When I Grow Up, I Want to Be…
April 9, 2012
When I was a child, I wanted to grow up and be a train conductor.
Why? Because I liked trains.
News flash! I didn’t grow up to be a train conductor. In fact, I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t enjoy becoming one. If I honestly think about the job duties, it probably involves a lot of attentive watching; frankly, that’s not up my alley. But I didn’t think about all the specifics of the job or even the qualifications needed when I was a child, I just knew I liked trains and wanted to be around them. Of course, the trains I liked either talked and had faces on them or were colorful, immaculate machines. Ah, the luxury of being young!
As adults, we still have the opportunity of pursuing a career involving something we truly like and are passionate about. We just need to learn how to find it.
Sometimes that’s easier said than done, but you do have options. Thanks to the Internet, there are free career assessments that you can take which will give you some idea of what jobs you may like.
Try careeronestop.com and click on the “exploring careers” section. You will find a list of the fastest growing careers and industries, information about different career options, and what kind of education or training is required to work in those fields. This website also allows you to take interest assessments.
Another resource is mynextmove.org. This site allows you to explore all types of career options. You can either search for a career using keywords like “nursing” or “build houses,” by industry like “education” or “construction,” or by taking an assessment, which asks you questions about things you like to do and tells you what different career options best fit your interests.
Just because you didn’t turn out to be a fireman, astronaut or a train conductor doesn’t mean you’ll never fulfill your dream. But when you do dream, know that there are several resources designed to help you find what can make those dreams become reality.
David Awalt
Lab Specialist – Goodwill Industries of North Louisiana, Inc.
dawalt@goodwillnla.org
