Whether at a crossroads between education and employment or feeling disconnected or stuck at your current job, searching for “I don’t know what career I want” likely reflects feelings of overwhelm, uncertainty, and a sense of being stuck.
If you feel this way, know that you’re not alone. The world is filled with endless career paths, and societal pressures often push us to have it all figured out by now.
But here’s the thing: dream career exploration is a journey, not a race. The average person evolves throughout life as an individual and a professional. We should all ask ourselves, “What do I want to be when I grow up?” every now and then, regardless of age.
So, not knowing what career you want isn’t a dead end — it’s a launchpad for personal growth and discovery.
This article won’t focus on the usual job-hunting tips like resume building or job searching (don't worry, we will include a list of great resources for that kind of stuff). Instead, we’ll dive deeper into self-understanding, helping you set a strong foundation for meaningful exploration of career options.
By the end, you’ll be equipped with a new mindset and practical insights to discover a career path that resonates with who you are.
Is There Such a Thing as Too Many Career Options?
Apparently, there is. In the Western world, we now have so many potential opportunities to pursue our interests. We can easily find career ideas that match our skills and choose a work environment that meets our vision of a top-notch job. Nowadays, a career test and informational interviews pair our personality type and work values with specific jobs.
Paradoxically, too many different career paths can create choice overload. This phenomenon explains why providing individuals with more options can be detrimental to choice-making.
Research shows that indecisiveness on which career path to take can also be related to a myriad of factors, such as emotional intelligence, personality factors, academic burnout, and even depression.
It can be daunting when you’re feeling completely lost about your career goals — or even what the right direction might look like for you professionally.
I am familiar with the creeping inner voice that says, “I don’t know what occupation I want.”
I went through that twice in my life. The first career path I wanted to take was to study English. My father talked me out of it.
Then, when I graduated as the top student in my psychology program long ago, it could be expected that I would have a clear idea of where to go next. Instead, I found myself anxiously pondering whether to embark on a job search in some company and acquire hands-on experience, enroll in psychotherapy training, and gain more insight into clinical psychology — or put all that aside and pursue my other love, arts.
Yes, I had all sorts of career ideas. As you can tell, I finally settled into a writing career. For now — who knows what the future holds.
I understand the urgency and stress of not knowing what type of job would make you feel fulfilled. Based on my experience and research, I have compiled seven insights that should help you gain a better idea of careers that would fit your personality and preferences.
7 Insights and Actionable Steps to Structure Your Search for Your Dream Job
When you hear, “I don’t know what to do as my career path” in your head, it might reflect more than just needing a new job. This indecision could signal a deeper uncertainty about the direction you want for your life. If that resonates with you, explore our other article, where we share seven steps toward self-discovery.
Here, we’ll explore insights to support your professional self-reflection.
These insights are meant to help you consider different careers without feeling overwhelmed. You don’t have to follow them in any particular order. Actionable steps alongside each insight can help you turn a new idea into concrete actions, ultimately bringing you closer to a fulfilling career with which you will find happiness.
Insight 1: Before You Begin Exploring Career Paths — Get Into the Right Headspace
Career decisions often bring emotional baggage. You might be afraid to fail, especially if you generally tend to feel like a failure on a regular basis. You could be juggling societal expectations with your authentic desires. Or, you might be scared to be disappointed after negative previous experiences.
Try to clear these mental blocks before diving into specific career options and reading endless job descriptions. Start your journey with more than critical thinking. Tap into self-compassion and acceptance to ease the pressure.
Actionable Step
This exercise helps clear mental blocks and reveals sometimes hidden perspectives that can guide career decisions without you being aware of them.
Create a reflection space. Set aside 30 minutes. Use a journal or notes app to reflect on these questions (and feel free to come up with more):
- What expectations (from society, family, myself) shape my career thinking?
- What does “success” mean to me?
- What are my core values?
- What is the worst scenario for me professionally?
- How do I define a meaningful life?
- When have I felt most fulfilled in the past?
Insight 2: Understand Your ‘Why’ — It’s More Important than ‘What’
Let’s dig a little deeper into self-reflection.
Shift your focus from “What job do I want?” to “Why do I want a job?”
Is it for stability, purpose, creativity, or independence? Do you want to feel accomplished through your career path? Do you want to gain experience to become an expert? Or do you want a job that pays good money? Do you see different career paths as a means to make a difference in the world and help people?
Actionable Step
This exercise guides you through your most authentic “whys”. They serve as guiding principles, making assessing career paths aligned with personal values easier.
Ask yourself, “Why do I want to work?”
Write down 5-10 reasons why having a career matters to you (for example, “To help others,” “To feel creative,” “For financial stability”). Next, circle the top two or three that resonate most with your current life stage.
Insight 3: Embrace Exploration — You Don’t Need All the Answers Now
Sometimes, we get so fixated on the destination that we forget to enjoy the ride.
Why not try looking at this uncertainty about which career path is right for you from a different perspective? See what exploration can bring you instead of rushing to get to the answer. Don’t worry. You will eventually know what you want.
Step out of your comfort zone. Test the waters. Explore low-stakes experiences, like volunteering, extracurricular activities, freelancing, or side projects. Go on informational interviews, pressure-free. Do personality tests for a better understanding of who you are and how you might fit into different fields.
BrainManager’s Career Test can be very helpful with this step.
Actionable Step
This step sparks creativity, bypassing the pressure to choose something “normal” or “practical.”
