Deciding on a Career Prayer for Young Adults

This deciding on a career prayer for young adults will give God’s guidance in choosing a career. This is a guided prayer. It gives you topics to pray that will help you to talk personally to God about different parts of deciding on a career. Then it gives you a moment to meditate on insights God sends your way.

This deciding on a career prayer can be used by high school students choosing college prep or vocational path, graduates seeking their first job or college students deciding on a major based on their future goals.

Deciding on a career prayer for young adults

Dear God, I need your help and guidance today deciding on a career. It seems like choosing a career should be easy, but I’ve found out that there’s a lot to consider.

This is one of the biggest decisions I’ve had to make so far. I want to make a good decision based on what I’m capable of doing and on what I like doing and on what will give me a sense of accomplishment.

Thank you, God, you have created me with unique talents, abilities and dreams. Thank you for the education and experiences that have given me clues about what career I should choose. I now start a prayerful conversation with you about some of the ideas I’ve gotten.

Here’s an experience that makes me consider a possible career in that field_______________________

Here’s a career that counselors, parents and others have suggested to me____________________

Here are the things I’m good at or enjoy that could be a career path____________________

Here’s something I’ve often pictured myself doing as a job__________________________________

Here’s something I feel called to do__________________________________________________

Here’s a cause I really care about_________________________________________________________

Here’s someone I look up to who has made me consider going into their career field___________________________________________________________________________

Here’s a job that seems like a long shot that really interests me____________________________

Please give me a sense which of these careers to consider more closely or whether there’s something else that I should consider. I now listen and meditate on this _______________________

I thank you that you are a God of order who created the universe and who created me. You have given me a good mind that can logically weigh the pros and cons of different careers. I pray that you will show me how to logically think through my choices now_______________________________________________

I thank you that you are the God of the heart who values a willing heart more than achievements. I pray that you will show me what my heart is telling me to do______________________________________________

I thank you that you are the God of history. Show me where I might fit into your bigger plan for the world_______________________________________________________________________

I thank you that you are the God who provides. Show me the way that will best provide for my needs ____________________________________________________________

I thank you that you are the God of courage. Please give me the courage to try a career path that I might be worried about trying_________________________________________________________

I thank you that you are the God of strength. Please give me the perseverance to follow my career path_______________________________________________________

I thank you that you are the God of peace. Please give me a sense of peace in deciding on a career_______________________________________________________________

I thank you that you are God who can be trusted. Help me to trust that you can guide me during my times of doubts about my abilities___________________________________________

I thank you that you are the God of wisdom. Give me the wisdom and the ability to learn so I can perform well in my chosen career______________________________________________

I thank you that you are a God of patience. Help me to be patient while I’m working on this decision_______________________

Please guide me to good help on choosing a career. Here is one place where I can get help__________________________

Please help me to be teachable and able to listen to advice. Give me confidence when others try to discourage my dreams. Help me to be patient when I don’t receive the exact job I want right away. Help me when things don’t work out. Give me the grace to start over. Help me find your calling for my life. Show me how to keep a healthy work/life balance.

I thank you that you will be with me every day as I move forward in my chosen career. I pray that you will bless everything that I do.

Amen.

About this deciding on a career prayer

Deciding on a career is usually the first big decision we face as young adults. Here are some other ideas to help you.

Resources

Ask God to guide you to any and all resources that might help you when deciding on a career. Here are some helpful resources for young adults:

School counselors and job placement services

Tests and quizzes that help define your preferences and match you to jobs, such as the Meyers Briggs Personality test

Internships (paid or volunteer) to try out different jobs and companies

Volunteer work related to your possible career choice

Contacts with people in a field of work you’re interested in who can mentor you or tell you about their jobs

Clubs and social groups related to a possible career field, such as future teachers etc.

Online research on careers

Career days at schools or on campus

“Shadowing” opportunities to follow a person in your prospective career field during a typical work day

Decide what’s most important to you

Here’s a list of some of the things young adult say are the most important to them in a job. God over this list and decide which of these are most important to you.

Interesting and fulfilling work

Salary

Benefits

Promotion opportunities

Healthy work/life balance

Learning new skills

Flexible work schedule

Being part of a team

Working independently

Location

Don’t be afraid to change your mind

When you choose a certain career, you may or may not stay in it forever. Once you get some job experience under your belt, you may decide to try something else. No worries, just start praying that God will guide you.

As an example, one of my sons was really good in math and science so he chose to major in Engineering in college. He took an Air Force ROTC scholarship that was specifically to get an engineering degree. While he was in college, he had created a mountain biking because mountain biking was something he enjoyed doing. After getting his engineering degree, he began to wonder if engineering was the job he wanted to do the rest of his life.

He was already committed to serve in the Air Force so he got several years of experience as an engineer that confirmed that this wasn’t what he really wanted to do.

He felt extremely interested in business, particularly in being an entrepreneur. He went to graduate school to get his MBA. At the end of MBA school, when the other graduates were eagerly seeking jobs in big corporations, he knew from his Air Force service that he would rather not work for a big company where you don’t have creative control.

He tried a small business venture with another MBA school graduate, but it didn’t work out. He took a second look at the mountain biking website he had created while in college and decided to see if he could make a living on that. Success! His website has grown enough so he can make a living from it and it’s something he really enjoys.

This experience points out that often the first job you find isn’t necessarily your final destination. Don’t be afraid to re-evaluate things and try something new. God often guides us step by step and sometimes we don’t know the second step until we take the first step.

For more information on deciding if it’s time to switch gears on your career, check out this article on choosing a new career path by Caitlyn Miller who wasn’t feeling fulfilled in the job she thought she wanted when she graduated from college.