Discovering Your Calling: 6 Steps to Finding Your Professional Vocation

What do I want to do with my life? What would I like to do professionally?

Finding your professional vocation is like unearthing a hidden treasure within yourself. It's a process of self-exploration, discovery, and development that can take time and effort, but can lead to a working life full of meaning and satisfaction. The current situation is concerning. For example, in Spain, one in five young people is unemployed (Eurostat 2022).

Here are six practical steps to help discover your professional vocation and shape this important issue in life. To be more effective, give yourself an hour and a half of quiet time without interruptions and write down in a notebook everything you discover at each step:

 

1. Reflect on Your Interests and Passions

Ask yourself questions like: What activities do I enjoy doing in my free time? What topics am I passionate about? What activities make me feel most fulfilled and satisfied? Identifying your areas of interest will help you focus your search on professional fields that provide you with true satisfaction.

 

2. Assess Your Skills and Strengths

Reflect on your past achievements. What tasks do you perform easily? What are your unique skills? Recognizing your strengths will help you choose a career that helps you monetize your talents and allows you to stand out in your field.

 

3. Values and Goals. Investigate Professional Options

Do you know what your most important values are? What specific goals would you like to achieve professionally in the next 3 years (objectives, schedule, money...)? Start researching professional options that align with your values and goals. Use resources like books, specialized websites, informative talks, and career fairs to explore different fields and professional opportunities. Talk to professionals in fields that interest you for a deeper insight into what each career entails.

 

4. Try New Experiences

Don't be afraid to try new things and explore different career paths. Many times what seems unrelated connects in surprising ways. Take trips, volunteer, or work part-time in fields that interest you to gain practical experience and get a better understanding of what each career entails. These experiences will help you refine your interests and make more informed decisions about your future profession.

 

5. Seek Professional Guidance

Consider talking to school counselors, vocational counselors, mentors, or human resources professionals who can provide you with personalized information and guidance about your professional options. Their experience and knowledge can be invaluable when making decisions about your career. Can you write down the names of some people who can help you? Take action.

 

6. Be Flexible and Open to Change

Finding your professional vocation is a continuous and evolving process. Stay open to new opportunities and willing to adapt as your interests, skills, and circumstances change. Don't be afraid to explore different paths and adjust your course as needed. The path to professional vocation may be winding, but each challenge and experience will bring you closer to where you want to be.

Remember that your professional vocation is not just about what you do, but about who you are and how you contribute to the world around you.

And what if I told you that all these steps can be done innovatively, kindly, and fun through the Biopolis Junior methodology? Ask us for information, we will be happy to talk to you and make a tailored proposal.

 

Bibliography:

 

1. "Educational and Professional Guidance: Theory, Research, and Practice" by José Luis Fernández Vidal and María Jesús Cava Melián.

2. "Professional Guidance: Fundamentals, Concepts, and Practice" by Joaquín Casas Carballo, Blanca García Gómez, and Soledad Recoder Morales.

3. "Educational and Professional Guidance and Tutoring" by María Jesús Bernardo Mancebo and José Carlos Núñez Pérez.

4. "Vocational Guidance: Fundamentals, Theory, and Practice" by Robert C. Reardon, Janet G. Lenz, and James P. Sampson Jr.

5. "Manual of Educational and Professional Guidance" by Antonio Núñez Delgado.

6. "Professional and Personal Guidance: Development and Intervention" by Mónica Hernández Linares and María del Pilar Ramírez Linares.