Who's on my blog? 😱 Guest Blogger 🙌🏼

Hi to all you readers of Chelsea's blog! Chelsea and I have done a little guest post swap for all of you, offering each of our readers lifestyle posts written by the other person for you to enjoy. Chelsea, thank you very much for letting me loose on your blog, and Chelsea's readers, I hope you enjoy this post (apologies if you came online hoping for a post from Chelsea today and are instead being met by this imposter - normal service will resume soon!). I blog Here  🔥

For my guest post, I've decided to write a little how-to guide about finding your dream career. I was very lucky to grow up with a very specific inkling of what I wanted to do as a career (which was working in the media - primarily, to be a journalist), but I have to admit that I was probably a bit of an anomaly. With so many different careers out there to choose from (especially in this day and age), so many course options out there and so many different pathways that are required for you to take to pursue certain roles, it's not easy to decide what kind of work you'd like to do in the future. However, fear not! I'm about to offer you my top tips when it comes to finding the ideal job for you. Let's get to work! 

1. Think about what makes you happy and what you'd like from the future 

If you have no idea where to start when it comes to settling on a career, a great first step is to take some time to think about what makes you happy and make a list of the answers, either mentally or on paper. Are there things out there that you have a real interest in or passion for? Put down your honest thoughts about the activities you like to do, including hobbies. They might be specific, like "Drawing", or they might be slightly wider ideas, like "Helping other people". Your answers need not be ones that you feel sound more "professional" or "work-related". Though you might think that an activity you enjoy might not ever realistically become your career, you may not have counted on the breadth of different possible jobs out there and you may not yet have found out that the steps you need to take to get to them aren't as unachievable as you previously thought! 

You should also make a note of what kind of lifestyle you'd like in the future. Do you want a life where you are constantly learning, or do you want to leave education behind as soon as you finish your school/university qualification(s)? Do you want to travel much during your life? Do you want a lot of responsibility or would you prefer less? Do you want a work/life balance? 

These two lists will prove highly useful when it comes to finding your ideal career. By referring back to them when doing research into careers, you will be able to assess different jobs against your own personal criteria about what makes you happy. When you use them, you will be able to look at a job and see if it will allow you to pursue your own interests and fit with the kind of lifestyle you'd like in the future. 

2. Consult careers websites 

They might sound a bit secondary school-ish, but careers websites are a great tool when it comes to finding your ideal role. The reasons for this are twofold. Firstly, if you have no idea what you want to do at all, you can look at the different sectors that jobs are grouped under, where there are lists of the different possible roles in that area (though they are by no means exhaustive, so if you can't see something that appeals to you or a role you were expecting to be there isn't there, do a Google search and you might find what you're looking for). 

Secondly, there's no denying that achieving a goal isn't always easy, and some careers require you to take pathways that are harder to get onto than others. Careers sites often come with a guide to what's required to be able to do a certain job, so you'll be able to get an idea of whether you feel 

you want to put the work in to pursue a certain career. Prospects is a great careers website - check it out at https://www.prospects.ac.uk/. 

3. Ask others 

Another great way of landing upon a role that sounds ideal for you is by hearing about from other people. If you're chatting to a friend or a family member and they happen to mention a job that sounds interesting, ask them more about it. You never know what that chance comment might lead to! Be careful not to take sweeping generalisations by friends or family when it comes to a certain career as final, though. They may not truly know what a career is like or they might have had a bad experience individually - but it doesn't mean you will! Be sure to do your own research to ensure you're fully in the know about a certain job or sector you're thinking about. 

4. Undertake work experience/work shadowing 

The great thing about doing work experience is that it's just that - experience! A short placement in a company gives you a chance to try out or get a feel for different sorts of jobs, meaning that if you find something you like, it's great, but if you discover the roles you're experiencing aren't for you, you aren't tied to them. At least it means you can cross some jobs off your list of possibilities. 

Some organisations don't always offer work experience placements, which can be a bit demoralising - but fear not! There are ways around this. If you're told by a company that they don't offer work experience, you could always ask if you could come in to their office for a day to get a feel for what they do. Alternatively, you could check if there's anyone you could speak to in order to find out more about what different jobs at the company entail. 

5. Consider taking a part-time job/voluntary experience 

Another way of getting experience of different careers, as well as what kind of attributes you want your future career to have, is by getting a part-time job or volunteering. By being in a work or work-like environment, you might learn what you do and don't want out of a job and it might help you to narrow down your options when it comes to finding the right career. 

I hope these tips give you some ideas you might not have thought about when it comes to finding the right job! I also hoped you've enjoyed this little interlude in Chelsea's posting! 

Love Kate 💗