Seriously ask yourself "What skills do I have to offer?" "What are my strongest personality traits?" and "What do I do best?"
"Lean in the direction of your strengths," Kahn says.
3. Think about what type of work environments excite you
In college, did you thrive in large lectures or small classes? Did you perform better on group projects or individual assignments? This could indicate the size or type of company you'd prefer.
If you did better in large lectures, perhaps you could work for a large, established company. If you preferred more intimate seminars, maybe you see yourself at a small startup. You could also consider working on a small team within a larger company.
Also consider whether you prefer to be autonomous or supervised.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider