Have you ever felt stuck in your career? Burn out from your job can cause unhappiness. After all, you probably commute and stay at work for a great part of a single day. In my opinion, that’s a long time to be dissatisfied.

If you feel stuck, here are great tips to find a new one:

Brainstorm on a sheet of paper – I’ve talked about this before and it’s a strategy I use all the time. Take a pen and write what you want as a question. After that, simply list out 20 answers to your question. As an example, you could write “What I want to do for work?” And then spend the next 30 minutes writing down answers . The key to this exercise is coming up with 20 answers – don’t quit until you have 20 answers. You can perform repeatedly, perhaps once a day, until you find the right answer (at least on paper).

Talk to people who know you – From time to time people close to us have greater intimate knowledge of us in ways we’re not able to for ourselves. While socializing with a friend or a relative, ask for their help to sort things out about your career goals. Ask their advice on what they think you enjoy doing. More often than not they can zero in to your strengths and abilities and come up with a good suggestion.

Talk to people at work – Sometimes, just like friends, your coworkers have a unique view of you. Think about this for a second, people at work have seen what you’re good at in a professional sense. Compile all the answers you get from them and look for a pattern.

Call a headhunter – If you are searching in your career, it’s likely you have resumes handy. Sometimes you can get a hold of a headhunter during their slow times and discuss with them your career goals. I’ve done this a few times before and some, not all, have been open to talk. The advice they’ve given me had been positive.

Take a skills assessment test – Let’s get this straight: all professions require different career paths. Makes sense, right; nursing career advice require a different set of skills from a video game designer. In the age of the Internet, there are websites with services where you might be able to take one of these tests for a fee. From the previous tip, most recruiters and headhunters are already using a skills assessment program and don’t mind you taking the test in their office. These tests tend to be thorough requiring you to answer a series of questions regarding your professional expertise and goals. It’s a good evaluation to see some new exciting areas to explore in your life.

Maintain a notebook of ideas – It’s always good to browse for past observation of what you did right or made you smile. Look out for common themes. Keep in mind that finding things you don’t like is almost as important as finding what you do like. By way of example, if you disdain a micromanaging boss, then you might want to start your own business. If you hate nosy coworkers you’d probably prefer your own office.

Learning who you are professionally is the most important decision you can make. After all, we spend a big portion of our lives earning a living for ourselves and family. Thus, being in the right job is important.