[This article originally appeared in Today’s Teen, a publication in partnership with south Florida’s Palm Beach Post.]

My son graduated from Spanish River last year in the top 10 of his class with amazing SAT scores and academic awards. Yet he asked the same burning question all high school seniors ponder – “What am I going to do with the rest of my life?” It is hard to believe that he spent four years at what colleges view as one of Florida’s best schools, had the benefit of skilled guidance counselors and faculty but still felt that free-floating sensation well known to his classmates of not knowing his direction after saying goodbye to his high school days.

Can you relate? All our lives we ask, and are asked by others: “What do I want to be when I grow up?” Why is it so hard to answer and why is there a sense of panic at high school graduation and – even more frightening – after beginning the college journey?

The answer may be that as much as you would like help, this is a decision you must make. It was nice, in high school, not having to think seriously about the future, but now something that seemed so far off is suddenly upon you and weighing heavily. As daunting as this feels, this doesn’t have to be difficult if taken in steps.

Start As Soon As Possible: If you’re a high school senior or a college freshman, now is the time to discover your career interests. If you’re in middle school, now is the time to think about it too. It’s never too early to get in gear.

Reflect: “Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.” That’s what successful people say. As much as you would like a career that will bring in the big bucks, you won’t last long if you hate what you do every day. Discover that golden combination of what you are good at and what you love. Identify the subjects you like, and at the same time, perform at your best in school. This should prepare you for the next step.

Change Your Perspective: A high school senior enlightened me as to why students feel clueless regarding their career direction: “They think in terms of subjects they are good at, not careers. The challenge is to change their perspective and learn how to turn their academic world into real-world thinking.” Career choices seem to be more creative than ever before. I am constantly amazed at how people combine their interests and talents and turn them into a livelihood.

Reach Out: You may know what you are good at, but those around you – especially people you’ve known all your life – your family, best friends, coaches, teachers – are the people that have been most aware of what you have given to the world since your beginning. It’s like looking into a mirror. Ask the people who know you best to tell you more about what you offer. This will provide insight into your true strengths. You may be surprised at what they see and what you discover.

Be Discriminating: Be prepared to separate your passions from talents that translate into true career choices. You may have been the star trumpet player in your jazz band and have your sights set on becoming a professional musician. But are you really good enough to compete with the 1% who actually make a CD or take a world tour? Now is the time to be brutally honest. Even though you don’t choose music as a career, you don’t have to stop enjoying it. Everyone needs a potent past time to round out their life. Decide that you are going to come out of this process with two decisions: a career choice and a life-long hobby.

Investigate: Now that you’ve made a short list of career choices, the sources of information are more abundant than ever. The internet comes to mind first, but make that your spring board to discover everything you can about careers of interest. Talk to people who are working in jobs you think you would like to do. Read everything you can about your specific career interests. Test drive your direction before taking it.

These steps are the beginning. After taking them, you should come out with enough to begin your full discovery and to define the college curriculum that supports your eventual career path. Don’t be afraid if your first ideas are not the right ones. By taking and revisiting these steps you will eventually come to the right conclusion.