8 Jobs For People Who Don’t Know What To Do

Some lucky individuals know from the moment they hear “what do you want to be when you grow up?” how their professional future will manifest into reality.

However, for most people, the quest of figuring out what job they want to do is a little more complex. With such a diverse myriad of industries, professional titles, and positions out there, picking just one can involve quite a bit of trial and error.

If the feeling of being unsure about your career sounds familiar, read on through the following eight best jobs for people who don’t know what to do.

1. Home Health Aid Jobs (Overview)

2. Police Officer Jobs (Overview)

3. Physical Therapist Jobs (Overview)

4. Pharmacist Jobs (Overview)

5. Dietician Jobs (Overview)

6. Infantryman Jobs (Overview)

7. Genetic Counselor Jobs (Overview)

8. Real Estate Agent Jobs (Overview)

8 Jobs for People Who Don’t Know What to Do

1. Home Health Aide

   Average Annual Salary: $24,000

   Approximately 3.6% of the United States population currently relies on home health services’ thorough and empathetic care to get through the day comfortably – a figure that increases annually. A home health aide typically provides these vital services.

   The responsibilities of a home health aide include:

   • Assisting their patients with daily tasks like dressing, washing, and a hygiene routine

   • Routinely checking the patient’s vital signs

   • Giving prescriptions when required

   • Occasionally doing light housekeeping work like laundry or dishes

   • Coordinating with other members of the patient’s healthcare team to provide the best care

   • Maintaining reports on the patient’s condition

   The role of a home health aide provides an extremely necessary service to both patients and their families. It’s a position that makes you feel good about what you’re doing.

   Additionally, becoming a home health aide doesn’t entail years of advanced degrees before you get to work on the job. Most home health aide positions only require that candidates have a high school diploma, are over 18, and pass a background check.

   Being a home health aide is a great starter position for people who want to get involved in the business of healthcare and helping people but aren’t sure exactly what they’re looking for.

   Find Home Health Aide jobs near me

2. Police Officer

   Average Annual Salary: $47,000

   Everyone wants to feel safe in their community. It’s supposed to be the job of police officers to maintain this security by deterring criminal activity and upholding the law. Their main goal is to prevent crimes from occurring, but they also sometimes assist in investigating when the situation arises.

   A police officer’s job involves:

   • Policing a designated area of the community to maintain safety and order

   • Responding to emergencies when required

   • Pulling over vehicles and issuing tickets for traffic violations

   • Understanding and following all police protocols

   • Conducting investigations, including interviewing and collecting evidence

   • Providing evidence in court when needed

   • Completing all administrative duties and paperwork

   While not everyone knows what professions pique their interest from the moment they’re born, most of us can identify situations that make us feel the most comfortable.

   For social butterflies, that might be taking on a role that allows them lots of time to communicate with other people like a teacher or therapist. For others, the most exciting moments of their lives are when they feel the most content.

   If you’re not sure what career you want, but you get a kick out of some adrenaline, then a career as a police officer might be a perfect fit. It’s a fast-paced, thrilling job and comes with new situations every day.

   It’s very different from the typical 9-5 office position, which can be an attractive quality to someone who isn’t dead set on what they want to do.

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3. Physical Therapist

   Average Annual Salary: $69,000

   Many things go into improving a person’s movement or managing their pain after a scenario like an accident. A physical therapist is one of the key members of the trained medical team that works cohesively to put a treatment plan into action.

   Physical therapists utilize hands-on techniques, strengthening exercises, and other bodily tactics to bring their patients back to normal functioning or ease their discomfort.

   The daily duties of a physical therapist include things like:

   • Going through every patient’s medical history

   • Providing diagnostic insight by observing movements and listening to symptoms

   • Creating and enacting a personalized treatment plan

   • Discussing with the patient to explain treatment and outline milestone objectives

   • Combining different exercises, stretching, and equipment according to the patient’s goals

   • Maintaining a record of patient progress and updating their treatment plan when required

   Being a physical therapist is a position that requires a great deal of empathy and communication skills, but it’s for a rewarding purpose in the end. It’s ideal for somebody eager to help others during a difficult period in their lives. However, they don’t want to deal with the pressure of working in a hospital or with critically-ill patients.

