Remember when you were younger and you wanted to be an astronaut or a Formula 1 driver? Choosing your ideal career was a lot simpler back when you could barely speak, but as a teenager it's difficult not to shrug half-heartedly when someone asks the question, "So, what do you want to do when you leave school?"

Do I really need to get a job?

Unless you're planning on becoming the next Paris Hilton, the answer is 'yes'. Having a job will give you the income you need to pay for bills, food, clothing and other necessary living costs. You can't sponge off your mum forever, you know!

Does it really matter what job I get?

Your job will become a huge part of your life, taking up approximately forty hours of every week, which averages out to about 25% of your adult life! That's a lot of time, which is why it's important to choose the right career path early on. By deciding sooner rather than later, you can make the appropriate advances before any of your competition, giving you an advantage over your peers. Plus, imagine finding yourself stuck in the wrong job and having to get up every day knowing there's another day of misery ahead of you! Not a nice thought, is it?

But I don't know what I want to do!

You can get an idea of what you would like to be by thinking about what type of personality you have and what interests you. For example, are you creative or artistic? Are you interested in building or fixing things? Would you call yourself a people person or would you rather work alone? Are you good with money or are you constantly going overdrawn? Everybody has strengths and weaknesses that can be used to influence your ideal job. The only tricky part is to find a career that focuses more on your strong points.

I don't think I have any skills!

You definitely do, you just need to think harder! Try asking friends, family or teachers for their advice, as you may find out that you do in fact possess skills that you may not have thought about. For example, a permanently clean bedroom is a sign of good organisation; being addicted to Football Manager shows good supervisory skills; finishing off the Sudoku puzzles in the back of the daily paper shows good problem-solving. These are all little activities that you previously thought were irrelevant, but in actuality, they are evidence of some of your skills and traits.

I want a job where I can have lie-ins!

That's perfectly fine! When thinking about your ideal career, you want to be able to narrow down the search by what you would be willing to do. Do you want a set schedule or would you rather work a more flexible rota? Do you want to be in front of a computer in an office all day or would you prefer to be on the street talking to people? Do you want to work somewhere close to home or would you rather commute? Try to bear all of these desirables in mind when thinking about your perfect job, but remember that you may have to make a few compromises along the way.

I'm still struggling…

You might benefit from an employment personality questionnaire, which you can usually pick up at your school, college or local job centre. There are also loads online, but try to take the results with a pinch of salt. Just because it turns out that you're perfectly suited to be a postman, according to the test, it doesn't mean that's all you'll ever be. There are limitless options out there, so it's just a matter of searching. If you're really stuck, try looking at Prospects' list of job positions to get an idea of what tasks you would be performing and a basic explanation of what the job entails.

Right, I've decided! Now what?

Research what it takes to get there! Have a look online, talk to your school's career advisor or see if you can speak to people who already do that job! Find out what qualifications you need, whether you need any relevant experience and if there are any specialist skills that are required and start working towards achieving these. Even though it may seem like a lot of work now, especially if you need to learn a completely new skill set, remember that it'll be all worthwhile when you've landed your dream job in the not-so-distant-future.