The first major career transition that we make is the move from school, which could be high school, but increasingly means college or university, to the world of work. But the step from college to career is often made with very little information.

Many people looking back at their first job, see something which is not related to their present career. In a great many cases, it was a job which they took because they were anxious to see their first pay packet. This might have been a desire to experience independence and the ability to buy what they wanted or it could have been the first step in paying back a mountain of student debt.

One of the reasons that so few people stay on the same career track is that they are not encouraged to really think about careers when they are studying. Of course, they are expected to choose a career, but not given the information or the chance to look at the much bigger picture of career opportunities open to them.

Another reason is quite simply that our goals, priorities and desires change as we grow older and so what seemed the ideal career at 20 may hold absolutely no interest at 40.

If you are just about to leave college or if you want to help your children make a more thoughtful first career choice, it is a good idea to spend some time looking at interests, skills and dreams. Most of us are not encouraged to follow our dreams and so we go off and get a real job, which can be a big regret in later life.

This is one of the most exciting times in anyone’s life. It’s a chance to discover what it is you want and how to get from where you are now to that destination. And now is the best time to look into it, before you have acquired the responsibilities of home ownership or parenthood.

So spend time exploring - see it as the beginning of an adventure. There are plenty of places to find information - careers advisors at college (get in there while this service is still free), careers libraries, bookshops where you are encouraged to browse and can spend hours without having to spend any money, and of course, the internet. Try to find and talk to people who are already doing the careers which interest you.

Kick start your new career using the most effective jobsearch strategy

Waller Jamison is a careers advisor and university teacher, who understands the problems associated with career change and going back to college.