While a lucky few know what they want to do with their life and go for it with single-minded determination, for the majority of us, the question “What should I do with my life?” can feel like a mystery that’s easier to avoid.
Whether you’re a student pondering your academic path or an older professional considering a career change, this guide is aimed at helping you find your path by answering some questions. Consider journaling some of the answers.
While there are plenty of careers out there, the challenge lies not only in identifying your passions. It’s about aligning these with the dynamic demands of the world around you and finding a way to make it pay!
And if you’re interested in a career in tech, check out our free 5-day short courses in web development, data analytics, product design and more.
Without further ado:
- What do you most like and dislike about what you’re currently doing?
- What activities cause you to lose track of time?
- What topics or issues do you find yourself discussing?
- What experiences make you feel most alive?
- What did you enjoy doing as a child?
- Who do you most respect for their achievements, and why?
- What makes you mad?
- What things do you find easy that most people find challenging?
- What do people tell you that you’re good at?
- What would you like your legacy to be?
- What do you feel like the world really needs?
- What kind of work-life balance do you want?
- What industries or sectors interest you?
- What jobs can you be paid for?
- Do you see yourself steering the ship or contributing to the crew?
15 questions to help you find your purpose
Let’s explore 15 thought-provoking questions that can guide you on this introspective journey. First up…
1. What do you most like and dislike about what you’re currently doing?
Take a moment to think about your current role, studies, or just your daily activities. What aspects of your life bring you joy, and which parts leave you feeling drained or dissatisfied? Answering this can give you a strong indication of where your broad areas of interest lie and which areas you want to avoid.
For example, perhaps you’re studying for a degree and love the rush of grasping a complex concept but dislike administrative tasks. While understanding these broad nuances won’t necessarily point you toward the perfect job, keeping them in mind will help you identify elements to incorporate or avoid as you make your career decisions.
2. What activities cause you to lose track of time?
Think about those moments when you completely lose yourself in an activity. Tasks that don’t interest us quickly lead to boredom or procrastination, which is never a great sign that you’re engaged. However, if you’re in “the zone” and lose track of time, this is probably a sign that you’re doing something that genuinely interests you. Think about how this might transfer from hobbies to different jobs.
The link could be literal. For example, perhaps you love cooking and want to become a chef. More often, though, it is more subtle. Let’s say you love playing the piano. Piano playing requires dedication, discipline, and the ability to focus for extended periods. Musicians also have an innate strength for pattern spotting. Funnily enough, all these traits are vital in careers like data analytics. You may find your hobbies and career passions seemingly unrelated but more similar than you think.
3. What topics or issues do you find yourself discussing?
Identifying what matters to you is not always as easy as asking: “What are my core values?” Passionate discussions, however, typically revolve around topics that resonate with your beliefs, even if you don’t realize it. What subjects often come up and ignite a spark in you? It might be social justice, climate change, mental health, gender equality, animal welfare, or something else.
Once you’ve identified some causes you care about, consider how you might contribute to them through your work. Not all positive change necessarily comes through frontline activism, either. For instance, if you have a background in engineering and are also passionate about climate change, you might combine these to design sustainable infrastructure or advise companies on green policy. Or if you’re interested in psychology and passionate about mental health you could look into a role like occupational therapy. You get the idea!
4. What experiences make you feel most alive?
While passion is undoubtedly crucial in your career, it can also wear you out if you don’t balance it with activities that energize you. Keep an eye out for those moments when you feel most alive. These are usually linked to active experiences that bring a sense of fulfillment.
Perhaps exploring uncharted destinations, volunteering for a cause close to your heart, immersing yourself in creative tasks, or tackling challenges that push your limits. Think of it this way: if your passion is the topic that fires you up, this is all about finding a source of energy to sustain you as you pursue your goals. Once you’ve identified experiences that give you this energetic vibe, you’re starting to grasp what you need to enjoy your work.
5. What did you enjoy doing as a child?
Reflecting on the activities you enjoyed as a child can offer valuable insights into your long-standing interests. We often let go of childhood interests as we get older, even though at their core, they’ve helped shape who we are.
Maybe you loved building things with Lego, exploring nature, reading and writing stories, solving puzzles, or playing an instrument. These childhood interests often hold clues to your inherent talents and can be translated to career paths that will fulfill you just as much today as they did when you were little.
6. Who do you most respect for their achievements, and why?
It could be a famous person or someone you know personally. Consider the specific reasons why you admire these people—is it their entrepreneurial spirit, scientific breakthroughs, artistic creativity, impact on society, or simply how they engage with the people around them?
Think deeply about the issue and remember that the reason you admire them might not immediately be clear. For example, perhaps you adore Madonna, but realize it is less for her music than her relentless work ethic. This introspection will guide you towards professional characteristics you value and want to cultivate yourself. Reflecting on how these admired traits align with your aspirations will help shape your professional path.
7. What makes you mad?
We’d ask: “What do you love doing?” But if you knew the answer, you wouldn’t be reading this article! On the contrary, most people can quickly identify what makes them mad or even angry. Exploring this might sound counterintuitive, but it can actually shed light on the causes you’re most passionate about.
For example, if the injustice of unequal educational opportunities infuriates you, you could be a profoundly passionate educational policy advocate, community organizer, or non-profit leader.
Asking this question can also help distinguish between issues that get you fired up and those that merely interest you in passing. While nobody wants every day at work to evoke intense emotions, working on a problem that doesn’t engage your deeper drive means you’ll quickly get bored in a role. It’s all about striking the balance between passion and practicality.
