“But I’m not sure what I want to do.”
If this is what comes to mind when you are thinking about graduate school or a professional path, then you are not alone. To contemplate the future, however, you DO NOT HAVE TO KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOU WANT TO DO. You do not have to name a profession or a job. The important thing is to have a direction — which could be specific or somewhat vague and abstract — that orients you towards the future.
You might have a very specific goal: you want to be a teacher, doctor, anthropologist, psychologist, or professor. Knowing this may seem to make things easier because it really will define the kinds of steps you take forward. However, you will still have plenty of choices to make.
You could have the idea of working in a particular field like healthcare or the arts. This would give your career exploration a certain direction.
You might also simply have the idea that you want to go to graduate school. Perhaps you like to study or you know you want to work in a professional environment. You might want a career that allows you to travel or even something flexible that allows you to have a family.
Another way of thinking about a career or profession is to think about what you like to do on a daily basis — and think about how this activity could become a profession.
You may simply have the idea that you want to go to graduate school. And then you can start to explore. In this section, there are suggestions, ideas and resources about ways in which you can investigate what your future might be.
Getting Prepared for Graduate School 