What Does Your Future Look Like?

When you think about your future self, what do you envision? Maybe you have your dream job, a family, some pets, a house, and a nice car. Or maybe you’ve moved to a new city, living alone, and are looking for where life takes you next. Whatever it may be, your career will likely be one of the main, driving forces in your life from now on. You might find yourself flying all over the world for your job, frustratingly looking for a new job for months on end, or meeting some of your best friends through work. Given that your job will inevitably be such a large part of your life, you likely have an idea of what you want it to be in the future. In fact, you’ve probably given it a ton of thought. Do you want to work with people? Individually? With animals? Or perhaps with technology? Whether you know what you want your career to be or not, National Career Development Month works to advocate for career development for individuals of all ages.

As the first, longest running and preeminent career development association in the world, the National Vocational Guidance Association (NVGA) was founded in 1913. In 1985, NVGA was renamed and became the National Career Development Association (NCDA). The NCDA provides career counseling and services, works to develop individuals’ interests into professions and long-term goals, and is the recognized leader in developing standards for the career development field and profession. The NCDA also provides services and opportunities for career development professionals, including opportunities to host public activities, acquire publications, and provide research and general information to the public. National Career Development Month aims to highlight all the progress and work that the NCDA accomplishes, and the ways in which they help individuals like you and I determine our paths in life.

According to the NCDA, the first step to finding a career that suits you is education. Whether that’s a bachelor’s degree, high school diploma, or watching educational Youtube videos, the more you educate yourself on various topics and the world around you, the more you’ll be exposed to the world and your surroundings, and the better idea you’ll have of what you want your future to consist of.

The NCDA also suggests taking opportunities as they come to you. Your very first job offer may not be the position you were hoping for, or even in the same field you want to go into, but it’s 100% worth taking. There is a lot to learn from every job you have, and most skills that you apply to jobs are transferable to most other jobs as well. Qualities such as work ethic, communication, and teamwork are all skills that can be universally applied to nearly every career path and every position you hold.

So, whether you know what you want to do in the future or not, remember that you are not alone. Finding a career that’s right for you might be a trial and error process. Don’t be afraid to take risks, speak up, and be determined to be happy in what you do. There may also be a point where you realize that what you’re doing as a career right now, is not actually making you happy, and that’s okay. It takes a lot of courage and strength to change career paths when you’ve already established one that you’re maybe not happy with. That being said, it will be worth it when you realize that you’re doing something you genuinely want to do, and putting your all into it, as opposed to previously just going through the motions every day. Don’t forget that (contrary to popular belief), you have a lot of time. Especially if you’re still in university, life is long ahead, and anything you put your mind to can definitely be accomplished.