07 Ways Millennials Can Make Really Smart Career Choices

1. Figure out how you like to work

Some of us like to collaborate; others like to work in complete solitude. Whatever your preferred work method, just make sure you know it so that you can find a job that suits it best. It's impossible to find an environment that makes you happy when you don't know yourself.

2. Set concrete financial goals

Even though your career choices should not be entirely based on salary, it's definitely easier to have an idea of what you're looking at when you have a salary range to work with. Use that as a starting point for narrowing things down. 

3. Take some time off before going back to school

Gap years are definitely not overrated; they are useful resources for people who are struggling to figure out what they want to do, when, and how much time they have to do it. Weigh all your options before committing to an expensive, lengthy endeavor.

4. Use self-assessment tools

Sometimes we don't know our own potential because nobody has unlocked it for us yet. Take quizzes that divulge your personality and working type. Find ways to qualify your antics more concretely. Figure out how to make the best choices for exactly who you are, since there isn't a predetermined path everyone is meant to follow.

5. Try different things

Take smaller jobs that maybe don't seem like exactly what you want. Learn what you don't want to do so that you better know exactly what you do want. It seems cliché, but it truly helps.

6. Know what you're good at

While venturing outside your comfort zone can help you grow as a person, staying within it can broaden your skill set in another way. Play to your talents if they bring you joy. It's OK to excel at something if you know you want to do it.

7. Be patient

The hardest must-do of them all is waiting--yet it's by far the most necessary. Be patient, and see where life takes you. You might be surprised where you end up.