How To Find Career Direction When You Feel Lost In Life

Whether you’re fresh out of college, going to grad school, or maybe you’re in the middle of your career, it’s vital to know that losing career direction can happen. There are a variety of reasons why you may feel lost. Maybe you lost interest in the industry you were wanting to work in. There could have even been major changes that hit the industry. For many, there is a struggle in finding work, as the job market is very competitive. 

Even losing interest or not wanting to work in what you do can make you feel lost. Overall, these are some examples, but it’s natural to feel lost. It’s honestly something that everyone deals with. While some will continue the work they do, others may not have a job, or they’re still studying and don’t know how to further their career. So, in cases like these, how exactly can you get back on a good career path and not get lost? Here are some tips to help you out!

Find your purpose

Your purpose is what you want your purpose to be, not what others tell you. Have you felt lost because you were only doing what you were told? If you’re wanting to take your career to the next level, this can mean following your own intuition more. Just explore things with an open mind and also try to be upfront with yourself. If you’re upfront with yourself, this is going to drastically help you out more in finding your purpose.

Look into apprenticeships

While Apprenticeship and internships tend to have the same meaning, they are technically quite different and the legitimacy between the two could be considered quite different as well. Sometimes you’ll need relevant experience in order to get into a program; other times, not so much.

Talk to a career coach or career counselor

If you’re still a student, then why not have a chat with a career counselor? Most universities will have one, and they’re free. You’ll just simply need to reach out and make an appointment with them. With a career coach, it’s quite different. While career coaches will try to help people in the midst of their careers, they are usually more than happy to help people who are students or people that are still quite early in their careers. Just keep in mind that this can get a little expensive.

Talk to someone

This could be someone such as a mentor, your boss, professor, coworker, or honestly whoever you trust, and you believe could give you the most insight. Of course, this could be something that feels slightly uncomfortable to talk about but go in with an open mind. It’s so important to get someone else’s perspective on it and to see if they ever felt the same way. If you have someone you see as a mentor, this will help you a lot more.

In general, it’s perfectly natural to feel lost during a career. It may take some time and some self-discovery, but make sure that you stay open to this as this can help you out a lot.