Strangely enough finding the career that fit me happened in a sort of spiral down way. The 7 years I spent in college allowed me to explore so many options, particular the 4-years I spent swapping majors and taking all the varieties of classes they can offer.

When I had graduated from college, I spent a full year looking for a job in graphic design. There must have been at least 50 places I applied to with no luck and was getting desperate. But Desperation has the benefit of stripping expectations and specific goals from your will/mind. I no longer cared where I got a job, so long as I found one.

Just as I applied to a local Starbucks, I got a call from a place I did a 2-week free internship for. They hired me and placed me in two-positions. I was a secretary and graphic designer. At the moment my benefits kicked in and I was on full-time status, a friend called me to ask if I wanted her job instead. I was a bit baffled. My friend had gotten a job I had applied to years before with no luck. (They said they weren’t hiring when I walked in. Then a month later my friend was hired. Oye.) The business she worked for wasn’t specifically graphic design, it was more print production and mostly cheap black and white copies. But it was located across the street from where I lived… which was the ultimate reason why I quit the job I just got to go work for the print shop.

I’ve been working at said print shop for about 4 years now. (Longer than my friend had worked there.) I’m now the only full-time employee and am considered a key employee because it turns out my skills, natural talents, and passion are in the print industry (particularly in a small town). I have some serious job security that way, which is good. It would however be nice if I could make more $ as living in this town is quite expensive. {shrug}

Anyhow my advice to others…
Get passionate about what you are doing, get curious and investigate the tools and skills that your job calls for. Think about your nature… look at the cycle of seasons and how you interact with your environment… does your body get ill easily when the weather gets colder or do you look forward to the challenges of a new season? That correlates to how you will interact with changes in your job environment too. Think about how you interact with family and friends… once you settle into a job, your coworkers become a whole new family (even if you keep a business attitude). It’s likely you will work in a customer service field at some point, so take a look at how you interact with strangers now. Are you comfortable dressing the part? I realized I am horrible about professional clothing and prefer/need to not worry about what I wear as part of my job. Working for the print industry works extremely well for that because you get dirty from inks and whatnot. So consider how you dress now and how you would like to dress for work.

Good luck!