Friday, December 28, 2012

What Do I Want to Be When I Grow Up

For 2013, I'm going to get more active in a career path.  I'll admit it.  I haven't been that adamant about finding what it is I want to be when I grow up.  Even in college, I didn't have a clue.  I took useless classes that made me take the Meyers Briggs Type Indicator test, the Holland's Social Code, and I spent countless hours in the Career Development Center talking with advisors and looking through their library.  Then I thought I wanted to get into social media and marketing... but really, it isn't what suits my fancy.  I actually like having an office job not in advertising or marketing.

I have a great opportunity where I work.  It is a newly created position.  I'm the first.  Right now, I'm managing social media sites, assisting in sales and event planning, putting together flyers and going to bridal shows, managing a website, and helping create new menus and handbills.  I've even written radio advertisements and press releases.  However, there is no job description, so it can get overwhelming at times since we don't technically know what my duties are.  It's mostly administrative work, which is fine.  I'm grateful that I have a job, I love my coworkers, and I can say I enjoy what I'm doing.  What's even more great is that I have control over what this position really entails.  I could take my career in any direction I want.  But that's the question... what do I need to be doing?  What is it that I'm called to do?

I've debated about going back to college to pursue a Master's - but I'm not even sure what I want to do. I get a little jealous sometimes because I see people my age or younger than me who are moving forward in their careers.  I recently spoke to my family this past weekend.  Everyone said the same thing:  I'm holding myself back.

How am I holding myself back and why?
What am I holding back from?
What more could I be doing?
What do I need to be doing?
What do I even want to do?

I have no idea.  I wish someone could point me in the right direction.  I'm clueless.  I know what I want in regards to a job - but I don't know what fit.  I know I want to have benefits.  I know I want to have a salary job.  I work 20 hours one week and 60 hours the next.  I like that flexibility and know I'll still be able to pay my bills.  Plus, I don't like having to stop in the middle of something to prevent going into overtime.  I hate sales and really don't like commission jobs.  I know right now I need some supervision, just to make sure I'm on the right track.  I like working in groups.  I don't mind having to work my way up from the bottom.  I like knowing that there could be a promotion or a raise for my hard efforts.

So, I'm really interested in hearing how people came to the conclusion of what they were going to do.  When did you realize what you wanted to do?  How did you choose it?  How did you know that it would make you happy?  When you first entered the workforce after graduating, how did you know where to look?