How to Identify Your Career Interests and Do What You Love

It’s the first step towards finding your dream career. We’ll show you how!

Reviewed by Chris Leitch

woman identifying different career choices she would love

Identifying your career interests isn’t always easy, which is why people sometimes take a job without thinking about whether they actually like it or find it interesting. But here’s the thing: it inevitably leads to burnout — which itself could lead to anxiety and depression.

And that’s exactly what happened to me. I spent the first 10 years of my working life in jobs I, quite honestly, loathed. Not because they were bad jobs, but because I had zero interest in them, and I derived absolutely no satisfaction from them.

When I finally decided to take a moment to think about my interests and actually pursue my passion of writing and editing, my whole life changed — however corny that may sound. I was finally doing something that I enjoyed, that I loved and, most importantly, that made me happy.

And you, too, can be happy in whichever job you choose to do, as long as you clarify where your career interests truly lie — and this guide will help you do just that.

What are career interests?

Career interests describe your preferred activities, tasks and environments related to work. These interests often derive from having particular knowledge, talents and skills that can be utilized in a professional context. Career interests, then, reflect one’s preferences concerning their line of work and can play a crucial role in their career journey.

Why are career interests important?

Your career interests can act as a guiding light, helping you determine which professional path is best suited for you and make the right career decisions.

Furthermore, career interests can be instrumental in achieving career success. Indeed, when your career interests are aligned with your job, then you are far more likely to feel satisfied, motivated and fulfilled by your professional life.

Ultimately, this can also make you more productive, creative and innovative at your job, opening up more doors for you and helping you get noticed. After all, when you love what you do, it is much easier to stand out.

Types of career interests

There are numerous areas which career interests fall under. By having a solid understanding of what each entail, you can better identify which appeal to you the most.

  • Agriculture and environment: This career interest area focuses on the natural world and can span from food science, forestry, natural sciences, conservation and sustainability to agribusiness management.
  • Arts and culture: This type of career interest describes creative and artistic expression and includes fine arts, multimedia, entertainment, performing arts, publishing, literature and digital and graphic arts.
  • Business: This career interest type is all about entrepreneurship and can include accounting, consulting, finance, marketing, sales, management and human resources.
  • Engineering, technology and science: Under this career interest area fall elements that involve research and innovation such as programming, chemistry, biology, statistics, civil engineering, physics, web development and mechanical engineering.
  • Health sciences: This type of career interest revolves around healthcare with opportunities spanning from medicine, dentistry veterinary, sciences, psychology, occupational therapy, nursing, nutrition to medical research.
  • Public service: The final type of career interest is dedicated to serving the public through social work, law, education, non-profit work, governance and public policy.

How to identify your career interests

So, how do you go about identifying your career interests? We’ll walk you through the process — step by step:

Step 1: Think about your general interests

A great place to start when figuring out your career interests is to take stock of your general interests and see how they relate to potential career paths.

Think about your favourite subjects at school. What drew you to them? Likewise, if you completed any exciting internships or projects, what was it about them that you found exciting? Meanwhile, are there any particular topics that you regularly enjoy reading about, like local politics or mental health issues?

Once you figure this out, ask yourself how you can apply those interests to your future career.

Step 2: Consider what you’re good at

When choosing a career, it’s a good idea to choose one that aligns well with your natural gifts and talents. By doing so, you’ll feel more accomplished, engaged and satisfied with your work.

Take inventory of your skills and strengths, and then make a list of potential careers where you could utilise your talents.

For example, if you’re good at keeping things organised, then you could lend your organizational skills to a career in event planning. Likewise, if you make a killer cheesecake, then you might make a great baker.

Step 3: Forget about the money (for a minute)

While earning potential is undoubtedly an important factor to consider when choosing a career, there is one thing you need to remember: no amount of money can buy happiness. In other words, the type of salary you could command shouldn’t be the driving force behind the career path you choose to take.

If money were no issue, what would you be willing to do for free? Would you happily volunteer your time and services to do it for the rest of your life? If the answer is ‘yes’, then you’re on the right track — but if it’s a ‘no’, then it shows that there’s a very real possibility you wouldn’t enjoy doing that line of work.

Step 4: Think about your hobbies

What do you enjoy doing in your free time? Whether it’s hiking, collecting stamps, playing football or gardening, your hobbies can be a great source of inspiration when choosing a career.

Better yet, you might be able to turn your favourite hobby into a full-time career. Say you spend your free time making handmade greeting cards for friends and relatives’ birthdays and special occasions — you could try setting up your own business and selling your creations online.

Likewise, if you enjoy building with LEGO, you could look for careers where your creativity and problem-solving skills are a natural fit, like architect, construction manager, graphic designer, engineer or even LEGO model builder (yes, it’s a real job!).

Step 5: Talk to a career counselor

Yes, professional help often comes with a hefty price tag, but it’s money well spent — especially if it means avoiding the wrong college degree choice and the unnecessary student debt that comes with it.

Talking to a career counselor is particularly useful when you have no clear direction about your future career, as they’re trained to help you clarify your goals, interests, values and preferences, and ultimately understand yourself better. They do this through a variety of assessment inventories and discussions, which are designed to guide you through the process of choosing a career that is right for you.

If you’re still at school or university, meanwhile, make sure to ask the institution’s administration about available on-site career services (which are usually offered to students for free).

Step 6: Take an online interest assessment

An excellent way of identifying your career interests is to take an online interest assessment, which will ask you a series of questions about the work activities you find enjoyable and interesting, and then provide you with unbiased insights and recommendations based on your answers.

