4 Questions to Help You Find Your Career Path
And what to do when you answer them.
In 2019, I got caught up in the data science hype.
I felt I needed to be a data scientist.
That's what the internet told me, so I left my manager job to become an IC in hopes of becoming a data scientist.
3 years later, I was a manager again.
And I never really was a data scientist.
I spent years frustrated that other people were working on the cool projects. I wasted time because I was attached to the idea of being a data scientist.
Things changed when I asked myself 4 questions to help me decide which path I should be on.
You can use these questions yourself to waste less time and get to where you want to go faster.
1) What are your natural strengths?
Figure out what comes easy to you.
You have innate strengths and abilities that make it easy for you to excel in a certain type of work. What is that work?
I was never the most adept at the math and statistics needed for data science. I found it fascinating, but it didn't come naturally to me. Instead, I realized that working closely with other people felt seamless.
I struggled to learn math for data science, but I could easily talk, connect, and help people reach their goals. That's why I'm a manager today. I'm still interested in tech, which is why I lead an analytics team, instead of a sales team.
Determine what work feels seamless and you'll have an idea of what jobs are best for you.
2) What jobs interest you the most?
Once you know your strengths, make a list of jobs you're interested in.
Put them in order of most interesting to least.
Just like me, your interests might not match up to your strengths. That's okay at first. The key is to know the roles that spark a fire in you (even if it's not the biggest fire) and the roles you're not interested in.
Here was my list:
- Data scientist
- Data analyst
- Business analyst
- Analytics manager
- Product manager
- Data engineer
- Software engineer
Data scientist was an easy number 1 for me, but I'd be happy with 2, 3, or 4. I would have been less happy with 6, or 7.
Your top 3-4 spots are potential roles for you.
How do you decide?
3) Do your interests match your strengths?
Take your strengths from question 1 and compare them to your interests from question 2. Where is there overlap?
For me, my natural strength was working with people. The role on my list that's centered around people is Analytics Manager. Sure, the other roles work with people too, but not to the extent of a manager.
This helped me move in the right direction.
When your strengths and interests overlap, you will find the path most likely to bring you fulfillment.
What if your strengths and interests don't overlap?
Try this last question.
4) Do you like to build with objects or build with people?
Do you like to be completely alone and build Lego sets by yourself?
Or do you like to be in a small intimate group with other people?
One of these scenarios will resonate more.
If you like to build with objects, you probably want an individual contributor role where you can build what you want to build.
If you like to build with people, you want a job where you collaborate with others and solve problems together.
If you make career decisions at the whim of hype and trends, you will be disappointed.
If you make your career decisions based on your innate skills, interests, and strengths, you will be fulfilled.
That fulfillment will lead to more enjoyment, better performance, faster promotions, and more money.
It's your career, don't leave it up to other people's opinions.
Trust yourself.