How I Found My Career Focus: A Story from Catherine Chea

“The issue in the end was not that I could not find a full-time position; rather, that I did not have a career-focus.”

Catherine Chea — freelance writer, marketer, and part-time piano instructor, is Wirkn’s guest blogger today, giving us some invaluable advice on finding a career focus. If you’re feeling lost at sea in a career with no direction (something I’m sure we can all relate to), Catherine’s advice will help you focus on what’s important and guide you to rediscover your bearing.

Here’s Catherine’s story:

Upon graduation, I did not have a sense of direction and decided to explore many things. I ended up volunteering with a non-profit start-up, travelled to China, attended networking events, applied to over 200 positions from the online job board (including marketing, admin, coordinator, recruiter positions), taught piano part-time at a local studio and I worked in sales — which includes having a door-to-door sales job for a month!

After reflecting, journaling, and blogging my experiences, I realized what aspects of a job/industry that I liked and didn’t like.

For instance, I did not enjoy direct sales, but I also learned how important sales are for driving businesses. From teaching piano, I realize I did not want to do it full time, but I liked being able to share my creativity and insight. From applying to so many different types of jobs, I soon discovered which careers were more appealing and the skills that I needed in order to meet the job requirements.

I learned that the best way to find your career is to try a number of things so that you can discover where your skills and interests align

The moment I realized my career focus was when I was able to connect the dots and make sense of my experiences. What motivates me, I find, is being able to share my ideas creatively while promoting awareness on various topics through writing. The jobs that were appealing for me were marketing positions that involved writing content — hence, I decided I want to be a content writer. Had I not applied to so many positions posted on the job board, I would not have made this discovery. There were so many positions that I did not know even existed, as my knowledge of the job industry was very limited.

The three key takeaways that I’ve learned when it comes to finding a career focus are:

1. Try different things.

It is important to try a variety of novel things to learn more about yourself and the different kinds of job industries.

2. Reflect.

Reflecting on your experiences and motivations will help you find where your skills and interests align.

3. It’s okay to feel lost.

Finding a career is a journey that requires patience and plenty of courage.

Thanks to having these experiences, I am now living a more fulfilling lifestyle as I’m working towards my career goal.

It is an exciting opportunity to be featured as a guest blogger for Wirkn. I think it is a great app for new job seekers to connect with employers on a personal level — giving them a competitive advantage as well as a chance to gain a greater gauge of the position. I believe that Wirkn would enable you to have access to more opportunities as you start your career journey.

We’ll be featuring new guest bloggers every month. If you’re interested in being our next feature guest blogger, get in touch at hello@wirkn.com. 🙂