Work consumes a great deal of our time. In fact, the average person works 90,000 hours over the course of their lifetime.
That’s about one third of your life.
That’s not to say we find a job and stick with it for the rest of our working days. Actually, the average person works between twelve and fifteen different jobs during their lifetime.
I have never taken the time to look back at how many jobs I have held during my life thus far, but it would be a pretty high number.
Some of those jobs were stop-overs on my way to getting and education for the career I finally went into and devoted many years to.
Once I entered my chosen career I spent a number of years in different roles.
It is rare that a person will enter one career and remain there, doing the same tasks with the same responsibilities for their entire working life.
The labor market is different today than it was for the generation before and certainly for the generation before that.
With changing realities, how do people find a career they enjoy and experience job satisfaction?
The journal prompts in this article, specifically designed as "journal prompts to find your ideal career," will help you to explore this question and do some thinking and writing about your career choices.
Journal Prompts To Find Purpose In A Career
All of us would like to have a career that we find meaningful and satisfying.
Our career can certainly help us to grow and develop skills and knowledge, and increase our self-confidence.
For many people, their self-concept is tied closely to their career, and many would define themselves by the work that they do.
What can we do to find purpose and meaning in our career? Is there a magic formula we can apply to ensure that we will glean satisfaction from our job?
For some people, a job is simply that, a way to make money in order to live. A job allows us to pay for shelter, food, and clothing - the essentials.
There is nothing wrong with that approach to work, but it isn’t enough for everyone.
Many people want to get more personally from their career. They want to increase their sense of self .
There is an adage, “We get out of something what we put into it.” This holds true of our approach to work.
In the following journal prompts you are encouraged to consider what your job means to you, what you would like to get from your job, and how you can make it more meaningful.
Taking the time to think about these kinds of things can help to put you on the path to finding greater purpose and satisfaction in your career.
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34 Journal Prompts To Find Purpose In Career
1. "What activities do you find yourself easily slipping into a “flow state” with?"
2. "Did you have a specific passion or big interest as a child? What about now?"
3. "Do you enjoy problem solving?"
4. "What would your life look like if money and responsibilities were not an issue?"
5. "What are some skills you don’t currently possess but would enjoy learning?"
6. "What is holding you back in life? How can you move past it?"
7. "What, in your life, still feels like it is a work in progress?"
8. "What do you want to be remembered for?"
9. "What is a type of career or work environment you cannot stand?"
10. "What activities or tasks do you find the most boring or unbearable?"
11. "What can you apply the skills you’re good at to?"
12. "How do you juggle work/life balance and prevent burnout?"
13. "Do you think you’d do better as an employee or business owner?"
14. "Do you think it’s more beneficial to follow your passion or your skills? (Sometimes they aren’t one in the same!)"
15. "Do you prefer being independent or collaborating with others?"
16. "Do you prefer working with adults or children?"
17. "Do you consider yourself more creative or analytical? Maybe a mix?"
18. "Do you like to help people through your work? In what ways?"
19. "What do you feel is currently left unachieved in your life?"
20. "Do you prefer a more conventional or unconventional career path?"
21. "Do you do better with structure and rigidity, or autonomy and flexibility?"
22. "Do you prefer sit-down environments or being on your feet?"
23. "What do you think is the overall meaning and purpose of life?"
24. "What is your biggest goal at the moment?"
25. "Would you prefer working under someone else or being in charge?"
26. "List three short term goals and three long term goals."
27. "What is something you’re already good at?"
28. "Are you a visual, auditory, or hands-on learner?"
29. "What types of advice do people always come to you for?"
30. "If money was no object, what would be your ideal career and why?"
31. "What is something you really care about achieving at some point in your lifetime?"
32. "How can you use your talents in a career?"
33. "What kind of work environment suits you best?"
34. "Name 5 things you’re most interested in."
Journal Prompts For A Focussed Career
Finding purpose in your career and having a focussed career are closely related to each other.
Not everyone feels satisfied with the job that they have and they search for a way to make it more meaningful.
Afterall, if we are going to spend a third of our lives working, it would be good to feel that our career provides us with meaning and purpose.
We can achieve this through focus. Focussing on what we want from our career, and the opportunities for us to attain that is key.
Our focus might change over time, and that’s okay. As we go through life our priorities might change as our circumstances change.
Family, house, and health are examples of what can come into play when we are looking at our career.
