Career counseling
About career counseling
Career choice is a process, not an event! There are several stages that are guided by these three questions:
- Who am I?
- What’s out there?
- What careers fit me best?
Who am I?
This stage, often called self-assessment, involves taking stock of yourself: your interests, values, skills, personality, and lifestyle. It may include formal or informal assessment. Often a long, hard look at what you have already done, already know, or are interested in knowing more about is an equally good starting point.
What’s out there?
Career research is a process of exploring careers that seem to match your individual characteristics, as revealed through self-assessment. You will use some combination of written and online information resources, informational interviews and job shadowing to get the facts about careers. There are many sources of information about careers. For example:
- Nature of work – common activities and needed skills
- Income
- Outlook (projected growth) – careers that are “hot,” or not!
- Related occupations – other careers that share some similarities but are different
- Preparation – the education/training needed to qualify for a job
Try it out!
To connect with a professional counselor who specializes in career counseling, make an appointment.