8. What things do you find easy that most people find challenging?
This one might require a bit more thought because most of us take the things we’re good at for granted. In turn, the inability to label our skills makes it harder to know how to use them.
Pay close attention to things that seem to come effortlessly to you, and reframe them as skills. For example, maybe you find working with computers easy and can’t understand why others struggle. In this case, maybe computers aren’t easy—maybe you’re just good at grasping different software or organizing chaotic information into coherent structures. This could lead to a career in UX design or product management.
Similarly, if you find it easy to connect with people, maybe you’re not just sociable. Perhaps interpersonal skills are among your natural abilities. This means you might be good at mediating conflicts or influencing people—both essential traits in many roles. Embrace your inner talent!
9. What do people tell you that you’re good at?
Feedback from others on your strengths can also be insightful. Keep in mind that it could be direct or indirect.
For example, your boss might consistently praise you for completing a specific task (direct). Alternatively, people in your personal life might come to you for help with particular issues, such as resume writing or guidance on specific subjects (indirect).
Keep your personal compass in mind, though. The things we’re good at aren’t always the things we enjoy. We’re often praised as children for being good at something. That can sometimes lead us to pursue it subconsciously to meet the expectations of others. You don’t have to do that. But you can find ways to adapt your skills to something that interests you.
In this video, Alison explains how skills from a previous career can transfer to a new one—this applies for skills you haven’t professionally practiced yet, too.
10. What would you like your legacy to be?
When asking: “What should I do with my life?” consider the mark you want to leave on the world. Whether it’s through your work or by other means, defining your desired impact can help provide direction.
Do you want to leave a lasting legacy through significant advancements in your field? Or are you driven more by the desire to make a difference on a smaller, more personal level, for example, by positively impacting the lives of those around you?
Defining what legacy means to you will help. It doesn’t guarantee success. However, having a lifelong goal will maximize your chances of manifesting positive outcomes while driving your decision-making on a day-to-day basis.
11. What do you feel like the world really needs?
We live in a complex world replete with problems. Identifying what the world needs, or even just a section of it, can inspire you to contribute in helpful ways. Reflecting on what you perceive as lacking in the world can channel your skills toward a meaningful career.
For example, if you work in publishing, you might be aware of a persistent lack of diverse voices in literature. In this case, you address the issue by founding new initiatives to fund underrepresented writers. Or maybe you’re a software developer and have noticed the software your team uses doesn’t meet their needs. Your contribution could be as “simple” as designing a new project management system.
Identifying issues in the world around you will allow you to use your unique skills to create lasting solutions that make the world a better place.
12. What kind of work-life balance do you want?
Maybe changing the world sounds too much like hard work, and that’s fine, too. If your joy comes from earning a good living and relishing your downtime, there’s no shame. But there’s also no denying that we live in an “always on” culture that often comes with an expectation of hard work before everything else.
Finding equilibrium between your career and personal life will ensure your journey is professionally satisfying without burning you out. Crucially, this balance is different for everyone. You might be the kind of person who takes satisfaction from working long hours on a project you’re passionate about.
Alternatively, you might prefer working 9 to 5 and knowing you can switch off. It’s necessary to be honest about the type of work-life balance you’d like to strike.
13. What industries or sectors interest you?
Not every question has to be an esoteric soul search! On to more practical matters, exploring the industries or sectors that capture your interest can also provide a good direction for your career.
What captures your attention in the news or elsewhere? Maybe it’s technology, investments, education, sustainable energy, or the arts. While you might not have considered these sectors as possible career paths before, there are many jobs out there, most of which you might not know about. Explore the jobs that align with your skills in industries that interest you.
14. What jobs can you be paid for?
A practical question to consider is: Which jobs only align with your skills and interests but are also positions you can realistically get paid for? If you want to make your living as a professional ice cream taster, you might have a hard time!
The challenge is that many jobs exist that people haven’t heard of. And if you can’t see it, you can’t be it. The only solution is to explore different career options and gain insights into potential professions. There are many resources available for this, including Youth.gov’s Career Exploration and Skill Development tool. Give it a go—you might be surprised by what you learn!
15. Do you see yourself steering the ship or contributing to the crew?
Considering your leadership style and teamwork preferences is essential for career planning. Leaders typically possess traits like decisiveness, strategic thinking, and a grasp of financial planning.
On the other hand, those who prefer working as an equal member of a larger team typically exhibit adaptability, empathy for others, good listening skills, and reliability.
While these skills aren’t mutually exclusive, determining which kind of person you are is the best way to keep on track with your career journey.
Final thoughts
There we have it! Fifteen ways to answer the age-old question, “What should I do with my life?”
From the esoteric to the practical and the mystical to the tactical, these questions should bring a fresh perspective to your career planning. Whether you’re still in high school and contemplating the future or simply considering a new career track, you can use these questions to determine where your skills, interests, and viable career options all meet.
Don’t forget the links between your interests, passions, and job roles might not be obvious. It would be lovely if we could simply turn our hobbies into careers, and it does happen for a lucky few, but it’s quite rare in reality. Instead, learn to spot the oblique links, often in the form of creative, critical, or other transferable “meta-skills,” which can reveal potential job paths you hadn’t considered.
Finally, remember that your current skillset is never a deal-breaker. Aligning any career with your natural abilities is a great start. But you can learn practical or technical skills.
To explore potential careers or industries that might suit you, take our free tech career quiz or browse our list of free short courses for beginners.
To learn more about a new career or a career change later in life, check out the following guides: