I know that there are people out there who will ask you various questions about your personality, life situation, and general interests so that they can take all this information, tell you what job you would be best suited to, and point you in the right direction towards obtaining that job.
WHAT ARE THESE PEOPLE CALLED AND HOW CAN I CONTACT THEM?
They are called ‘career counsellors’. Some headhunting/employment agencies have them on staff. Some work for government employment assistance departments. Some have psych degrees (and attendant high fees) and can be found in your phone book under ‘psychologists’.
Here is a resource for locating a placement service near you. They’ll know where you can find other resources.
If you are looking for more generalized advice / assistance than just career selection, but you’re not looking for a shrink, the person you’re looking for is called a “life coach”. A little yellow pages research & / or googling & you’ll be in business.
If you’re in the US, your state university or local community college may provide career counseling for community members free of charge.
Just what I was going to say. And if you have a degree (or even part of one), your college almost certainly has career counseling available to you as an alumnus.
When I was 20 something I went to a career counseler at the local community college. If I recall correctly, it was free (it was 20 some years ago and I can barely remember what I had for breakfast 10 minutes ago… but I do know I was dirt poor and would likely not have paid for it - or been able to - so it was likely free.)
Also, if you are near your own former college, they may provide some help, although there may be a fee involved. The fee may be implicit, like having to belong to the alumni association.
If an alumni association is not available to you, find the One-Stop Career Center nearest you. They have services free of charge to anybody.
In fact, you should do this even if you do visit an alumni association, just to have more available to you.