Explore careers

To begin exploring career options, start by reflecting on your interests, strengths, and values. What do you enjoy doing? What are your skills and talents? What matters to you in your career? Define what you want.  Write down the type of job you’re interested in. Here are a few ideas to get you started: 

• Do you want to work remotely or in person? 
• Do you need flexible hours? 
• What pay and benefits do you need? 
• What size of company do you want? Start-up? Large and established? Mid-sized? 
• What type of company culture? 
• Do you want certain responsibilities? 

If you don’t have answers to all these questions, don’t worry. Sometimes, careers are all about discovering where you really shine. Don’t be afraid to stretch outside of your comfort zone. 

After you have an idea of some areas of work you may be interested in, use our Career Explorer to compare hundreds of Texas-based careers. You can filter careers based on demand in your area, pay, required education and related skills. If you have a My Texas Future account, you can even save your search preferences and careers that interest you. You set the parameters. We’ll serve up the data. 

Once you find a few careers you like, dig into the details of each one. We’ll cover: 

• What you’d do on the day-to-day 
• How much it pays 
• What skills, education, or certifications you’d need 

After you’ve narrowed down your list of possible careers, find ways to experience each career in person. Here are some ways you can get a first-hand look at what each position entails: 

• Informational interviews: Consider asking a professional in your desired role to sit down with you to answer questions. You can ask about the education, training, and other aspects they followed along their career path. 
• Job shadowing: Spend a day, a week, or another short period observing a professional on the job. This will give you an idea of how they complete their typical daily work. 
• Volunteering: Some companies may allow you to volunteer to complete tasks to gain more hands-on experience. 
• Internships: Consider an internship for a more direct experience in your desired role.

Every day, thousands of dedicated people serve to protect our freedom, maintain peace and support policies worldwide. The military offers many paths and can offer a flexible and fulfilling future.