What are good career options for people who don’t know what to do?
To help you with careers for people who don’t know what to do, we asked career coaches and recruiters this question for their best advice. From Skilled Trades to Consulting, there are several suggested career options that may be good for people who are not clear about which career to choose.
Here are 12 careers for people who don’t know what to do:
- Skilled Trades
- Work on Cruise Ship
- Work as Part of a Crew Flipping Houses
- Grocery Stores Attendant
- Work With an Airline Company
- Business and IT
- A Job at An Advertising Agency
- Logistician
- Virtual Customer Service Representative
- Writing
- Salesperson
- Consulting
Skilled Trades
Skilled trades offer tremendous career opportunities with training and education programs that range from just 12-weeks to 2-years to get started. Welding, automotive mechanics, electrical, HVAC, plumbing, and construction are a few examples of in-demand services that don’t require a university degree and have the opportunity to earn a satisfying livelihood. Explore programs promoted by local trade unions, technical schools, and community colleges, as well as scholarships and internships that can help support this career track. Many employers are in great need for people to fill jobs now, so exploring companies who can provide on the job training is another way to enter the workforce, earn money, and get clarity on what kind of job best suits your interests.
Russell Lieberman, Altan Insights
Work on Cruise Ship
One solid career idea for an adventurous person is a cruise ship employee. Whether the job is deckhand, first officer, or just the salad bar attendee, a cruise ship employee is always on the move. With so many career options on a cruise ship, the possibilities are unlimited. Additionally, going out to sea is a great way to satisfy the urge to travel and see the world.
Sasha Ramani, MPOWER Financing
Work as Part of a Crew Flipping Houses
If you want to learn some construction skills, join a crew that flips houses. You’ll learn how to patch a hole in a wall, how to work with drywall, how to paint, how to landscape and maybe learn some special skills as it relates to HVAC, plumbing or carpentry. If it’s too labor-intensive for your liking, working a job like that will get you motivated to return to school or find a job that isn’t as strenuous. Such jobs pay relatively well, too.
Trevor Ford, Yotta
Grocery Store Attendant
Working in a grocery store is a quality job for those unsure of their career trajectory. Grocery stores offer plenty of opportunities to connect with others, so you can network while you’re on the clock. Even without the goal of networking, the variety of people and their constant presence nurtures better interpersonal skills like communication and empathy. Grocery store hours generally span more than half the day, so there is a good chance to test different schedules to see what kind of daily schedule works best for the worker. Also, many grocery companies offer benefits, and there’s usually steady turnover, so starting and leaving the job are typically easy situations. Grocery stores are a nice job for those that don’t know what to do since they offer wide flexibility and opportunities for promotion.
New Melchizedec S, Expertrec
Work With an Airline Company
Working for an airline company is a great option for those without a defined career trajectory. There are many different options of work in the airline industry ranging from physical labor to customer service. Many airlines promote from within, so a career path might develop as you grow and learn in the framework of the company. Additionally, the benefits are nice for traveling, another useful tool for self-discovery. The variety of jobs at an airline and opportunities for advancement make such companies very attractive for those unsure about their professional path.
Thomas Yuan, Sanebox
Business and IT
Two solid career choices are business and IT. There are lots of ways to specialize in both but starting in those general avenues will get you a job and let you look around to see what you like best. A business degree can be used for sales, management, marketing, accounting, and HR just to name a few choices. Understanding and knowing IT can get you anywhere. From there, you can get into programming, gaming, or cybersecurity as a few options. Both skills are good basic skills that are transferrable if you decide you want some other type of career.
Arun Narang, Smile by Design Dental
A Job at An Advertising Agency
Most advertising agencies are fast-paced, fun, and creative. They have employees from various educational backgrounds and benefit from this diversity because of the inflow of unique ideas. If you’re someone who doesn’t know what career path to choose, finding a job at an advertising agency is a good option. In advertising, there are myriad jobs that require various skill sets.
For example, even if you start out with content and realize you’re more of an analytical person, you can switch to the performance marketing team where your skills may be of better use. If you realize you like interacting with people more than working on a computer, you can join the influencer marketing or collaborations team to cater to that interest.
Chris Roth, Highline Wellness
Logistician
The best job for someone who doesn’t know what to do for sure should follow the path that gives the personal happiness and include skills that they’re good at. But if I were to suggest a “neutral” career path, I would say that becoming a logistician is a good option.
Logisticians are in charge of planning and coordinating an organization’s supply chain, including purchasing, transportation, inventory, and warehousing. To do the job, you don’t need any particular degree, an associate’s degree may be sufficient. Many employers provide the necessary training to do the job. Many are encouraging, as the median annual wage for logisticians is around $75,000. Moreover, you will have a wide range of job opportunities by choosing this career path, as logisticians work in almost every industry. So, give it a try.
Nina Paczka, MyPerfectResume
Virtual Customer Service Representative
Duties in this field entail helping clients find their desired product, keeping track of customer interactions,attending to complaints raised by clients and referring clients to specialists or managers in case their needs are beyond your jurisdiction. As the job may be done remotely, one can work from anywhere and it is a good opportunity to improve public interaction, as well as allowing one time to work on other projects since one is not office-bound.
GISERA MATANDA, WeLoans
Writing
Writing is the best career option for people to figure out what they want to do in their lives. Writing helps people earn money to help them survive during the transition, but it also enlightens them about different things in the world. They learn about new things, fields, and work they could do. They gain knowledge and background information in the process, which helps them be successful in the work they choose to do.
Ivy Bosibori, USBadCreditLoans
Salesperson
If someone has a degree in a certain field, I’d suggest getting an entry-level job in that field. In the event the person in question doesn’t have a degree or doesn’t want to work in their field of study, I’d suggest trying a sales position. You will learn really quickly if that style of job is good for you and the experience as a whole will help guide you towards what you want to do. The truth is unless people have been exposed to certain careers in detail, they won’t likely know what to pursue until trying things or until they’re forced to.
Don’t know what job to get? Try a job for at least a year, if it doesn’t click, move on to the next job. You don’t want to keep hopping from job to job with less than a year of experience as it won’t look good on your resume for future jobs.
Iohan Chan, Clark Staff
Consulting
Consulting at the big four provides a great opportunity to try a number of different avenues as it is project-based. As time moves on, you will be able to more readily identify strengths and interests.
Craig Stevens, Groundbreaking Real Estate
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