In my career in education, I initially focussed on becoming a teacher. I focussed on securing a teaching job in a market that didn’t make that easy.
Throughout the years that followed, I chose to take a number of turns in my career path.
My focus changed and caused me to look at other roles I could take on in education that would help me to continue to grow personally, and also help my family.
The following prompts are exactly what you need to consider your focus in your career and if you might want to alter that focus in some way.
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20 Journal Prompts For A Focussed Career
35. "Does my job leave me feeling professionally fulfilled? Does it make me happy? Why or why not?"
36. "I am proud of myself professionally because _________."
37. "How can I be a better communicator?"
38. "Is there professional development or educational training I need/want to pursue to improve and further my career? How can I make that a reality?"
39. "What are my strengths? Am I putting those strengths to good use?"
40. "What is the next step in my career, and can that be done in my current position? If not what is my plan? If so, how will I manifest that?"
41. "What is it about my job that makes me happiest?"
42. "What do I want my career to look like in five years? 10 years? What are my action steps?"
43. "What did I do today that will get me closer to my career goals?"
44. "What is my ideal work routine? How can I make that a reality in my life?"
45. "What did I learn today?"
46. "What are my biggest weaknesses professionally? How can I turn those into strengths or at least less problematic weaknesses?"
47. "What mistakes did I make this week and what did I learn from them?"
48. "What is one area I can learn more about in order to be better at my job?"
49. "What am I most proud of professionally? Why?"
50. "How am I spending my time on a daily basis? Is there anything that needs to be adjusted?"
51. "What is my biggest issue in terms of organisation and time management?"
52. "What goals do I want to achieve this quarter? How will I achieve those goals?"
53. "What do I want my career to look like in one year? What are my action steps?"
54. "What could I have done better this week?"
Journal Prompts For Ideal Career Discovery
We have established that people spend a big part of their lives working. This can make the pressure to choose the right career enormous.
For many people, finding the right career can be extremely difficult. How do we know which field will be best for us?
The title of this section uses the word, “ideal”. The fact is, what is ideal for each of us may be something different.
What, exactly, are the things that make a career ideal for someone? Exploring this question through "Journal Prompts To Find Your Ideal Career" can provide you with valuable insights and clarity regarding your career preferences and aspirations.
There are many factors that come to play in determining what career is ideal for you.
What are your interests? What are you naturally drawn to? What characteristics do you possess that might turn you in the direction of a particular career?
Are you a people person, someone who loves to interact with others or are you more introverted?
Do you like to be active and love the outdoors or do you prefer a quiet indoor setting?
These are just some of the considerations that can help you to discover the best career for you.
Let the journal prompts that follow get you started on the path to discovering your ideal career.
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50 Journal Prompts For Ideal Career Discovery
55. "What one thing would take me closer to my goal?"
56. "What skills or traits have people complemented me on?"
57. "When do I feel at my best at work? What’s happening at the time?"
58. "What kind of people would I prefer to work with?"
59. "What have been my favourite parts of jobs I’ve done?"
60. "What would my ideal workplace be like?"
61. "What does success mean to me?"
62. "How do I like helping my colleagues or clients?"
63. "How could I fill these skills gaps?"
64. "What new good habits would help me at work?"
65. "What are the biggest sources of stress for me at work?"
66. "How do I feel about collaborating with others on a project?"
67. "What could I do to reduce stress at work?"
68. "How do I feel about routine work?"
69. "What one goal would I like to achieve in my career more than anything?"
70. "What has stopped me achieving my goals in the past?"
71. "How would I like things to be different five years from now?"
72. "How do I feel about working alone?"
73. "How do I feel about working on something independently?"
74. "How do I feel about taking calculated risks?"
75. "What childhood dreams have I neglected?"
76. "What have I accomplished, big or small, that I’m proud of?"
77. "What difference do I want to make in the world?"
78. "How much income do I need?"
79. "My ideal job would be…because…"
80. "How would I like things to be different in six months?"
81. "How did I like to play as a child? What were my hobbies?"
82. "What do I need to learn or do to reach my goal?"
83. "What is my preferred role when I’m working in a group?"
84. "What values do I think are non-negotiable at work?"
85. "How would I like things to be different one year from now?"
86. "Am I doing what matters most to me?"
87. "What interests me the most in work I’ve done?"
88. "How do I feel about working with a team?"
89. "What bad habits do I have at work?"
90. "What skills do I want to get better at?"
