Reddit reviews StrengthsFinder 2.0

It's not too late. Although I got a degree, my first few jobs didn't require one and I didn't "use" my education. By my mid-twenties, like you, I felt like I had gone down the wrong path and wasted my career up to that point. At that time, I regretted the jobs I had taken and experience I had gotten because I didn't feel fulfilled by the work and I felt like it was "too late" to make a change...even though I really hated the work I was doing.

Somewhere around 27, I stumbled on a book called Strengthsfinder 2.0 which is about discovering what you're naturally good at, what you're "wired" to do. After I took the assessment and discovered my strengths, I realized that I had been unfulfilled because I had been working jobs that didn't need any of the things I was good at. I realized I could continue flailing in my career, or try to pivot to something that used my strengths.

That year I left a good, comfortable, well-paying job, moved across the country, took a paycut, and got my foot in the door at a well-respected company with future growth and opportunities. It was extremely challenging for a few years, but it's the best decision I made.

Here's what I would say:

—Start with self-awareness: learn everything you can about yourself, what makes you tick, what you love, what you're good at, what makes you different than others. I've recommended Strengthsfinder 2.0 to literally hundreds of people now. Myers-Briggs gets some hate, but I've found it very helpful in understanding my personality style (how I get energized, whether I'm more idealistic or practical, relational or task-oriented, planned out or open-ended. Knowing yourself helps you make better decisions about your career. The job may look great on the outside but if you know you'll be miserable because you know yourself better, you can avoid sucking and getting fired or (worse) being just good enough to keep the job you hate for soul-sucking decades.

—Develop yourself: learn everything you can about anything that interests you. Libraries are free. Most people stop reading after high school. It's pretty dang easy to overtake your peers (even those with a degree) if they've decided to stop learning. It's not about "beating" someone else, it's about becoming the best version of yourself. Books, podcasts, YouTube, Khan Academy, Udemy, Codecademy...there's a thousand free resources. For about five years, I didn't own a TV. I'm ok with "missing out" on the water cooler conversation about the latest awesome TV show because I was reading a book last night.

—Get comfortable with uncomfortable. Most people prioritize comfort over all else. As a result, they inadvertently avoid growth and struggle to do or become anything more than what they had available to them at age 18 or 22 or whatever. They (to paraphrase Robin Sharma) live the same year 75 times and call it a life. Choose growth and you'll almost never regret it—even if you fail in the short-term, you learn long-term.

Looking back over the first ten years of my career, I had no clue what I was doing. I really was lurching from one thing to another, trying to find my way. I think that's a perfectly normal thing to do in your 20s. For most people, by their late 20s-early 30s they've either developed self-awareness and steered their careers to areas of skill and strength...or they've fallen ass-backwards into what they've always done, might not be too good at, but are to afraid to risk it on something new.

If you prioritize personal development and self-awareness, you'll look back as this season as a necessary part of your personal story. You'll actually be thankful for the struggle. You'll be a better version of yourself because of it. You can do this.

Check this out. I was given it when completing a leadership program for work. I learned so much about myself:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001CDZZI6/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

You could try getting the book StrengthsFinder 2.0. It is a remarkable look at what your top giftings are and what to do with them. Comes with a unique code for the assessment.