The answer to this question seems straightforward because naturally you’d want to talk to people who work in the field you are aiming to have a career in. Often, this might be your boss or your role model.
But it’s not often that you’ll be able to sit down for hours with your boss and talk to him or her about your career plans, and it’s also not always likely that you’d be able to reach your role model. So who else can you talk to?
Forget Face to Face Contact
Before sending emails to mentors who might be available to help, look at what’s available for you to read from books on your potential career, podcasts, or websites. It’s a fact that the internet has everything, and while of course not all of it is reliable, it is still helpful.
Picture from Scanshake
It’s also encouraged to look through the social media and LinkedIn accounts of your role models and see what they are up to. And ask yourself, if you were to succeed in this field, is this the person you’d like to become? But of course, social media can be deceiving, so something else to look out for are career counseling centers and career fairs that often take place in universities.
Those Who Left The Field
This one is a bit tricky, but if your heart is set on one career, it’s important to look at all its potential cons, and someone who left the field could possibly know exactly what the downfalls are. After doing enough homework and research on your field, one is often blinded by all the positives.
Quitting
While excitement is a good thing, you need to know what to expect such as working hours, working conditions, how far do salaries go, and how long it takes to get promotions. Someone who left the field will have a good amount of stories to tell, and while they might demotivate you, ignorance is not a bliss.
Former Professors
If you’ve graduated years ago, this might be a little difficult considering you may have drifted away from your college life, but reaching out to professors is always a good idea. For those who went to college away from their hometown, send an email and maybe schedule a zoom hangout. Professors have nothing to gain or lose when it comes to giving advice, which makes them impartial.
Professor lecturing
At the same time, professors who teach a subject related to your chosen field would have most likely also worked in it. This makes them a perfect person to talk to. Just make sure to pick the right professor, perhaps someone you’ve taken more than just one class with, the head of the department you studied in, or someone who left an impact on you somehow (and remembers you).
Close Friends & Family
This suggestion is subjective and might not be suitable for everyone, but who truly knows you better than your close friends and immediate family?
Talking to a friend
“The people who know you well are more readily able to actually see the opportunity through your own eyes and challenge (or confirm) your sense of self. I don’t believe they actually need to understand the specifics of the career, they just need to hear you describe it — what’s interesting about it, what concerns you, and so on,” according to Marker.
While they may not be able to give the absolute best guidance, they know you as a person, what you are capable of and what kind of work environment would make you happy enough to thrive.
