How To Find A Career When Nothing Interests You
Writing as someone who's been there, I'm going to show you how to find a career when nothing interests you. The first thing we have to deal with is the idea that your interests are somehow everlasting. They're not.
They're fluid and changing throughout your life, and there will be times when you don't know what you want to do with your life. This is normal, even natural, and free from any stigma or social judgement.
Examine your options
You may not know what you want to do, but that doesn't mean that you're destined for a life of cubicle-like drudgery.
The first step in finding your dream job is to examine all the options available to you. Consider what skills and interests you have right now, as well as any new ones that might arise over time.
Think about the things that interest you the most: what makes them so appealing? Is it how they make others feel? Are they competitive by nature? Do they allow for creativity?
Consider getting some experience in each of these areas so that when it comes time to look for work later on down the road, at least one or two options will be familiar territory. And one or two might even seem like a good fit!
Ask your friends and loved ones for input
Get advice from people you trust. This is an important step because it's a chance to get an outside perspective on the situation, and it will help you avoid tunnel vision. You should also be careful about who you ask for advice.
If someone is too close to your situation, they may tell you what they think will make them feel better rather than what's best for you.
Similarly, don't ask someone who knows nothing about finding a career or has never been in this kind of situation before. They won't know what they're talking about!
Also, remember that some people are more likely than others to give out helpful information based on their own interests or needs. Parents might want their child to do something similar to what they had done when growing up and vice versa.
Friends might want their friend at least try out something similar, so there can be more opportunity for collaboration later down the road, etcetera.
Make a list of what you could do with your life
Making a list of your interests and abilities is a good way to figure out what you would like to do. You may have hobbies or activities that you enjoy doing, but are not sure how they could fit into your career path. Remember that even if it seems too far outside the box, keep an open mind!
We tend to think of our jobs as something we do at work, when in reality they can take up much more time than just 9-5 Monday through Friday. Think about all the hours outside of work that are spent on tasks related to our careers.
Commuting, networking events, meetings with clients/colleagues/bosses…and these are just some examples! If you don’t enjoy one aspect (or all) of this experience, then looking for a career change might be worth considering.
Think about what you like to do in your free time
One of the first steps in finding your dream job is to think about what you like to do in your free time, and then take it from there.
Here's an example: You love watching TV shows and reading books. You know that these hobbies aren't going to lead you towards a career as an actor or writer, but they could help you find a related field that's perfect for your interests. If you have another interest that also involves writing—like blogging—that could be an even better place to start looking.
Take career tests
Answering tests designed for different types of work will help you think about career paths you've never thought of before.
Even if you don't follow the career path suggested by the quiz, you can offer a position you didn't know before or remind you of a career that you may have been interested in the past. Consider taking a career quiz, sometimes to help you explore more!
Take personality tests
My suggestion is to also complete the 16 personalities test or MyPersonality Test, and the Enneagram test. They are completely free to use, fast to complete and don't require for an account.
The reason I am suggesting you to complete these test and actually before having any career quiz, is because having strong self-awareness most of the time is more useful than imagining our ideal future employment state. Figuring out whether you have the Enneagram personality type 2 or are more of an adventurer can help you identify jobs where you'll show the most potential.
For example, let's say that you always wanted to become a sales person because you heard that it will make you a lot of money and that you will be living a stable and comfortable life. You believe that by reading so much you can acquire a fantastic use of language and your public speaking will be on fleak.
But, the reallity is different and after taking the personallity test you find our that you are actually a huge introvert let's say INFP like me, so your best careers are towards more artistic and lonely positions...That way you will be happier and not stressful in a career that you won't fit.
Have a coaching session with a career coach
Finding a professional coach in order to give you professional advice is a service that grew radically within the last 2 to 4 years. Especially, the online sessions due to COVID-19. Also, as you might have read, people reconsidered their job choices and the remote set-up push them to think of a change.
These professionals are dedicated to help you find your dream career. The sooner you start asking for help, the better! This journey can be completed alone, but it's easy to get lost. Experts will get you on track and help you plan effectively.
According to the International Coaching Federation, career coaches help clients make their own compelling decisions about how to "maximize personal and professional potential."
In other words, they are there to help you understand what you want to do and the assumptions you make about yourself that are preventing you from achieving your professional goals.
Get into your coaching relationship about what you think you need from them, but be open to their guidance on other actions you can take to be more successful.
Coaching based on your skills and work history, and your joy towards certain things can be the key for your coach in order to unlock your abundant mind (which we all have) and get your passion out of you!
Read books about what it's like to do different jobs
If you're at a loss for what you want your career to be, reading books about other people's careers is an excellent way to get some inspiration. Pick up a few memoirs or biographies of people who work in the fields that interest you most, and try to imagine yourself in their shoes.
You might find that working as an investment banker sounds less appealing when you learn that it means spending 90% of your waking hours in front of a computer screen, while volunteering at an animal shelter could be more enjoyable if it allows plenty of social interaction with other volunteers and animals alike!
In addition to providing insight into potential career paths and helping give them structure, professionally written accounts also offer practical advice on how to get started on those paths—and why they're worth pursuing!
Consider a job that you're not sure about, and try doing it for a while
If you're still not sure about a job, consider trying it out. You can always go back to what you were doing before or try something else if it doesn't work out. You could also try the same job in a different career, or even just another job in the same career but with a different company.
The best way to understand something is by trying it out. Our imagination can be widely vivid, detailed and specific, but the sure thing is that we will always mix our romanticism and will be confused towards what we really want and what we would ideally want.
It's a thin line but a very important one that can determine our mental health in the work we will be doing.
Research online if you want more information
The internet can be a great resource for finding out more about the career you're interested in. There are numerous sites offering information on job markets, skills and qualifications required, salaries and working conditions. You can also read reviews of different sectors or specific companies.
Social media are the virality of our era. Though they can turn out really useful and good for us. One thing that I am still doing is to search for examples of job titles on YouTube. When I wanted to become an archaeologists I was watching tons of videos with excavations.
And thankfully I understood that this job is not for me. Even though ideally and my dream job was just this...Except YouTube, TikTok has also million and more video like this so by searching with relevant hashtags you can find interesting content.
It's never too late to change careers
In fact, there are many reasons why it's never too soon or too late to find a new career direction.
In the past, the idea of changing careers was frowned upon by society and seen as something that only an older person might do.
But today, with the rapid pace of technology and technological advances, it is no longer necessary to stick with one job or career path for life: you can switch paths at any age and still have plenty of time left over to enjoy your retirement years!
There are plenty of good reasons why someone would decide that they want a career change: maybe they're tired of working in their current field.
Maybe they've found out that they don't like their current job; maybe they just want something different from what they've been doing before. Whatever your reason may be, there are many fields out there waiting for you!
The good news about this is that if nothing interests you right now then nothing has changed since last week when nothing interested you either! Repeat: If anything, I'm more motivated than ever because this is about finding my true passion and making sure I follow through until I succeed!
Good luck!
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Conclusion
When you feel that nothing really interests you, it's a sure-fire indication that something is wrong. So, you should never just settle for a job because nothing seems to interest you. Instead, it's time to reconsider what interests you and how your interests fit into the real world.
Finding something that interests you can be challenging at first because it takes some serious soul-searching. The easiest way to begin is by taking a hard look at yourself and the way your personality aligns (or doesn't) with your hobbies, interests, and lifestyle in general.