List 20 jobs or interests — no limits. Set a timer for 10 minutes and brainstorm careers.
Write down any idea that comes to mind, even if it seems unrealistic or impractical. Make a “crazy ideas” list where any career or interest is valid.
Next, look for patterns. Are there common themes, like helping others, creativity, or problem-solving?
Insight 4: Overcoming Common Psychological Barriers to a Job Search
When someone says, “I don’t know what career I want,” they’re often afraid of making a mistake and ending up on the wrong career path.
This is a perfectly normal fear. I rarely talk to people without hearing, “Oh, a psychologist — I wanted to be one, too!” So, from that perspective, most people I met had at least one alternative job they wanted to do in life — but didn’t. It does not mean they are not happy with their current careers.
To overcome “paralysis by analysis”, you can try low-commitment actions, like networking events, approaching companies that conduct informational interviews, or engaging in short-term projects. These activities are more exploration steps rather than committed planning for the future.
Actionable Step
Exploring in short bursts offers valuable insights without the pressure of long-term commitment. Ideally, you will know what you want after seeing how different careers look in person.
Experiment with short-term projects. Try one activity this month to explore a career area without full commitment, simply to see if it is a good fit. Options include:
- Volunteering in a field of interest (such as working with nonprofits or organizing events).
- Freelancing small projects in various fields to gain experience (like writing or design).
- Job shadowing someone in a career and work environment you’re curious about.
- Taking a free or inexpensive online course on one of your “crazy ideas.”
Insight 5: The Role of Tools — Career Assessments as a Starting Point
When you are at the stage where you are exploring your career interests and long-term goals, you have two options.
You can browse countless job descriptions and explore the offered work environment, needed skills, other job benefits, money in the industry, and a particular company.
You can also leverage career assessments to identify hidden interests or strengths. If you take this path, you will start the job search with a predefined image of what you seek and have to offer. Then, when you start exploring jobs out there, you will easily realize if you are a good fit for the specific industry or business.
You might have encountered personality tests or career tests before. Or you might have received career advice from a counselor when applying for a college. Now is the time to revisit these inputs and see if they still apply to your current professional Self.
Actionable Step
This actionable step applies critical thinking and gives you a scientific yet personal starting point for career exploration.
Take a career interest or personality test. Choose an online test to discover careers that align with your personality, but treat the results as flexible guides.
BrainManager can help you reflect on your skills, preferences, interests, and personality traits. For example, you can take our career test (based on the Holland Code), explore your work values with this free test, and determine your personality type with our test based on the Myers-Briggs framework or your profile within the Big-5 system.
Then, see if you can think of a few career ideas based on these insights that spark curiosity. Start researching them through informational interviews, job descriptions, or blogs.
Insight 6: Let Go of Pressure — The Path Unfolds Gradually
Let go of the pressure to “figure it all out” right now. Your future doesn’t need to be set in stone.
Careers today are often winding paths. Few people stay in one role forever. Instead, they gain diverse skills and develop different interests over time. Therefore, it’s okay to view this time as an evolving journey.
Instead of committing to specific jobs right away, focus on gradual steps. Start exploring. Talk to people already working in the business or industry that sparks your interest. These conversations can uncover insights about companies and roles you may not have considered.
Getting started this way allows you to build experiences that shape your career without feeling locked in one direction.
Actionable Step
Focus on growth and self-discovery over finding the perfect job or company immediately.
Create a flexible two-year career experiment plan. Before making definitive career choices, ask yourself:
- What skills do I want to develop?
- What industry or roles intrigue me enough to try them in person, even in the short term?
- What work environments or company cultures I’d enjoy, and why?
- What do I hope to learn about myself through this experience?
- How will I measure personal development or fulfillment in these roles over the next two years?
Insight 7: Embrace Curiosity and Play
My final advice builds on the previous insight: view career exploration as a playful journey.
Rather than focusing only on serious steps, experiment with hobbies, try on different job titles to see how they fit, seek new skills, or join interest groups. You never know where this may take you.
I can give you a personal example. I have always loved arts & crafts (long before they even had such a handy name). So, I made jewelry for fun. My friends and family kept pushing me into selling, although that initially didn’t even cross my mind. Eventually, I ended up making a lot of money from it during my college years. Now, it’s my side business. So, without exploring a hobby, I would have never realized I even had entrepreneurship in me.
Embracing curiosity and play instead of trying to find your perfect job (or, at least, the industry) lowers the stakes and helps you discover potential passions.
Actionable Step
A playful mindset encourages curiosity and enjoyment, reducing the pressure of finding the “right” career and opening new possibilities.
Create a “no-stakes exploration week”. Dedicate one week to trying new activities with zero expectations. Each day, explore a different hobby, workshop, or interest-based group. The only rule is: no pressure for outcomes or long-term commitment.
Embrace the Search, and You Will Realize What Career You Want
Acknowledging: “I don’t know what job I want” can feel daunting. However, it is also an incredible opportunity to explore who you are beyond a title or a company. The world is vast, and career paths today offer endless avenues to build skills, uncover interests, and evolve.
As you move forward, remember that it is not about rushing into the “right” industry or job title but learning what truly resonates with you. Start small, explore your interests, and make connections — the rest will follow.
Ready to begin? Let your next step be about discovering and enjoying the journey. Leverage BrainManager’s resources to guide you on the path to self-discovery.
And as promised, here are some articles to help you land the job of your dreams!
