A career path can be defined as a series of jobs that lead you closer to your career goals and vision for life. Define your career path, explore your career potential, and begin charting a career path that aligns with your goals with these resources.
A career path can be defined as a series of jobs that lead you closer to your career goals and vision for life. Some people follow a linear path through one field, advancing into roles with more responsibilities and higher salaries. Others shift companies, industries, or roles more frequently, and accumulate experience in a variety of roles.
You might be wondering what you can do to steer your career in the direction you desire. Should you stick to a linear path and seek advancement in a single field, or should you take on diverse roles and explore multiple paths?
Both approaches can lead to fulfillment when you clarify your vision for the future. A linear career path could mean gaining deeper understanding of a field and becoming a leader or specialist, while a multi-directional career path could mean accumulating diverse knowledge and being able to adapt quickly to an ever-changing professional landscape.
We have resources and articles for every step along your unique career path, including:
Choosing the right career involves a thoughtful exploration of your interests, skills, values, and aspirations. Start by identifying your passions and strengths, considering what activities bring you joy and fulfillment. Research various industries and professions to understand their demands and alignment with your preferences. Seek advice from mentors, professionals, or career counselors to gain valuable insights.
Embrace the idea that career paths may evolve, and stay open to learning and adapting along the way. Ultimately, the right career is one that aligns with your values, utilizes your strengths, and provides a sense of purpose and satisfaction.
You may not need to find an entry-level role when you switch careers, depending on the amount of professional experience you’ve accumulated and the skills you’ve developed. But you may want to be flexible about the level of work you seek because you might benefit from additional training and experience as you learn the specifics of your new career.
Within data science, common jobs include data scientist, data analyst, data architect, and data engineer. Data science skills can be extremely useful for business and marketing analysts, who often use system tools to extract and analyze data. It is a high-demand field and skill set, and nearly every industry uses data science in one way or another.
Jobs that require at least a bachelor’s degree usually fall into one of seven industry categories: business and finance, education, computer science, arts and media, architecture and engineering, health care, and sciences. Specific jobs you might find in these fields that require a degree include accountants, marketing specialists, financial analysts, teachers, software developers, computer programmers, and actuaries. Mental health counselors, dieticians, and public relations specialists typically need a degree to work in their fields.
Build job-ready skills with a Coursera Plus subscription
![[Featured Image] A man wearing a green buttoned shirt is leaning against a desk with his arms folded.](https://images.ctfassets.net/wp1lcwdav1p1/65wVU9N81gCIJGaHVbj4Op/eb5c3d0ac5b744ae70f1c032bae9b4cf/-BtFX7aN.jpeg?w=330&h=216&q=60&fit=fill&f=faces&fm=jpg&fl=progressive)
![[Featured image] A parent sits at a desk holding a baby while working.](https://images.ctfassets.net/wp1lcwdav1p1/1x98DW1gqbXinUr5MICqGx/c97d60c74cfafbfb225e8e272369cbf8/GettyImages-571492555.jpg?w=330&h=216&q=60&fit=fill&f=faces&fm=jpg&fl=progressive)
![[Featured Image]: A woman wearing a blue blouse and glasses, with a pen to chin, thinking about her career path.](https://images.ctfassets.net/wp1lcwdav1p1/4MiY1iOdtn65L8w9ACetRH/7927c9dfd6cc8fd53c572b34780b9b61/GettyImages-1161370536.jpg?w=330&h=216&q=60&fit=fill&f=faces&fm=jpg&fl=progressive)
