Creating your career path

Do any of these statements sound like something you would say?

I haven’t had enough experience, and I don’t feel ready to make an intelligent decision about my future career.

College majors confuse me. Several appeal to me, but they all lead in different directions.

The job scene seems to change frequently. How can I get a handle on what jobs will be available when I am ready to graduate?

I just don’t seem to be able to come to a decision about my options.

If you can relate to some of these statements, then you are probably looking for solid and reliable advice to help you make your career and major decisions.

Without offering a panacea (SAT word; means “cure-all”), there are effective resources and strategies to help you understand and deal with the career decision-making process. You can help yourself through this process by doing the following:
Do a self-assessment to examine your goals, obstacles and values.
Get help from an experienced career counselor who can help you understand what you’ve discovered about yourself.
Link your self-assessment results to carefully chosen resources and activities that can help you create an action plan.
Create an action plan that lists specific goals and the strategies you’ll use to achieve them.

Here are some tips for managing your career-choice process.

Do a self-assessment
Begin with an honest and thorough inventory of who you are and what you are looking for. This exercise is referred to as self-assessment. It means getting a grip on your interests (what you really enjoy doing), your skills (what you do well), and your values (what is important to you). Think outside the box here! Sure, academics count, but many other qualities are also important in this piece of the career-planning process: your communications skills, willingness to be a team player, knowing when and how to take appropriate risks and demonstrating a genuine concern for the feelings of others. Look at the kinds of jobs or school activities you engage in. What have you enjoyed? What recurring skills have played a role in your successes? You can seek more in-depth assessment techniques by taking surveys that provide measured and formal interpretation of your responses.

Explore different careers
Your goal is to find a good fit between who you are and the many educational and career opportunities available. Career exploration is the gateway. The research section of any library will contain publications, such as the Occupational Outlook Handbook, that explain the requirements, salaries and typical tasks of a number of jobs. Don’t overlook the rich source of insights and support you can get from friends, family, faculty members, counselors and contacts you cultivate.

Learn to make decisions
Decision-making styles vary from person to person. You may be logical and analytical, or you might prefer a more “go with the gut” approach to making choices. Watch out for procrastination and avoidant behaviors, which sometimes result in things just happening to you. Making decisions is a two-step affair. Once you decide to do something, say pursue a college major, then you have to do the work of the decision; you need to implement the decision through a well-designed action plan.

Learn to self-market
When applying to college, self-marketing skills are essential to your progress. They are all about knowing what the other side is looking for and then positioning yourself in the best way possible. Certain protocols are essential to all effective self-marketing events: accurate and attractive self-presentation on paper or e-mail; confident and clear communication and those personality-related qualities; such as being a team player or  dealing well with stress.

Develop your support system
A very powerful catalyst for career-planning success is having a trusted and caring support system, usually in the form of professional counselor. You may work with your school counselor or perhaps find a qualified independent counselor who can help you make decisions in phone or e-mail conversations.

There are no quick tricks or magic wands when it comes to making good career decisions. It does take some hard work and a readiness to think and explore. But it feels really good when you begin to get results. Remember, it’s about your future, your life, your talents and your dreams.

Dr. James Malone is director of career counseling for ReadyMinds, a distance counseling service.

The Next Step Magazine offers distance career counseling! Check it out under the "tools" section at www.nextSTEPmagazine.com!

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