1. Choose an industry or function to research. Focus on one of great interest to you, that you still have a lot to learn about.

2. Enter the name of the industry or function you choose into a search engine. Your goal is to find options, pathways, insights, and new ways to describe work that you might like to do.

3. Skim through the information you find and keep clicking on links as you discover details of interest. This should quickly lead you to new pages, new angles, and insights about your industry or function.

4. TAKE NOTES! Now, and always.

5. Compose a one-page report about what you learned that could be useful to your career as you explore your options. Use as much detail, facts, figures, trends, and references as you can. Build a case for why this path might or might not be a good one for you to pursue. Imagine that your next step is sharing what you found with a top person in your field who has offered to give you some advice about your best options. How can you show them quickly that you’re not wasting their time and that you have done some research to talk about your possibilities with substance and context? Keep this in mind as you write your paper. Frame your narrative like that. Consider sharing it with advisors or mentors.