One question I hear all the time from my peers is that of unclear life direction. And it's been one that I've been trying to figure out a good way of finding.
I know I did not, and still don't know exactly where I want to go with my future career. But I've found that picking a direction and pivoting along the way as you get clearer on where you feel you should go works wonders!
I think that everyone has had some point in their life where they really enjoyed something, were super engaged and put in good old fashioned hard work, and felt accomplished at the end of it. This could be that one time when you helped your grandfather do a bathroom renovation or the time you spent ten straight hours working on a mini model diorama. You may not have enjoyed every aspect of it, but there was one specific thing you really liked. Whatever it might be, I find that you can get a decent idea of what you enjoy doing.
That's how I got started and got to where I am today, working at a CNC machine shop. I absolutely did not start out saying I want to make prototypes for big companies. No, I started with architecture of all things, and as I learned more about that industry, I pivoted to 3D design and model making. And from there, I made the jump to the machine shop.
Key takeaways:
1) No one knows what they want to do at the beginning; even down the line, it changes
2) Getting started is as simple as finding what you enjoyed doing in the past and researching that
3) You pivot along your career journey; what you decide is never final; you change to find your desired path