I've been there. You feel pressured to move forward, but you're stuck. You don't know want to do. There's a lot on the line because making a good career choice affects your future happiness - but how can you figure it out?
I’ve taken many career tests in my life - found them interesting but not very helpful. I got bits of insight regarding my preferences, but they didn’t give me a clear career direction. I wanted more than just a job where I could apply my skills; I wanted career fulfillment.
Identifying your top “Deeply Embedded Life Interests (DELI)” is a good starting point to find your direction. These are enduring motivational drivers that crave expression. Your happiness depends upon them unless you meet your needs in other areas of your life.
Dr. Timothy Butler, a Harvard University career expert, proposed ten major DELI career themes:
If you can’t readily identify your preferred themes, you can do the 100 jobs exercise located at Determine Your Top Career Themes and identify the top 12 jobs that are most appealing to you, based on your level of excitement regardless of your current knowledge or skill. Then you can highlight the rows you chose and add up the column totals to find your highest interest career themes.
If you identify another theme in your life that’s not already included in the list, then you can add it.
It’s possible that one theme will really stand out, but look for the combination of your top two (or even three) to narrow your focus so you can brainstorm suitable possibilities. For example, what would it mean if you were high on….?:
The combination of your “Deeply Embedded Life Interests” is a foundation you can build upon as you consider your other desires, such as the subject matter you’d like to use, the ultimate purpose of your activities, the people you like to be around, how you want to relate to people, the kind of work contexts that would align with your values and work preferences, etc.
Remember your motivational drivers seek expression, so you’ll feel frustrated if you don’t get to use them. Start with them. Note where you can apply them in your current situation to experiment and get feedback regarding what you need and want in your work.
Clarity is the beginning - when you know what you want, you can narrow your focus to opportunities that are right for you. To your happiness!
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