How to wisely choose
your career path

Steps to help you discover who you really are and what your purpose in life is

By Angela Civitella

Edited on September 27, 2025

Everyone has unique talents that, when used effectively, allow them to make a meaningful contribution to the world. However, many find themselves in jobs that don’t align with their aspirations or true calling, often because they haven’t reconsidered their career path in a long time.

Here are some signs that it might be time to reassess your career direction:

• Your work lacks challenge and excitement, or you feel undervalued.
• Opportunities for promotion or growth are limited.
• You no longer enjoy your work and feel your skills and talents are wasted.
• You experience stress or depression.

Finding your true career path begins with self-exploration to discover your talents, motivations, and personality. This process leads to a career choice that aligns with who you are — a key factor for sustainable fulfillment.

Your career direction journey

The process of uncovering what you are meant to do, that is, finding a career direction, is a journey. It starts with discovering the essential “you”: the person who truly resides behind the facades, defences, and stresses of everyday life.

Once unmasked, your journey continues with specific career exploration and the identification of a career that allows you to utilize your talents effectively. And it moves on with a focused job or career move, in which you identify the jobs you want and put yourself in the best possible position to get them. In fact, this journey never really ends because work itself is all about change, growth, development, and reinvention.

The process of uncovering what you’re meant to do is a journey that begins with uncovering your true self.

How long has it been since you last asked yourself what you wanted to be when you grew up? If this question hasn’t crossed your mind since your teenage years, you may be stuck in a job that doesn’t fulfill your deeper ambitions. By fully developing your talents, you can make your most significant contribution while experiencing personal and professional satisfaction.

Your career path

Discovering what you’re truly meant to do — in other words, finding your career direction — is a voyage that begins with revealing the authentic person behind the masks and constraints of daily life.

Once you uncover your authentic self, you can explore various career possibilities and identify the one that best utilizes your talents. This path, which may involve career changes, will help you pinpoint the jobs you truly aspire to and position yourself to obtain them. It’s an ongoing process, as a career is a journey of constant growth and adaptation.

By adopting a talent-focused approach from the start, you will find the right direction even as your path evolves. This approach revolves around three key questions:

• Who am I?
• What do I want to do?
• How do I get hired?

1. Discover who you really are

The first step is to answer the question, “Who am I?” This involves exploring your talents and preferences, including the use of psychometric tests.

We take two approaches to this: first, by inviting you to discover your talents; second, by exploring your preferences through psychometric assessments.

Exploring Your Talents

Clarification: What is talent? Talent consists of natural, innate, or semi-innate abilities that show themselves as ease and enjoyment in performing certain activities. Talent differs from a skill, which is a learned and developed capability acquired through practice, though the two complement each other. Personal interests are the areas that spark your curiosity and motivation, even without formal skills. Understanding these distinctions helps clarify what energizes you and leads to your successes.

To identify your talents, consider these questions:

• When were you most engaged and creative?
• What accomplishments made you feel most proud?
• Which talents did you draw on during your greatest achievements?
• What activities excite you, both at work and outside?
• What would you do if money wasn’t an issue?

Reflect on each question, then list the three main talents you use most often, ranking them by importance.

Personality Inventory
Next, assess your personality traits to examine how you prefer to work compared to others. Personality tests help you understand your motivations and identify situations that might frustrate or drain you. Learn what you have in common with other people. Identify potential points of friction with individuals of different personality types. While no personality type is good or bad, it does help you discover what motivates and energizes you. This, in turn, empowers you to seek those elements in the work you choose to do and avoid the things that frustrate and demotivate you.

‘A personality test helps you understand the traits you share with others.’

By exploring your personality, you will realize that who you truly are is shaped by the choices you make: how you choose to react or what you prefer over other options. You can deepen this self-awareness by examining why you make those choices. Psychologically speaking, what gratification do you derive from your decisions?

Once you understand your “why,” it becomes easier to see the “how” — how you can find fulfillment through the work you do.

Write Your “Who I Am” Statement

Now, gather these reflections into a simple written statement that captures who you are. This is an essential step toward self-discovery and defining your purpose. Use it to summarize clearly:

• Your main qualities and strengths
• The talents you draw on most often
• The activities that give you the most satisfaction
• The ideal type of activity based on your psychometric results

TIP: When writing your statement, focus on concrete examples where you truly made a difference — not just easy tasks that anyone could accomplish.

2. Know what you want to do

With your personal statement in hand, consider careers that align with your personality and values. A balanced life relies on work that fits your authentic self; without this alignment, frustration, stress, and poor performance often follow.

For your life to be balanced and fulfilling, your career must reflect your true self. Otherwise, dissatisfaction at work and performance challenges are likely to arise. A job that doesn’t fit your personality demands talents you may not have. Pursuing a career path that conflicts with your values, beliefs, and worldview will constantly challenge your adaptability and cause significant stress.

‘For your life to be balanced and fulfilling, your career must match who you are…’

Start by brainstorming jobs that appeal to you, then research those that offer the best prospects based on your criteria. Beware of passing trends—choosing a career just because it’s popular can undermine your long-term satisfaction.

TIP: Be aware that industries often exaggerate future opportunities to attract new talent. Always take official statistics with a grain of salt.

3. How to get hired

The final step is to create a concrete plan for accessing your target positions. Avoid jumping straight from setting goals to job hunting without a clear action plan.

With your “Who I Am” statement and career objectives in mind, you now need to outline your roadmap to success.

• Describe the career path you want to follow, including the qualifications and experience you need to acquire.
• Identify organizations that support your success.
• Consider backup plans in case your initial goals don’t pan out (such as being denied admission to further studies).

Having a broad range of options enriches your career choices, allowing you to pursue your ideal career with confidence. While there are no guarantees, discipline and realism will improve your chances of success.

‘Discovering your true nature and vocation is a challenging and emotional process, and you may need to repeat it several times throughout your professional life.’

Write down the steps you need to take or the milestones to reach your goals. What qualifications must you obtain? What experience must you gain? Which organization offers the best opportunities? Take time to anticipate possible outcomes and develop alternatives — for example, if you don’t get accepted to graduate school this year, what will you do next?

TIP: The more alternative options you have, the better equipped you’ll be to overcome obstacles and maintain confidence.

Now you are free to pursue your dream career with confidence. There are certainly no guarantees, but with the right amount of planning and a sufficient dose of reality, the career that you are meant for will materialize.

Key points

Finding career direction is a process. The more effort you invest in planning, the better your results will be. Discovering your true self and vocation can be a challenging and emotionally demanding process, and you may need to revisit it multiple times throughout your career. However, the effort will definitely pay off once you find the clear direction your career should take.

Image: Marit & Toomas Hinnosaar via StockPholio.com

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