Don’t start with job titles
Many students and job seekers say, “I don’t know what I want to do.”
When that happens, it is tempting to start by choosing a job title.
Sales?
Planning?
Human resources?
Engineering?
Product management?
But job titles can be misleading. The same title can mean very different things depending on the company.
Instead of starting with job titles, try tracking your own reactions for one month.
Your reactions are data
Write down what happened each day.
- What did you enjoy?
- What made you angry?
- What did you naturally keep doing?
- What did you research without being told?
- What felt easy compared to others?
- What drained you?
- What made you think, “I can do this”?
After a month, patterns start to appear.
You may not find “the perfect dream job,” but you will start to see your operating system.
Track three types of logs
The first is an emotional log.
Write down what felt fun, boring, stressful, exciting, or frustrating.
The second is a talent log.
Write down what came naturally, what you did faster than others, what you kept doing without being forced, and what made you produce a lot.
The third is a friction log.
Write down what drained you, what environment did not fit you, and what kind of work you do not want to repeat.
Together, these three logs tell you much more than a polished self-analysis answer.
My example: AI tools revealed my strength
In my own case, I realized something important when AI coding tools such as Claude Code and Codex appeared.
I did not just think, “AI is impressive.”
I thought, “This fits how I work.”
I could generate ideas, notice problems, structure them, and ask AI to help with implementation, writing, documentation, landing pages, and app development.
I realized that my strength was not simply coding by hand.
My strength was detecting problems, structuring them, designing solutions, and turning them into systems with the help of AI.
That was not just a feeling.
It was proven by output.
I actually created apps, landing pages, articles, documents, prompts, and career analysis materials.
That output became a talent log.
Frustration is also useful data
I also tracked what made me angry or exhausted.
For example:
- unclear roles
- responsibility without authority
- vague evaluation criteria
- last-minute feedback
- a culture that praises overtime
- meetings without structure
- being treated like a general-purpose helper
At first, these looked like complaints.
But after tracking them, I realized they were career data.
They showed what kind of environment drains me and what kind of environment I should avoid.
Talent often appears where output increases naturally
Instead of asking only, “What do I like?” ask:
- What do I naturally produce a lot of?
- What do I improve without being told?
- What do I research automatically?
- What tools do I immediately understand how to use?
- What problems do I keep noticing?
- What can I turn into a system, document, or product?
Your talent may be hidden in what you repeatedly do without forcing yourself.
A simple one-month template
Use this template every day.
What I did today:
What I enjoyed:
What annoyed me:
What drained me:
What did not drain me:
What I researched naturally:
What came naturally to me:
What I want to do again:
What I do not want to do again:
Today’s insight:
Once a week, ask AI to summarize your logs.
Please analyze this week’s logs and summarize:
1. What kind of work I enjoy
2. My natural strengths
3. My talent log: where I naturally produced output
4. Environments that drain me
5. Repeated values or preferences
6. Suitable jobs or industries
7. Unsuitable jobs or industries
8. Conditions I should look for in job hunting
9. Weaknesses or risks I should be careful about
Please point out both strengths and weaknesses.
Do this for four weeks.
By the end, you will have a much clearer picture of your career axis.
Conclusion
If you do not know what you want to do, do not force yourself to invent a beautiful answer.
Observe yourself.
Track your emotions, your talents, your friction, and your output.
What you enjoy matters.
What makes you angry matters.
What you naturally keep doing matters.
What drains you matters.
What makes you produce a lot matters.
Your career direction is often hidden in your reaction logs.
Instead of trying to find your dream job from job titles, collect your own data for one month.
Then look for the work and environment where your operating system can be valued.
Codex向け実装メモ
- 記事カテゴリ：キャリア / 自己分析 / 就活 / 転職
- 自己分析が苦手な人向けの記事
- AIを使った就活準備の記事
- 転職軸の作り方の記事
- 強みの見つけ方の記事
- 「1か月反応ログテンプレート」を配布
- AI自己分析プロンプト集へ誘導
- 就活・転職の軸整理シートへ誘導
- 画像案：
- スマホで日々のメモを取っている人
- 「感情ログ」「才能ログ」「摩耗ログ」の3分岐図
- 職種名から探す人と、反応ログから探す人の比較図
