How Can I Figure Out What I Want to Do With My Life

If you're stuck in a task you hate, you're (unfortunately) not alone. In fact, an astonishing more than 80% of Americans are dissatisfied with their jobs.

I, likewise, was unhappy in the corporate chore I took right after college. Like many people, I'd put more thought and try into getting the job than into figuring out if it was something I really wanted. There's plenty of research and advice out there on how to write the perfect resume and ace that interview. Simply when it comes to figuring out what you want to do with your life, the strategies aren't and so clear.

I realized that, although I could predict and pontificate about a career path that might make me happier, I would never actually know until I was into the thick of it. I had an idea that I might similar to practice something related to entrepreneurship, but I didn't exactly know what that meant. Did I want to join a startup? Beginning my own? Try to get into venture capital? Bring together or start a non-profit? Do international development work abroad?

More than importantly, I didn't know how I could figure it out without a huge investment of time, like starting some other full-fourth dimension job with a new company.

But then I had a different idea. I decided to enter a competition to shadow Dave McClure, who runs the accelerator 500 Startups. Existence selected as ane of the acme six finalists gave me the boot I needed to quit my job, fly downward to Silicon Valley, and begin what I call a "self-instruction program" on something they don't teach you in school, but is arguably the most of import thing of all: what I wanted to do with my life.

Over the next few months, I began cold emailing anyone I could call back of who I was interested in coming together and learning from. To my surprise, I had a shockingly high response rate. I got to encounter with the founders of Airbnb, Square, Kiip, Mint, Colour, and many more, and too diverse investors and professors in the Bay Surface area. I asked them about their career path, how they'd come to where they were now, and what recommendations they had for figuring out my next move.

And I didn't finish at that place. I likewise volunteered at major conferences, such every bit DEMO and Founder Showcase, so I could meet more people and attend the talks for gratis. I checked out diverse events and talks in the region, and even sat in on classes at Stanford (which the professors were kind enough to let me observe). Finally, to get a total holistic feel, I lived in a co-op in Palo Alto and had an astonishing time learning most cooking, co-operative living, and alternative lifestyles.

One of the most of import conversations I had was John Krumboltz, an international career expert who teaches career coaching at Stanford. He advocated an idea that stuck with me: testing out the different career experiences I was interested in, in the most depression commitment way that I could for each selection. I had just been introduced to the entrepreneurial concept of "minimum viable production"—an interesting parallel, I thought—so I decided to utilize these same principles to deciding what to do side by side with my career.

I began "prototyping" the dissimilar work experiences that I was considering—dipping my toe in each—so I could figure out which I liked best. Once more using my favorite tactic of cold emailing, I reached out to and secured "shadow experiences" with companies including Launchrock (a 500 Startups company), Dojo, Causes (started by Sean Parker), Kiva, the Stanford d.school, and Ashoka (a not-turn a profit that supports entrepreneurship). I spent one-five days with each company, non simply learning from them, but besides helping them out wherever I could. At Causes, I helped produce success reports for clients and sabbatum in on strategy meetings and interviews with potential hires. At Kiva, the CEO Matt Flannery let me follow him around for the day (the literal definition of a shadow) and feel "a solar day in the life," complete with accompanying him on his daily walk in the park to clear his head.

So, what did I learn through all of this? I realized that I wanted to pursue my own business, as before long equally possible. In one of the classes I sabbatum in on at Stanford, the professor asked the students how they wanted the earth to exist different when they died. I knew and then that not only did I want to be passionate about what I was doing—I wanted others to exist, too. I wanted my business to do something that helped other people find and pursue career activities that they were passionate about.

Since then, I was accepted into an incubator called Startup Republic of chile and an academic program called Singularity University (started by the founders of Google and based at NASA), which take helped me to work towards that objective always since.

Just looking dorsum, I'yard so happy that I took the time to prototype my dissimilar career options—and am grateful for the fact that information technology was virtually gratis to practice and then (much cheaper than say, an MBA, which many people say they take to figure out what to exercise with their lives). I learned more in those few months than I had in years.

And whether or not you can take a few months off from work—y'all tin learn like that, too. If you're non quite sure nearly your career path, pick a few things you call back you lot'd rather be doing, and so image them yourself by setting up experiences where yous can endeavor out your unlike options. Observe companies y'all'd like to work for and individuals whose career paths yous adore, and then reach out to them to see if you can shadow with them for an afternoon, a 24-hour interval, or a week. Endeavour informational interviews, volunteering, even internships, and more than. And don't exist surprised when they say yes, or fifty-fifty if many of these experiences lead to job offers—without you even asking for them.

I thing that really surprised me during my experience was how easily outgoing, open up, and helpful about people are. Cold emailing has get perfectly normal, as has maxim "I saw you on Twitter and thought yous seemed interesting, so I wanted to accomplish out." This is the first fourth dimension in history that people's career interests and hobbies are listed online and are easily searchable—and information technology's an amazing opportunity to create your own network beyond just the people yous meet in person.

Take it from me: If you're trying to decide on your next step, it's an opportunity you can (and should) take advantage of.

Desire help deciding on your next steps or prototyping your own career? Make it touch with me nigh my career coaching services at jenn.turliuk@gmail.com.

Jennifer Turliuk's the writer of How To Figure Out What To Practice With Your Life (Next), bachelor on Amazon. She's the CEO of MakerKids, the leading provider of honor-winning programs, camps and parties on Robotics, Coding, and Minecraft. Jennifer studied exponential technologies and how to apply them to instruction as part of the Singularity University Graduate Studies Program (based at NASA Ames). Her work has been featured in The New York Times, Forbes, Huffington Post, Fast Company, Wired, and more. She'due south an accomplished public speaker and has spoken at convocations, TEDx, SXSWedu, Maker Faire, and MakerCon. In her spare time, she enjoys dancing, musical theatre, and current of air sports. Follow her on Twitter: @jenniferturliuk and sign up for her newsletter at Jenniferturliuk.com.

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