Self-Assessment

 

Start at the beginning! What do you enjoy doing? What do you do well? What is important to you? This first step involves gathering information about yourself to assist you in making a career decision. Begin to develop an understanding of your personal values, interests, personality traits, skills, and desired life style. The answers you produce will help you identify factors that can help lead you to a satisfying career. Check out our web site or contact Career Services for more information about self-assessment tools.

 

Career Exploration

 

Have you always wanted to take an acting class? Do you know what an occupational therapist does? Have you ever heard of an ethnologist? Do you want to know what the fastest-growing and highest-paying occupations are? The purpose of this step is to encourage you to explore different courses, different majors and related career options (including learning about job characteristics, work settings, employment outlooks, etc.). The information gathered in this step will allow you to narrow a general occupational direction into a specific one and focus efforts on building competence in this area. At this point it may become clearer what major would be best. Although your major does not decide your career, there is a connection between the two. Keep an open mind and allow yourself to explore the possibilities!

 

Making a Decision

 

Finally, you’re ready to put all the information together, evaluate your options, and make a decision! Making the decision takes very little time, yet it can be the most difficult part of the career development process. Contrary to popular belief, career development is not a one-time decision. It is a continuous, ever-changing, and life-long process. Most students in college change their major an average of three times and most people change their career field an average of six times in their lifetime. The more time and effort you spend on the first two steps in this process, the more comfortable and confident you will be in making career decisions. Keep in mind, there is no one career that can possibly meet all your needs. Choose your “best fit” career option.

 

Developing a Plan of Action

 

Congratulations! Now that you’ve made the decision, it’s time to sit back and relax, right? Wrong! It takes more than a degree these days to compete in the job market. Employers look for academic excellence (although this will decrease in importance as you advance in your career field), career-related experience, and leadership experience. In this step of your career development plan, focus on an academic plan and activities that may help you develop your interests. Seek opportunities such as internships and explore student activities and organizations. It is important to gain experience, as well as to confirm to yourself that you’ve chosen a field you truly enjoy.

 

In Summary:

Get to know yourself. Take time to think about what you value, what your interests are, and what skills you have. Utilize various assessment tools from Career Services if you need help in this area.

 

Classroom experience can tell you a lot You can investigate and read about particular majors, but you won’t know for sure if you enjoy a particular subject until you start taking some classes. Many classes sound interesting on paper, but may be very different once you are enrolled.

 

Work experience is vital To be competitive in the job market, you must have more that a degree listed on your résumé at graduation. Part-time work, volunteer activities, and internships all can give you the cutting edge necessary when job searching. Additionally, it is important to learn firsthand about the culture of different organizations, the lifestyle that may be required in particular job fields, and the type of co-workers with whom you may be working.

 

Personal Changes Few of us are the same person we were five or ten years ago. As your values and needs change, your interest in a particular major or career may also change. You may decide to seek additional responsibilities or a promotion. Changes in the industry may also affect your desire to stay in a particular job or career field. Continually revising your Career “Plan of Action” and being familiar with the steps in the Career Development Process will help make those transitions easier.