How to Launch a "Cool" Career

Jenna writes:

I am currently trying to chose a career path. I will be going to college soon taking medical radiography (to become an x-ray and ultrasound technician); however, I don’t think this is the career I really want (bad hours and too much human suffering). I want to do something that is a little unusual — not your average job. I want to retire early … comfortably. I want to learn a lot of new things on my way. Some ideas I’ve had are: commercial pilot, architect, something in astrophysics… What I really want are ideas for cool careers. Careers that when someone asks you what you do for your living, they feel intimidated by your answer! I don’t know what’s out there. Hopefully you do! So… any great ideas?

The Career Doctor responds:

What’s out there as a career for you? It’s a cliché, but it’s true: if you have the intelligence, the determination, and the resources, just about any career path can be yours.

But, don’t think so much about one career shaping the rest of your life; think more about a series of careers that span your lifetime, some of which may be related.

So, the first big question is why are you majoring in something — perhaps even attending a specific college because of it — that you have no real interest in ever doing? Why not look into other colleges and careers before you make that final choice?

As for other careers…the best sources are your teachers and your family… you can also conduct a lot of career research online, using such sources as the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Outlook Handbook.

Because you have a wide range of interests, it might also be helpful to take one or more career assessment tests; these tests work well in conjunction with you own assessment of your strengths and weaknesses, as well as your likes and dislikes.

As you think about majors, you might want to read my article, Choosing a College Major: How to Chart Your Ideal Path.

You also might find these two areas of Quintessential Careers especially helpful: