Begin by evaluating your values, skills, personality, and interests by completing self-assessment inventories or career tests. These assessment measures are used to generate a list of occupations that are deemed appropriate based on your answers to series of questions.

Career counseling professionals administer these types of evaluations however, many people choose to complete free career assessments that are available on the web. After obtaining the list of occupation options that were generated by your evaluation, narrow your options down by identifying occupations that appear on multiple lists. Also identify occupations that you may have been interested in the past, yet never fully explored. Move forward by researching the occupations on your list. Examine job descriptions, educational requirements, job outlook, advancement opportunities, and earnings.

Evaluate your findings in relation to your interests and core values, which will allow you to pare down your list even further. Consider gathering more indepth information on your remaining interests by conducting interviews with individuals who have firsthand knowledge of the occupations in which you are interested.

Decide on one occupation that you would like to pursue and develop and implement a career action plan. A Career Action Plan is a road map that takes you from choosing an occupation to becoming employed in that occupation to reaching your long-term and short-term career goals.