“Do what you love and you will never have to work a day in your life?” This is a saying we have all heard in our lives but it’s easier said than done. How do you prepare for a job you love when human beings are pretty bad at predicting how they will do something in the future? Whether you have always known what you wanted to be when you “grow up” or asked yourself “What am I doing with my life?”. For example your dream job may be a professional mermaid but you might not be a strong swimmer. You love animals so working as a Vet seems like an easy choice but not if you can’t stand the sight of blood! So how do we plan for a suitable career?
DON'T KNOCK IT TILL YOU TRY IT!
We all have an idea of something we could do as a job but our perception can change once we actually try it out. An internship is the best way to get an idea before you fully commit to a career. Doing an internship is a win-win situation because if you enjoy it you will have gained experience for your resume and made professional connections, and if you don’t at least you will realise sooner rather than later. If you picture interning as doing mindless errands like fetching coffee, think again, companies these days make sure most interns learn the ins and outs with specific tasks, responsibilities and projects.
NO ONE CAN DO EVERYTHING BUT EVERYONE CAN DO SOMETHING.
If you feel helpless when it comes to picking the right career don’t worry too much because picking what you want to do for the rest of your life by year 12 is a lot of pressure and pretty unrealistic. Plenty of successful people have changed career paths and dropped out of college to pursue happiness in the work place like Apple founder Steve Jobs or celebrity chef and TV personality Rachael Ray
A great starting point for getting a better idea of what you will be happy doing is identifying your goals.
INTROVERT VERSES EXTROVERT
Identifying if you’re an extrovert or an introvert can be helpful in finding a suitable career. The terms are often used to describe personalities, but are actually more about how we recharge. People who tend to be introverted recharge by spending time alone. Extroverts recharge by being social. Ideal jobs for introverts would be things that allow them to have time alone to think, such as underwriting, actuarial or data analysis. Extroverts are great with large groups and public speaking so could consider jobs that allow them to work with people, such as sales, business development or broking.
WHEN IN DOUBT TRY INSURANCE!
The beauty of working in insurance is it’s the most diverse industry in the world. With heaps of different jobs there is a fit for everyone. So whether you’re an extrovert, introvert, promotion focused, prevention focused or a little bit of everything you will be able to find a suitable job in insurance. For more on matching your personality to the right insurance job why not take our personality quiz to find out where you fit in insurance!