This article is written by Sophie Jones.

Some people know where their passions lie from a young age, even if their choice of dream job seems unorthodox. For example, I had a friend in school who at age seven said he wanted to be a tattoo artist more than anything else on earth. Today, at age thirty, he has a successful career as exactly that – a professional tattoo artist.

For others, however, knowing what you want to do with your life is not quite so simple. Whether it be in high school or in college, or indeed even after your education has formally concluded altogether, it takes some people time to know what they want to do with their lives. In this article, I will attempt to give you some advice on how to discover your skills and talents so you can do what you love for a living.

Think broadly about what you enjoy

My first piece of advice would be to think broadly about what you enjoy. In life, many people make the mistake of restricting themselves professionally because they think their skills or talents are only good for one specific area. Let me give you an example to explain what I mean.

Let’s say that a person has always been a gifted creator, specifically, in the field of drawing. They have always excelled at creating visual art. Many people might take this talent and assume that this individual has two possible career paths: illustration, and painting.

The reality of the situation, of course, is that there are many different things that an individual could also do professionally. They could be a medical anatomy artist, an architect, or a graphic designer. They could work in art history, or in city planning. They could do lettering in the form of calligraphy or teach art at a school.

You see, the point is this: we all have these sorts of archetypal’ talents – major defining skills. However, in today’s world, there are dozens, if not hundreds, of professions that utilize each of these talents. The truth is, if you have a major skill or passion, you can find a way to make it into a fulfilling career, both financially as well as personally.

It is for this reason that I suggest young people aiming to figure out what they want to do listen to their teachers and guidance counsellors. Let these people help you try and find a path, even if you don’t necessarily agree with the advice they give you. You may not love an internship opportunity a guidance counsellor suggests to you, but you might love the professional prospects that internship opens up if you do take it on. Trust that your mentors want you to succeed and take their advice to heart.

For those of you who are considering an academic college education and are still not sure of what you want to do

I would highly suggest considering a liberal arts college. Liberal arts colleges are dedicated to making sure their student take classes in a variety of disciplines.

The idea behind this shotgun’ approach to education is that it lets students find out what they truly love doing, and then focus in on that path once they find it. There is strong evidence to suggest that the liberal arts approach is effective, and it may be worth a shot if you want a traditional academic education, but you’re just not quite sure what you want it in.

Another interesting path would be to lean towards the development sphere. With the creation of many innovative apps recently, there is a bright future that web and app development will be in high demand. Creating such web/apps requires a logical approach to problems, and what makes this career interesting, is that you will operate in many different projects – which equals to not a boring career.

For those of you who have always had a dislike for traditional academics, let me clue you in on what is probably your greatest opportunity to find fulfilling employment: vocational training. In the U.S., vocational training is drastically underutilized. When many people think of vocational training, they think of plumbers and electricians. These are far from the only vocational careers. People like tattoo artists, welders, and locksmiths all have vocational professions. Vocational professions often provide a level of personal and financial freedom that few other jobs can, and there’s no reason not to consider vocational training if you’re not quite sure of your path in life.

In fact, to illustrate this point, let’s examine the vocation of locksmith. Locksmiths will always be in demand because people will always want security for their properties. This means that a vocational profession like locksmithing will rarely if ever, be without consistent work. Locksmithing is also a fantastic way for those with people and technical skills to combine their talents for a fulfilling career. Finally, a vocational profession such as locksmithing provides talented professionals with a way to become their own boss and open up their own business if they work hard enough, something you’ll be hard pressed to find in a more traditional industry such as retail or sales.

All in all, there are many ways you can live a fulfilling professional life, whether you invest in an academic education or in vocational training. What is most important is that you stay true to yourself and your goals, and if you work hard, fulfilment will eventually follow. The road to personal fulfilment and success is not always easy, nor is it short, but it is worth it.