   For a person who doesn’t know what to do in their professional life but wants to make a positive difference less intensely, a role as a physical therapist might be the perfect fit.

   Find Physical Therapist jobs near me

4. Pharmacist

   Average Annual Salary: $119,000

   After being diagnosed with an illness, injury, or another form of ailment, patients are advised to pick up the medication that they’ll need at their nearest pharmacy. Here, they’ll find a helpful pharmacist prepared to compound or dispense their needed medicines.

   Pharmacists also use their expertise in the pharmacy field to ensure medications that negatively interact aren’t mixed and provide advice about taking the prescriptions to patients.

   The role of a pharmacist involves:

   • Giving medications to people as prescribed by physicians

   • Informing people about their medicines, including any side effects

   • Explaining the proper way and schedule to take the medication

   • Providing other minor medical services on occasion like immunizations

   • Maintaining an accurate record of customer information

   • Adhering to the operational requirements for a pharmacy

   While becoming a pharmacist takes a few years minimum, it’s a reasonably low-pressure job that still brings in a hefty paycheck. On average, pharmacists make around $119,686 per year. If you’re not sure what career you want but know you want to be guaranteed a high salary, consider the role of a pharmacist.

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5. Dietician

   Average Annual Salary: $55,000

   A person’s relationship with food impacts their daily life. In the United States alone, 70 million adults are obese, representing nearly 40% of the country’s entire population. That’s a lot of folks who have a poor relationship with food and could use the enthusiastic support of a dietitian to help them better this aspect of their lives.

   The job of a dietician includes:

   • Speak with clients thoroughly to understand their struggles, needs, and goals

   • Assessing their client’s health and nutritional requirements for their body

   • Providing advice about problems that may be related to nutrition

   • Working with clients on their healthy eating habits and meal plans

   • Monitoring client progress over time and the effectiveness of their diet plan

   • Staying educated about the latest relevant news in nutrition

   Dieticians supply a much-needed outlet of support and insight for people hoping to foster a healthier lifestyle. The educational requirements for dieticians tend to vary from an associate’s degree to more specialized courses on nutrition.

   It’s an excellent option for people that are wishy-washy about their career because becoming knowledgeable on the subject is a skill that’s helpful to the individual and their clients.

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6. Army Infantryman

   Average Annual Salary: $32,000

   Many positions make up the United States Armed Forces. However, the first notion that arises when you hear the word ‘army’ is specifically infantrymen. Army foot soldiers act in land combat to protect the country when times are peaceful and overcome enemies when required.

   The common duties of an army infantryman include:

   • Assisting in reconnaissance operations

   • Maintaining and using communications equipment

   • Using tactical and technical knowledge to embark on combat operations

   • Evaluating terrain and the issuing of ammunition

   • Mobilizing troops and weaponry

   • Honoring the army’s rules and regulations

   The role of an army infantryman can vary dramatically depending on their experience level and title.

   It serves as a strong option for people that don’t know what career path to take because the army offers extensive benefits, including a 401(k), generous amounts of paid time off, covering relocation costs, and other tempting offers. Plus, you get the opportunity to defend your country and buff up your nationalism.

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7. Genetic Counselor

   Average Annual Salary: $78,000

   Understanding your genetic history is key in uncovering potentially deadly diseases before they take action. A genetic counselor’s job is to evaluate an individual or their family as a whole for the risk of inherited conditions like genetic disorders and congenital disabilities.

   In addition to assessing patients, genetic counselors need the communication skills to explain the situation to people who run the risk of inheriting a medical condition.

