By Bex Sutton, NeedToLive Graphic Designer

Nearly everyone has a moment where you have the internal panic of, “What am I going to do for the rest of my life?” That moment when you’re no longer satisfied with your job, you’ve finish school or you’re jobless etc. No matter your circumstances, know that you’re not alone in those thoughts. Here are some steps I took when I had that moment, after dropping out of 6th form.

Step 1

Find your passion.

It’s that simple. Find the thing that makes you want to wake up every morning and love what you do. Don’t concentrate on what will pay the bills, what everyone else says is the best career to get into, what you think will land you in a ‘respectable’ job. You do not want to be working a job that leaves you feeling stressed, overworked and waiting for your shift to end, or even waiting for retirement. By finding that one thing in your life that you’re passionate about, you will feel more fulfilled once you bag that dream job. At this point you don’t even need to think of a job it could lead to. Just something that makes you happy and fulfills you.

For me, my passionate was drawing. That’s it. Yours could be anything! Gaming, Eating, Social Media, Writing or even something more academic!

Step 2

Research

Yes, I know, this should be the boring bit…But it’s really not! If you have found that thing that you’re passionate about, researching it should fill you with excitement! Look into all the possible roles that surround your passion, investigate your role model and how they got to the point they are in now. Look into courses that you can attend to further your knowledge and skill set.

For example, if you like playing games look up everything that goes into gaming. There’s graphics, coding, marketing, reviewing, scripting, story-boarding and so much more!

Step 3

Create an action plan

So now you’ve defined what you enjoy doing in your life and you’ve research how to get to the point of making it a career for yourself. Now is the time to put it all into action!

There is no time for, ‘when I have more money’ or ‘This is the safer bet’. Make yourself an action plan and start it now! Go out and take that online course about coding to create the games you love playing. Start that blog about your life experiences that you feel will help people and start public speaking about those moments.

For myself, I attended art college and then university, studying and refining my drawing skills for 5 years until I obtained an illustration degree. I took on small drawing jobs throughout the whole process, never stopping from refining myself. And I still don’t. 3 years after graduating I am only considered as a junior in the illustration profession. But I wake up every day, loving what I do and enjoying my working experience.

MYNEEDTOLIVE EMPLOYEE POST

Author: Bex Sutton
Role: Graphic Designer