By Latanya Hughes
Faculty Member, School of Business at American Public University
There comes an inevitable moment in everyone’s life when they decide what career they want to pursue. For some people, the decision takes longer than others. What happens when you have not reached that point? How do you position yourself to succeed when you do not know where you want to succeed? Here are three tips on positioning yourself for success.
Tip 1: Visualize Your Ideal Career
First, think about what you want to be when you grow up. This technique may seem elementary, but it works! When you were a child, what did you want to be? Often, thinking this way gets your mind flowing in the right direction.
While you may come to the conclusion that being a fireman or teacher is not the right career for you as you once believed, it may generate ideas on why you wanted that career. Perhaps it was the excitement of being a firefighter. Perhaps it was a sense of self-worth you wanted from being a teacher. Maybe it was because you admired someone who had that career. Maybe it was something you saw in a movie or a dream. The purpose of this exercise is to get your mind to think back to a time when you saw yourself in the future. What was your dream then? What happened to change your dream?
Tip 2: Think About What Makes You Happy
Second, think about fulfillment. This may seem selfish, but it is necessary. What brings you fulfillment and joy? A career is doing something you enjoy. For instance, people make a career out of cooking. It is not because they want to slave over a hot stove every day. It is because they genuinely get joy out of cooking. American author and poet Maya Angelou once said, “I’m just someone who likes cooking and for whom sharing food is a form of expression.”
Tip 3: Find the Right Direction
Third, position yourself for the career you want. Once you decide what brings you fulfillment, find a career that aligns with it. If you enjoy helping people achieve their dreams, perhaps human resource management is the path for you.
Similarly, you may enjoy playing video games. There are careers in video gaming, and it is a huge industry. In 2014, the Entertainment Software Association reported that the video game industry employed more than 42,000 people in 36 states. There is a niche for everyone in every career imaginable. Your chosen career is not far-fetched.
Think outside traditional careers. Be creative. Position yourself for success. There is a career for you. You just need to dig deep to find it!
About the Author
Dr. Latanya Hughes is a full-time faculty member at American Public University. She received a bachelor’s in hospitality management from Tuskegee University and a MBA from Strayer University. She received the Doctor of Strategic Leadership in Global Consulting from Regent University in the School of Global Leadership & Entrepreneurship.
Comments are closed.