Seven ways to figure out what you want to be when you grow up

So you’ve just turned 21, 33, 46, or maybe even 55 and you’re still not really sure what you want to be when you grow up.

And to think, at the age of ten you probably had it all figured out – or at least thought that by your twenties it’d all make sense. But like with many things in life, what you’ve done and do with your life can leave you disappointed. Your career doesn’t always provide the satisfaction you expected. Perhaps it’s not as grandiose as you imagined. The lifestyle, business travel and glamorous corporate offices you once thought would be part of your future are all there, but frankly you’d rather spend the afternoon sitting in your local park.

Of course, this isn’t the case for all of us. There are always those who absolutely love what they do, and feel wonderful about waking up on a Monday morning for another week at work. They’re the few who cause the rest of us to sit around wondering: “what do I want to be when I grow up”?

To help in answering that question, I’ve trawled through some of the latest expert commentary available and put together seven points. They won’t solve your life dilemma, but could at least help you think it through.

1. Quit worrying about who you think you should be and enjoy who you are. Consider all that you’ve achieved and the current career you’re in. What’s really wrong with the person you are right now? Is the problem simply that your career is a little more ambiguous than being able to call yourself a “doctor” or a “lawyer” and that you’re feeling a personal need to categorise yourself? Could you adjust simple things within your current role to help? Perhaps an extracurricular activity may satisfy the longing for change you desire?
2. Bring some meaning into your current job and career. Often, figuring out what you want to be when you grow up is really a matter of finding a way to make a difference in the world – a contribution that goes beyond that of merely earning a salary for making somebody else rich. The best skills you have for doing this are the ones you have right now. Such a contribution does not require a university degree or a career change, it can simply involve volunteering at your local community centre, establishing a new charity initiative within your current workplace or taking time out to do something completely out of your comfort zone overseas.
3. Dream big – and then ask yourself, ‘would that really make me happy’? We all have ideas of what life would be like on the other side of the fence where the grass appears greener. But while change can help, it’s not always the silver bullet to happiness and self-satisfaction. It could merely be a means to addressing the symptoms rather than the cause of your desire for something else. Think about where you realistically could be in the future and why such a shift would actually make you happy. What would the hours be like? Would you have autonomy? Would you need to start from the very bottom? Will you get along with the people who’re in similar roles?
4. Think, if you had a spare afternoon to yourself, how would you spend it? Really think this one through; would you prefer to be out talking with people, spending time on the net, exercising, working with your hands, researching a new project? This could provide some insight into whether you’re really keen on a people career, something in technology, field work or perhaps even launching your own thing.
5. Consider not just the job, but how you want to work. Every job, no matter how great it seems, has trade-offs. Certain careers have lousy pay but satisfying and interesting work (like social work), or excellent pay but long hours in an office (like law). No career has everything, and there are sacrifices that need to be made for the jobs we have and those we believe we’d really love. Figure out what sacrifices you’re actually willing to make – like terrible pay, limited work/life balance, extensive travel, inflexible work practices, little autonomy, minimal leadership opportunities etc.
6. Brainstorm ten jobs you believe you’d like to do. Get these on paper quickly and then grab another piece of paper and put them in order. Find positive and negative reasons for each job on the list, and then consider the commitments you’d need to make in order to realistically achieve them. Run through the list once again, and for each ask yourself: is this really what I want to do? Am I really prepared to make the commitment for such a transition? Do I actually have the skills to do the role successfully?
7. You’re still growing up, so is the job market. Perhaps, with one or more of the above points, you’ve discovered what you want to do when you grow up – or at least narrowed down the list. Now it’s time to destroy the dream, somewhat, by taking a look at the market and considering if the “what you want to be” is actually going to be around in the years to come. Deciding you want to be a newspaper journalist is probably not such a good idea, nor is developing a toy manufacturing business in Australia, or planning to open a DVD rental store. Think long-term about how the future might accommodate you, or how you can personally play a part in shaping the years to come. Read up on trends and the latest research identifying how we’ll work and consume in the years to come, as well as the demographic shifts that will determine the markets you should pursue. It’s all well and good to find what you want to do, but make sure the rest of the world actually requires you to do it first.

The above may help you figure it out. But only you can create the career and lifestyle you want.