![[Featured Image] An air traffic controller, which is one of many jobs that pay $50 an hour without a degree, uses binoculars to look out a window over a runway.](https://images.ctfassets.net/wp1lcwdav1p1/5lEEGlBTQp5lPMBOgU57SX/df8d38e23b886e7c3615bfc01b0ae970/GettyImages-157616362.jpg?w=330&h=216&q=60&fit=fill&f=faces&fm=jpg&fl=progressive)
![[Featured Image] A man wearing a suit shakes hands with an interviewer during his job interview for one of the DHS jobs to which he applied.](https://images.ctfassets.net/wp1lcwdav1p1/5PUZfoPxVR7xcVZd1WLLcv/65acec543dc9de6839a2b221a1efd0d3/GettyImages-685004269.jpg?w=330&h=216&q=60&fit=fill&f=faces&fm=jpg&fl=progressive)
![[Featured Image] A cybersecurity project manager, one of the many non-technical cybersecurity jobs, presents some information to her team.](https://images.ctfassets.net/wp1lcwdav1p1/5z0Rg2HxRJtarvHOy4geml/1ebcce783841565d083fb1a8b89962e4/GettyImages-495843651.jpg?w=330&h=216&q=60&fit=fill&f=faces&fm=jpg&fl=progressive)
![[Featured] A man wearing a headset and typing on a computer works in emergency communications, one of the many important CISA jobs.](https://images.ctfassets.net/wp1lcwdav1p1/2ZrU5nZvimTi0VDLQ6Ouv7/6704236f41481fcbc4f3a2b9b33b13e0/GettyImages-1500517583.jpg?w=330&h=216&q=60&fit=fill&f=faces&fm=jpg&fl=progressive)
![[Featured Image] Two flight attendants carry their bags and talk while walking through an airport.](https://images.ctfassets.net/wp1lcwdav1p1/655Tnfe8kgsziUerdz9zVe/0d048dcc619fdd1acb0309e426e0c4e9/GettyImages-1408233041.jpg?w=330&h=216&q=60&fit=fill&f=faces&fm=jpg&fl=progressive)
![[Featured image] A Man wearing a hard hat inspects a building.](https://images.ctfassets.net/wp1lcwdav1p1/5ptHwX4JVqXVk70s9MZQ7m/5f045b92bb10ba6a9366ad341f289958/GettyImages-1317900085.jpg?w=330&h=216&q=60&fit=fill&f=faces&fm=jpg&fl=progressive)
![[Featured Image] A smiling customer service representative wearing a headset speaks to a customer on the phone when ChatGPT is not able to answer their questions.](https://images.ctfassets.net/wp1lcwdav1p1/3VFFDkwH0Q7foyoIQw2Nng/2167342b7a21e36af0580750154185b7/GettyImages-1437821111.jpg?w=330&h=216&q=60&fit=fill&f=faces&fm=jpg&fl=progressive)
![[Featured Image] A recent college graduate sits at a computer and prepares her resume to enter the tech job market as a data analyst.](https://images.ctfassets.net/wp1lcwdav1p1/2ca2QZHzx7WsIkuJ6I74G9/1659f68aec4902358ceea0f3d830b5f6/GettyImages-1215009025.jpg?w=330&h=216&q=60&fit=fill&f=faces&fm=jpg&fl=progressive)
![[Featured Image] A head chef combines food in a commercial kitchen after learning about California jobs in demand and applying their training and passion for culinary arts.](https://images.ctfassets.net/wp1lcwdav1p1/1GJcDhisxTY5IUqYTM46nv/b55049703c856db66099c59f26749f90/GettyImages-144869230.jpg?w=330&h=216&q=60&fit=fill&f=faces&fm=jpg&fl=progressive)
![[Featured Image] A programmer sits at home, talks on the phone, and uses her laptop to research ads for R programming jobs.](https://images.ctfassets.net/wp1lcwdav1p1/3suHank5GoGaejuwiNzQWx/d798555864b5c8f0b06758216e9f61e0/GettyImages-1284106276.jpg?w=330&h=216&q=60&fit=fill&f=faces&fm=jpg&fl=progressive)
![[Featured image] A woman in her cap and gown holds her diploma and smiles after getting her bachelor’s degree with her classmates.](https://images.ctfassets.net/wp1lcwdav1p1/4O3Ok5BLzpr60K1X5q8Qtn/26b63d93dad9107a82ce61884f949e75/GettyImages-512746852.jpg?w=330&h=216&q=60&fit=fill&f=faces&fm=jpg&fl=progressive)
![[Featured Image] An IT specialist without a degree chats virtually with a customer from her office.](https://images.ctfassets.net/wp1lcwdav1p1/1XUJwM6EeMUvYCRMrIE6n3/3ee9acd4aa406ac548a0b6623a6dd8f2/GettyImages-1346576524.jpg?w=330&h=216&q=60&fit=fill&f=faces&fm=jpg&fl=progressive)