91. "What good work habits do I have?"
92. "What would I do if I had no fear?"
93. "Do I believe I’m on the right path?"
94. "What do I do – or have done – at work that I find draining?"
95. "What have been my least favourite parts of jobs I’ve done?"
96. "What are my ideal working hours?"
97. "What are my strengths?"
98. "What do I want to do that I’m afraid of?"
99. "What is my secret ambition?"
100. "Why does that goal matter to me?"
101. "What would I do if money was no object?"
102. "What would my perfect work day look like?"
103. "What can I do well?"
104. "What do I enjoy helping people with?"
Powerful Journal Prompts For Job Aspiration
Finding the right career for you, one that you enjoy, that makes you want to get up and go to work each day is tied to who you are and what you want out of life.
Some soul searching is necessary. The better you know yourself, the better able you will be to make a sound decision about a career path.
The following list of prompts can help you with this.
You might want to earmark this list for future reference as well.
Our lives change as the years go by and what we want out of a career when we’re 20 could very well be different at the age of 40.
Take your time over these prompts and explore what makes you tick.
21 Powerful Journal Prompts For Job & Aspiration
105. "Over recent years lots of new jobs or ways of earning a living have emerged, such as being a professional gamer or a YouTuber. How do they make that their job?"
106. "Some jobs are more meaningful than others, helping save lives, or helping others live a better life and so on. Would you rather have more meaning or more money from your job? Why?"
107. "If there was a job that you’d really love to have, to you think it would be worth working and studying hard to achieve it? Why?"
108. "Would you want to do your hobby as a job? Why?"
109. "Do you think most people finishing high school are certain what they want to do as a job? Why?"
110. "Have you met anyone recently that made you interested in what they did as a job? What was it about that job that caught your attention?"
111. "Would you prefer to work a single job that you enjoy for the rest of your life, or a different job every year? Why?"
112. "If you did not have to worry about money, what job would you most like to have? Why?"
113. "If your best friend was unsure about what job they wanted to get, how would you help them think about it to try and find something they would enjoy and find satisfying?"
114. "Do you think what job you’re wanting to do will change over time? Why is that?"
115. "Would you rather have a job that was difficult but very satisfying, or very easy to do but not at all satisfying? Why?"
116. "Often when thinking about what job we might want, we think of jobs that are most “visible” to us – for example, doctor, firefighter, builder. But there are thousands of jobs that we never see unless we go looking. How can we discover more possible jobs?"
117. "Different jobs can lead to different levels of happiness or stress in life. Would you prefer a job that leaves you feeling happy at the end of most days, but might not provide you much extra spending money, or a job that left you very stressed or unhappy at the end of most days, but which gave you huge amounts of money to spend? Why?"
118. "If you think of all the different types of jobs people you know have worked at, are there any which you think would be great to try doing yourself? Are there any which you know you would not like to do? What draws you to one type of job, and puts you off another job?"
119. "Is there anyone that you look up to who has helped you understand that a job doesn’t need to be a boring thing you have to do? Who are they, and how have they helped you understand this?"
120. "Most jobs 100 years ago looked very different to jobs today, and many of those jobs no longer exist. There are many jobs today that didn’t exist 100 years ago. How do you think jobs might look in 100 years time?"
121. "How do you think people end up working at a job they love to do?"
122. "If you think of your group of friends, do you all want to go into very different jobs, or are there any themes around what work some of you are wanting to go into? Why do you think that is?"
123. "How do the jobs of people around you such as friends and family influence what you think of as possible future jobs for yourself? Why?"
124. "What is one thing you can do today to feel more organized?"
125. "Name two things you’re thankful for at your job."
Frequently Asked Questions
What Are Journal Prompts To Find Your Ideal Career?
Journal prompts to find your ideal career are thought-provoking questions or prompts designed to guide your self-reflection and exploration of potential career paths. They help you gain clarity about your interests, values, and aspirations.
How Can Individual Get Benefits By Using Journal Prompts To Find Your Ideal Career?
Journal prompts provide a structured and introspective approach to career exploration. They encourage you to delve deep into your thoughts and feelings, identify patterns, and uncover insights about your true passions and purpose.
Where Can I Find Journal Prompts To Find My Ideal Career?
These journal prompts to find your ideal career can explain in books, online resources, and career development websites. Additionally, consider working with a career counselor or coach who can provide personalized prompts and guidance tailored to your specific needs.
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