This blog post has been updated by Will Lewis, Associate Director of Employer Relations & Communications on May 9, 2024 for relevancy, inclusivity, and formatting.
Dream careers. We all want them but rarely do we understand how to actually pursue and reach them. Rather than taking the time to follow a path towards a dream career, many people choose other paths that seem “safer” or more “secure,” often times leading them into unfulfilling and unengaging employment. A [2015] Gallup poll, which surveyed 230,000 people, indicated only 13% of them were engaged in their jobs – meaning that they enjoyed what they did. An overwhelming 63% were not engaged in their work and 24% were actively disengaged – basically, hated their jobs. What might this tell us about the current state of how we pursue careers?
In order to pursue your dream career, there are three major things that you will need to take into account: Explore, Practice, Persist!
Explore. When you are first looking into careers that may be a good fit for you, you need to explore all of your options. You can do this by talking with individuals in career fields of interest, learning more about careers online, and taking career assessments to learn more about your personality style and interests. Use the following links to begin your exploration.
- Explore Careers Using O*NET
- UGA Career Assessments
- What Can I Do With A Major In…?
- Informational Interviews 101
- Finding Your Career Fit Guide
Practice. Getting experience is extremely important, not just to increase self-awareness but also for employability. Many people have overly idealistic perspectives of careers. When they actually experience them, their perspectives and career directions may change accordingly. The key is to try out many different careers of interest to get an idea of which might be the best fit for you based on the actual work rather than your assumptions about the work. You can get experience by job shadowing, interning, getting a part or full time job, being part of a campus organization, or volunteering somewhere. Experience is invaluable! It will shed light on things that you “actually” enjoy doing rather than what you “hope” you enjoy doing. Use these links to begin your search.
- Search opportunities on Handshake
- Internship Links
- Job Links
- Intern for a Day
- UGA Involvement Network - Student Orgs & Volunteering
- CURO - Research Opportunities at UGA
Persist. Pursuing your dream career takes persistence and time. Many people think that they can jump from their undergraduate degree directly into their dream career with ease. However, very few find this to be true. Michael Jordan didn’t just become a basketball star overnight. It took years of early morning practices, year round competitions, and personal drive to make his dream a reality. Steve Jobs didn’t just wake up one day and decide to make the Apple corporation. It was a step by step process with thousands of hours of hard work and determination. So, what is one thing that you can do in the next 24 hours to take a first step towards your dream career? What about this next week? What about this month? This semester? Take one step at a time, and eventually, after much hard work and determination, you will reach your dream career as well.
For support on your personal career journey, feel free to meet with your Career Consultant. Schedule an appointment by calling (706) 542-3375 and also check out our website.