What Should I Do with My Life?

The schooloflife.com site makes the point that if you don't decide what to do with your life someone else will decide for you. I was reminded of my niece's experience. She was a college graduate with an accounting major who went to an employment agency, where she was told she should be an administrative assistant. She didn't agree and is now a corporate comptroller.

In a Ted Talk, a School of Life spokesperson did admit that deciding on a career is confusing, because there are at least 500,000 different choices.

As we are often told, we need to know ourselves. What are your tastes and inclinations. What type of movies, TV shows, magazines, books, etc. do you prefer? Do you enjoy working with a team or are you a creative individualist? Do you follow sports, fashion, or politics. What kind of music do you like? Would you rather live in a city, suburb, or on a farm? Do you like to work on things with your hands? Would you like to work in the U.S. or Nigeria? Would you like to work out-of-doors? Knowing yourself takes a lot of thought and there is no need to sort out your options in a rush.

In fact it's good to look for ways to try out career options in the real world. Collect data. Volunteer. Find an internship. Ask to shadow someone in a field you think you might like. In any job, you can study suppliers, what good and bad managers do, if you like or dislike working with customers. The internet provides ways to try out jobs. If you want to be a writer, see how long you like writing a blog. If you think being a stock or commodity trader is your thing, watch MSNBC and devise your own system for picking stocks, bonds, or sugar futures. See how much money you can make or lose over a year.

If you're interested in becoming your own boss, reflecting on the things that make people unhappy can provide an idea for a business opportunity. Consider all the opportunities that exist because people don't want to be fat. Diet pills, low-cal foods, gyms, trainers, video workout sessions, companies that send food to those who want to lose weight, fashions to make large women look better at Lane Bryant and online, the "Big Loser" TV show.

Knowing what you want to do gives you confidence and courage to ask for the position you want, not to be timid, to train for that position no matter what your age, to take the risk and to go for it. I once was sitting next to a court reporter on a plane headed to Florida in January. She knew her profession was in demand everywhere so why not follow the sun. A friend who is a nurse knows she has her choice of locations too. The object is not to settle until you get the life you want.