Remember that creepy kid who worked at the comic book store but now makes six figures working with computers? Or how about that girl who used to show up to school with stuffed animals pinned to her blouse who now rubs elbows with millionaires as an interior designer? Have you ever known anyone who gave up a high-paying job to do something like gluing plastic bug eyes to fuzzy pens because it made them feel young?

If you thought, ?How did these people get where they are today?? it may be time to think about where your own career ambitions might take you. Always try to be aware of the opportunities fate may throw your way and how you can act on them. First, take the time to identify your interests, talents and values, and then explore occupations that might make good use of them. This isn?t an online visit to an academic advisor ? this is an exercise that should make you officially take note of what you love to do and why. If you follow the three-step process below, you won’t just be sitting back waiting for careers and jobs to land in your lap. You?ll be doing something much more important; you’ll be working toward discovering what makes you happy.

Step One

Ask yourself: What makes me happy?

What do I do well?
What do I enjoy reading and talking about?
How do my talents figure into my interests?

Start by thinking of times when you’ve enjoyed and excelled at a job, class or hobby. How did you develop your strengths in those occupations? The next stage of the exercise could be taking any aptitude tests your college’s career center might offer. If you haven?t yet chosen a school, make sure the one you choose has a diverse set of programs to help determine your true talents before you enroll.

Step Two

Research your potential career options. Fortunately, many of today?s technical colleges are set up with facilities that mimic the work environments you?re interested in. Once you choose one of these schools, use these labs to the fullest extent to develop your natural talents toward work you love. In addition, see if your school’s career office has a library of books describing different kinds of work, the typical qualifications needed and the salary ranges for various occupations. Your college’s career counselors should be able to help. Also, talk to people through informational interviews. Try out careers by shadowing professionals and signing up for open internships or part-time jobs.

Step Three

Make a list of your priorities. After you’ve spent time on steps one and two, you may notice some strong preferences emerging. You might learn you don’t want to work behind a desk. That rules out jobs like accounting, banking, insurance and computer administration. You may be more suited to something physical or something that deals with meeting people in different locations, like marketing, transportation, construction or interior design. Keep your mind focused on making important discoveries that will help you choose a good career when the time comes.

The most important thing, however, is to keep it all in perspective: A career decision you make now doesn?t have to be forever. Just like the examples provided at the beginning of the article, there are people you will meet who worked steadily toward their goals, but there are also people who shifted priorities and began something new. There?s a growing trend that most people change careers several times during their lives. This means that it?s normal to change from the job you choose right after college, because it probably won’t be your career 40 or 50 years from now. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself, but always keep your eyes open.

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