Determine your skills
If you're finding it difficult to choose which career to follow, you're not alone. Most people don't know what they want to do with their life. So, whether you're looking for your first job or hoping to move into something new, a good place to start is with a list of your skills.
Think about the things you love doing
As most hobbies or skills can be transferred into a job:
Talking on the phone
A career in customer services or as a receptionist.
Planning nights out for you and your friends
A job organising people in event management or as a personal assistant.
Playing a team sport
A job achieving team goals such as in retail or sales.
Getting to the bottom of problems
A job in finance tying up numbers.
Babysitting young children
A job in childcare such as a nursery nurse or teaching assistant.
Travelling
A job where you're not stuck in an office such as an electrician, driver or engineer.
Talk to your family or friends. A discussion about your strengths and the different jobs you are interested in may help you to see the most obvious career right under your nose.
Research doesn't have to mean sitting in a library
The internet holds a massive amount of information, so whatever you're looking for, it's worth spending some time researching jobs. If you don't have a computer at home you could visit the library, an internet café or even use facilities at your school or college.
If you have a specific job in mind though, why not try and talk to someone about what is involved. If you wanted to be a police officer for example, you could visit your local police station and ask:
What are the minimum educational requirements?
What is the basic starting salary?
Which skills are essential to succeed?
How do you apply?
Whatever you do, don't panic
The longer you spend trying to work out what you want to be, the more confusing it can get. So, instead of getting stressed about pinpointing your perfect job, try to talk to as many people as possible about your ideas and think about the things you enjoy doing.