Our own Career Interests assessment, which is the first of six assessments over at CareerHunter, is free to take and consists of 135 statements which you’ll be asked to rank in order of personal preference. Your responses will then be evaluated to determine your compatibility with 27 areas of interest, including engineering, finance and entertainment.

You can upgrade to the full version of CareerHunter at any point, which gives you full access to the testing platform and the remaining five assessments: Work Personality, Career Motivations, and Abstract, Numerical and Verbal Reasoning.

Once you complete all six assessments, you’ll receive accurate career matches based on our proprietary and scientifically validated algorithm, as well as relevant job and course suggestions and a personalized report with your top results.

Step 7: Think about what’s important to you

In order to find a career that suits and interests you, you need to identify and understand what’s important to you, whether it’s being recognized for your work, thinking and acting morally, or making the world a better place.

Taking stock of your core values — the fundamental beliefs that guide and motivate your attitude and actions — will help you better understand what exactly is important to you, and you can use this information to figure out which careers are a good fit for you.

Step 8: Consider your childhood dreams

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? A firefighter, an astronaut, a doctor, a singer?

Though our childhood dream jobs often change over time and they don’t always align with what we end up doing as adults (or, in the case of space cowboys, for example, align with reality), they do reflect a facet of our personality. And looking back at your early career aspirations will help you identify certain traits, qualities and characteristics that can be matched to potential careers.

For example, if you wanted to become a vet, it suggests that you are empathetic and altruistic, both useful qualities in a variety of professions, including teacher, social worker, doctor and, of course, vet.

Step 9: Identify your professional hero

This can be anyone: a relative, a friend, your pharmacist, or even Beyoncé.

Think what it is about your hero that inspires you and that you want to emulate. Once you figure this out, you’ll be able to evaluate your passions and interests and make a more informed career choice.

Of course, you don’t have to follow in your hero’s exact footsteps. The point of this exercise is to determine the skills, qualities and strengths that you share with your hero, and how you can apply them in your future career.

Where possible, try to reach out to your hero and arrange a meeting or a call with them to discuss how they got to where they are. If your hero is unreachable, meanwhile, your best bet is to read up on everything you can about them on the internet — unless, of course, you have Beyoncé on speed dial!

Step 10: Review your work history

For the most part, our previous experiences can provide us with valuable insights into what we like and dislike about certain jobs.

Say, for example, that you spent a summer working as a barista. You might not have particularly enjoyed making lattes, teas and cappuccinos day in and day out, but perhaps you did enjoy the social aspects of the role. This would show an interest in working with people, giving you the information that you need to narrow down your options and choose a career with tasks and activities that you genuinely enjoy.

Step 11: Research different careers

Once you have a general idea of your interests and your strengths, make a list of potential careers that align with these — for example, if you’re a bit of a foodie and you work well under pressure, you might want to consider adding chef to your list — and then start researching each one in detail.

What day-to-day duties and responsibilities does the job involve? What skills and qualities are needed to succeed in the role? What is the typical work environment and pay like? What education, training and qualifications are required?

Arming yourself with as much information as possible about each career will help you better understand whether it’s something you can see yourself doing — and effectively narrow down your options.

Step 12: Use your network

Once you’ve narrowed down your options and gathered some information about the careers you’re interested in, consider reaching out to people you know who work in those professions.

Ask them about what they like and dislike about their job, what a typical day looks like, and anything else you want to learn about. This is the perfect opportunity to gain real, concrete insights into the job, which will ultimately help inform your decision.

Step 13: Ask family and friends for feedback

Still stuck on identifying your career interests? Ask your family and friends — the people who know you intimately — for their feedback, particularly the careers they think you’d excel in. They might offer suggestions that you might not have even considered previously!

A word of caution, though: don’t let others’ own interests influence your decision. While your family and friends can be an excellent source of inspiration and help, it’s important that the career you ultimately pursue makes you happy — even if it goes against the norm or doesn’t meet your parents’ expectations.

Step 14: Try it out

Perhaps the best thing you can do is to actually get some first-hand experience in the job that interests you. Until you try it out, after all, you won’t know if you like it — whether it’s a particular task or the profession itself.

Say you enjoy writing and are considering it as a possible career. You could take up a part-time job or an internship at your local newspaper, start a blog, enroll in an online writing course, offer your services on freelance platforms like Fiverr and Upwork, or even dive straight into setting up your own business.

Examples of career interests

Your career interests could be many and varied, with each of them pointing towards a professional direction that could be well-suited for you. So, if you’re in the process of identifying what these interests might be, take a look at some of the examples we have compiled below:

  • Academic work
  • Administration
  • Business
  • Caregiving
  • Coding
  • Construction
  • Crafts
  • Culinary arts
  • Culinary arts
  • Data analysis
  • Design
  • Diplomacy
  • Education
  • Engineering
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Environmental conservation
  • Fashion
  • Finance
  • Fine art
  • Governance
  • Graphic design
  • Information technology
  • Innovation
  • Languages
  • Law
  • Literature
  • Management
  • Mathematics
  • Mechanical work
  • Media
  • Medicine
  • Nature
  • Negotiation
  • Photography
  • Problem-solving
  • Production
  • Project management
  • Real estate
  • Research
  • Robotics
  • Science
  • Social work
  • Statistics
  • Teaching
  • Teamwork
  • Technology
  • Travel
  • Videography
  • Woodwork
  • Working outdoors

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Final thoughts

Identifying your career interests can be a difficult and overwhelming task, but it’s an essential first step in your journey of self-discovery and in ensuring future career success — and, perhaps most importantly, personal happiness.

Got something to add or have a question about identifying your career interests? Let us know in the comments section below!

Originally published on May 11, 2017. Contains contributions by Melina Theodorou.