Deciding on a Career Path
We make many decisions every day of our lives. Some are easy and some are difficult. Some have a very small impact on our lives, while others have a much greater impact.
In deciding on a career path consider, you will want to consider:
- What you know about yourself
- your interests
- skills and abilities
- values and passions
- What you know about your options
- majors
- occupations, opportunities and careers
- job trends
- types of organizations
- How you make decisions
- Do you weigh the pros and cons and become very systematic in deciding?
- Do you choose based upon what feels right or intuitively makes sense?
- Do you talk to others and obtain input before making a decision?
- Do you think things through internally prior to deciding?
You can use whatever method works best for you. Just be aware of how you decide. People have many different styles of making decisions.
We offer students "Interest Inventories" where you can take specialized surveys to find out more about your personality or how your skills match potential occupations. To schedule and interest inventory, you must make an appointment with a Career Counselor 333-0395.
Career Decision-Making Model
- Identify the Decision to be Made
- Know Yourself (interests, skills and abilities, values and passions)
- Research Your Options (Major, Occupations, Opportunities and Careers)
- Evaluate Your Options
- Identify the pros and cons of each major, career, or occupation that you are considering
- Explore how your options relate to your interests skills, and values
- Think about the risks involved for each option
- Consider the future consequences of each option
- Choose one of the Options
- Develop an Action Plan and Implement Your Decision
You will want to monitor your decision and assess whether you are achieving your goals. Evaluating your decision allows you to make adjustments or changes when necessary. This does not mean your initial decision was wrong or bad, rather you may have learned more or things may have changed and a different decision is necessary.
Remember that a Career Counselor in The Career Center can help you with any part of your decision-making process.
