Let’s face it. We've all been there — sitting in class during your final semester of college when it suddenly hits you that you'll soon be kicked out of the comfortable student nest and expected to fly solo into the real world. The impending doom of choosing a Career Path can feel utterly overwhelming.

The anxiety caused by that question is entirely justified. Your career trajectory impacts virtually every aspect of your life — from your income, location, day-to-day schedule, social circles, self-identity, and overall well-being. It is not a decision that should be made lightly without thoughtful reflection.

However, choosing a career direction amid a sea of unknowns can feel utterly overwhelming and paralyzing.

If you feel lost navigating your career options after graduation or are considering a career change, this article is for you. Read on!

What Is Career Exploration?

Career exploration is the ongoing process one goes through to learn about themselves and career options to find the best career fit. It involves:

• Trying new work experiences
• Discovering interests, strengths and weaknesses
• Determining what mentally stimulates and challenges
• Uncovering true potential and abilities

Rather than randomly picking a career path without much consideration, career exploration involves intentional and strategic discovery. You put yourself in new professional environments, learn your aptitudes, research possible career options, speak to people in roles you find interesting, and pay attention to the experiences you are drawn to.

The goal is to gather enough insights about yourself and potential career directions to make an informed decision about which path you'd like to pursue.

Importance and Goals of Exploring Careers

Navigating a fulfilling career is critical to living a happy and meaningful life. Here are some of the top benefits of exploring your career options:

Discover hidden talents and interests	By experimenting with different roles, you can uncover hidden talents. These talents can open up new possibilities you would have otherwise overlooked.
Gain confidence in your career decision	Exploring different options prevents you from hastily choosing a singular path that may not actually fit you well over the long-term and help you make the most informed decision.
Experience personal development	Each new experience builds self-awareness, resilience, communication abilities, empathy and other interpersonal skills that make you a well-rounded person.
Expand your professional network	Every person you meet during the exploration phase becomes a valuable connection. Your network is critical for accessing future job opportunities.
Reduce anxiety about the unknown	Getting clarity around your career direction gives you a sigh of relief and confidence to move forward decisively towards a goal — without fearing what’s on the other side.

How to Carry Out Career Exploration in 2024

The career exploration process looks different for everyone. But most people find it helpful to carry out some variation of the following key steps:

• Re-assess your career interests through counselling

  Meeting with a Career Counsellor helps you re-evaluate your current interests, strengths, weaknesses, personality traits, and values to determine potential career paths worth exploring. Through personalized sessions and aid of Psychometric Career Test , you may even get to know your most hidden or unexplored areas of interest!

  Questions career counsellor often ask:

  • What subjects did you enjoy studying in college? Which ones did not make the cut?
  • What jobs and internships have you held? How did you feel during those experiences?
  • If you had endless financial resources, what would you do with your time?
  • What jobs have made you feel energized? What jobs made you feel mentally drained?
• Create a list of your transferable skills

  Transferable skills are abilities that translate across jobs — like communication, analytical thinking, leadership, and problem solving, among others. Identifying these helps you recognize what strengths you can apply to different career paths.

  Reflect on academic coursework, internships, jobs, extracurricular activities, and volunteer work. What skills did you cultivate from those experiences? Make a list and start digging deeper to know which ones may require more attention or finesse to land you the next job. Seek a mentor from your field to take logical measures.

• Regularly update your resume

  As you gain new skills and experience from informational interviews, job shadowing, classes, and short-term gigs, add them to your resume. This shows your professional growth over time.

  Your resume shows your work ethic, experience, and enthusiasm for the new position. With an updated resume, you will be able to submit your application in a timely manner. An interesting study shows that job openings receive 250 resumes on average, but only 2% of applicants are interviewed. If you’re struggling with fine-tuning your resume (no matter whether you’re a fresher or an experienced executive), and need a little help making it ATS-friendly, our resume experts at SetMyCareer can help!

• Reach out to mentors and seasoned professionals in fields of interest

  Informational interviews allow you to dive deeper into certain career paths by speaking directly with professionals in those roles. Come prepared with thoughtful questions that go beyond basic job duties and day-to-day activities.

  To avoid scratching your head during the interview, check these examples:

  • How did you get to where you are now? Any pivotal moments?
  • What education and experiences prepared you for this work?
  • What do you find most meaningful about the work?
  • What was the most challenging aspect at work for you? How did you solve?
  • Which qualities you possess that are aren’t mentioned in your CV?
  • What makes you not want to take this job up? What’s the reason?
• Gain practical experience through short-term positions and gigs

  Pursue short-term contracts, gigs, and pro bono work in entry-level positions related to careers you want to explore further. This gives you practical experience to see if you actually enjoy the day-to-day work.

  For example, if you are interested in digital marketing, offer to help a small business refresh their social media content strategy for a few weeks. Seek feedback and improve your craft — just don’t punish yourself of a mark is missed — we all begin from somewhere afterall, right?

The Next Steps

You may feel the urge to rush toward an end goal during career exploration and quickly make a permanent decision. Try to practice patience. Remind yourself that career exploration is an iterative, lifelong process.

That said, here are a few signs you may be ready to zero in on a career direction:

• You feel enthused and engaged when participating in certain activities over a sustained period of time. You think about them even when you aren't doing them.
• You receive positive feedback and validation from others on your strengths related to specific careers.
• You have a growing sense of self-confidence and certainty related to some career options over others.
• You have a strategic vision and plan for next steps to pursue a career direction — and feel ready to execute that plan.

Rather than a definitive end, career exploration transitions into career pursuit where you take actionable steps towards a goal.

For example, if through your exploration you realize you want to become a UX designer, the ‘exploration’ phase gave you the insights and confirmation to apply for UX design jobs or programs.

Final Thoughts

Deciding your career path, especially right after college with pressure mounting, is fairly easy, if you are determined and experimental. Committing the time for thoughtful career exploration will pay off exponentially and set you up for a bright future.

Trust that the right career direction will gradually come into focus if you remain patient and intentional throughout the process. You've got this!