Each of us is loaded with tons of useful tips from friends, relatives and even completely random people after stumbling upon a critical moment. Although the majority of these tips may be actually reasonable, they still result in an information noise often filled to the brim with emotions, which prevents you from differentiating your own prospective.

Graduates are more than familiar with such situation as they are just about to choose their way by picking an university, specialty and future profession – and they have to be quick with their decisions to start studying up for their finals in September.

Follow four steps that will help you with your life goal.

1. Separate your goals from other peoples’ goals for you

You may be surprised, but even your closest ones can be over-materialistic or just wigged out. Sometimes parents want their child to fulfill their own unrealized dream. Alternatively, they want to have their own doctor or just a respectable-looking profession – none of this will matter if the market will be already full of lawyers and you will have to retrain as somebody else.

2. Don’t mind the passion, mind your interests

Passion is a very emotional yet short-lived pursuit. Profession is something opposite: you choose it for the rest of your life, discovering it step-by-step during several years of studying and groovy work. The reason you should pick for your occupation that one pursuit you have always preferred for many years. Even actors have their own routine worries that can scare away any former admirer. Still you can leave your passion for hobbies as a stress-relief.

3. Keep in touch with reality

It is common for young people to dream about a happy world where a boy from gas station becomes a millionaire, first ever-published book makes you a worldwide star and everyone with diploma gets the best possible job immediately after graduation. Real world is harsher: besides your successful studies and interests you must monitor what’s market currently interested in as well as think how you can put your talents in a good use and start receiving some practical skills in the middle of studying. To achieve this you may apply for a part-time job as a free-lance worker or trainee to have something to confirm your diploma.

4. You have to be really good at what you’re doing. And flexible too

Spending time and stamina on learning of your chosen specialty and being unable to find a wanted job just because everyone else does it better is quite common. Do not get upset though – you can always put the skills you already have in a good use in an adjoining field learning more in process. Keep in mind that market changes every day, and your specialty that was popular when you got into university can be not that prestigious anymore.

Jad Abumrad spent many years in Oberlin College and Conservatory to write music for cinema, but quickly realized that he is not good enough at it. Does that mean that these years were a mere waste of time? Jad’s girlfriend rejected this conclusion and advised him to use his skills for something similar, just lower the bar a little bit. “You may be not good enough for directors, but that doesn’t mean that your talent is unwanted. You like writing, you like music – why not try yourself on the radio?” Nowadays Jad Abumrad is a famous emcee and producer of his own radio and he sure enjoys making music for it.