   The responsibilities of a genetic counselor involve:

   • Speaking with patients to fully understand their individual and family medical history

   • Assessing given medical information to determine whether a patient is at risk of particular genetic conditions

   • Writing consultation reports that include details on the genetic situations for the patients and their referring physicians

   • Educating patients on testing options and their risks

   • Supporting patients through the difficulty of being at risk for a genetic disorder

   It’s always better to know what you’re up against when it comes to medical conditions, which is why the guidance and knowledge of a genetic counselor are so crucial in many people’s lives.

   Being a genetic counselor is also a promising option for people who don’t know what they want to do because almost everyone has a connection to someone that has been affected by a genetic medical condition.

   It can feel good to provide insight ahead of time for someone else if nothing else. That’s a pretty big pro for a job to have, especially if no other career is tempting. On top of these benefits, the role also pays a relatively high average salary of nearly $80,000.

   Find Genetic Counselor jobs near me

8. Real Estate Agent

   Average Annual Salary: $99,000

   The endeavor of buying or selling a house is exhilarating, but it’s also quite scary. For home sellers and buyers, it helps to have a trustworthy and professional real estate agent in their corner to find them the place they’ve always dreamed of living or make the profit they’ve been keen to turn.

   The daily tasks of a real estate agent include:

   • Generating a variety of leads to buy, sell or rent properties

   • Explaining the current housing market and pricing to clients

   • Posting listings for real estate properties that include all relevant information

   • Taking possible renters or buyers through various properties and their features

   • Extending offers to property sellers and organizing negations

   • Reviewing purchase contracts and making sure all the terms are met

   Being a real estate agent is the perfect professional opportunity for looking for a job with positive career growth and many opportunities to make money but doesn’t have time to attend a four-year college or more.

   The road to becoming a real estate agent typically takes four to six months, depending on your state. Additionally, you’re constantly interacting with new people and making their dreams come true.

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4 Tips for People Who Don’t Know What Job They Want

Not being sold on a particular profession is lonely at times – especially in a world where everyone seems to be so abundantly passionate about their careers.

However, it’s a nearly universal experience to look at your life at some points and be unsure of how you want it to pan out in the future. If you’re struggling with not knowing what job you want, consider trying out the following tips.

1. Take a career compatibility test. After mustering around with the question of what job you should pursue for a while, it might be best to leave the choice up to your personality by taking a career compatibility test. These assessments gauge your personality traits and preferences to determine the career path you’d be best suited for.

   Some examples of career compatibility tests include:

   • Strong Interest Inventory

   • Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

   • MAPP Career Assessment

   • Pymetrics

   These types of intricate tests have the potential to see qualities that you may not be able to see in yourself and uncover an absolutely perfect career from that.

2. Take stock of the things you like doing and the things you’re good at. When it comes down to it, finding a job that you’re perfect for is a simple combination of something you like doing with an activity that you’re good at. When you’re at a loss for what to do, take stock of these aspects of your life.

   For example, if you like going out to parties and you’re really great with public speaking and leadership skills, you could be missing out on thousands of dollars in tips working as a bartender.

   Alternatively, suppose you excel in coding and all things technological and appreciate the comfort of working from your living room couch. In that case, it might be time to consider a career as a web developer.

3. Enroll in some courses on interesting subjects. If you’re at the point where you’re unsure of the things you’re even interested in, then taking a lesson or two on a fascinating subject like embroidery can be extremely helpful.

   You don’t have to be wholly invested in a subject to peruse a few free online classes, audit a local college class, or even take a 3 to 6-month certification program.

   As long as it inspires your interest at first glance and you can afford it, take the opportunity to broaden your horizons. The more intriguing topics and fields you’re exposed to, the more likely you’ll find a job that you want to do.

Author

Sky Ariella

Sky Ariella is a professional freelance writer, originally from New York. She has been featured on websites and online magazines covering topics in career, travel, and lifestyle. She received her BA in psychology from Hunter College.