I was recently asked by a close friend for some career advice. They're in a good job with a good salary and good long-term prospects, but that's it really. It's just good. When I asked them about what they really wanted to do as a career they simply had no idea. All my friend knew was they didn't want to do the job they're doing at the moment.

If I was asked the same question about what I wanted to do in the future I know what my answer would be and it's not building web applications. It's not my strength though, which is why I continue to do what I do today. I haven't completely discounted the idea of doing my ideal job, but then things change so fast now. Next year's dream job could change over time and evolve into something else.

It's part of the world we live in now. Everything moves at such a fast pace and things are changing constantly. There's is no job for life anymore. And yet there's plenty of opportunities for people with even the remotest idea of a new business. There's so much that people can do from their own homes, that the dream job that they have now is within reach. How long would that career last though?

I've no idea if my dream job will still be around in 10 or 20 years but it would be great if it was. Jobs for life are very few and far between now, but in their place are more opportunities for individuals than ever before.

Back to my friend who I give this advice.

If you want to make a career and living that plays to your strengths, then look beyond what you do at the moment, and try and apply your strengths to other roles and positions out with your comfort zone.

Identifying what you really want to do is key too. Without knowing what direction you want to head in, there's no way of making the first step in the right direction.

I'm not a career advisor, but it's was the best advice I could come up with for them. If you were in a similar position, what advice would you give to someone looking to change their career but not knowing what they truly wanted to do?