What makes you tick? What major will fit you best? How will you find a good career? And how can you keep from going crazy trying to sort through this swirl of career-related questions?
Many college students feel confused and overwhelmed by all of the career decisions they must make. Fortunately, there's a strategy you can use to make the whole process a little easier on your nerves, and your brain: Pursue tangible career goals each year you're in school.
The following checklist will help you make better sense of the career development process and give you a reasonably easy way to move through it.
Freshman Year: Know Thyself
You have enough to worry about during your first year of school without trying to choose your life's work on top of it all. So just start from the beginning: Get to know yourself first.
What does that mean? In essence, it means learning what you enjoy doing (your interests); what you're good at doing (your skills); what's important to you in a future career (your work values); and what makes you, well, you (your personality).
There are lots of ways to go about these tasks. You can:
- Take a few career interest tests at your school's career services office.
- Work one-on-one with a career counselor.
- Take a career planning course if one is available.
- Ask other people in your life (e.g., family and friends) to help you identify your pertinent career related traits.
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