Career Decision Making

Gayle E. Wood, M.Ed.

Director of Access and Diversity

3-Steps to Career Planning

• Self-Assessment – Evaluate your interests, personality and values, skills and abilities.

• Career Exploration – Evaluate career trends.

– Complete an information search.

• Put it Together – Set a specific timetable for completing goals.

– Use your contacts.

Self-Assessment

• Interests – What sparks my interest? – What activities give me the most pleasure? – What’s really important to me? – What volunteer activities do I find most enjoyable?

– What school subjects do I find most interesting?”

Self-Assessment

• Skills and Abilities – What are areas in which I excel? – What are my special gifts and talents? – What are some things I do for which I receive compliments? – In what subjects do I earn the highest grades?”

Self-Assessment

• Personality and Values – What are my lifestyle preferences?

– Do I prefer to be indoors or outdoors?

– Would I rather be with lots of people or by yourself?

– Do I consider myself a quite, calm person or an active person?

– Would I prefer a 9-5 work schedule or a flexible work schedule?

Tools for Self Assessment

• Daydream about careers that interest you. • Review the classified section of the Sunday Newspaper.

– Make a scrapbook of the job listings you cut out of the newspaper. – Pay attention to similarities in job choices.

Tools for Self Assessment

• • • Participate in a Shadow Program.

Review your Transcripts.

– Highlight those courses in which you earned an A or B. Take a Career Assessment.

– Meet with a counselor and take the Campbell Interest Skills Survey.

Career Exploration

• Review Career Trends.

– Labor Market Trends • Which employment fields will be dominant? – Occupational Trends • What careers are predicted for fast growth? • What changes are occurring in occupational trends? • How has the work force changed in the last few years?

• What significant work force changes will occur in the next 5-10 years?

Career Exploration

• Complete an Information Search.

– Use the following Internet sites to research specific careers. • Occupational Outlook Handbook www.bls.gov/oco/ • Princeton Review www.princetonreview.com/cte/ • What Color is Your Parachute? www.jobhuntersbible.com

• America's Career Infonet www.acinet.org/acinet/ • Tennessee Career Information Delivery System www.tcids.utk.edu/

Career Exploration

• • Talk to people in the field.

Participate in an internship.

– Contact the placement office for more information on internships.

Put It Together

• Set a Specific Timetable. – Write down long- and short-term goals that guide you toward achieving the • career you want. Teach K-5, graduation date, internship, licensure, etc.) – Periodically evaluate those goals.

Put It Together

• Use Your Contacts. – Network with people in your field before you graduate from college, especially during your last two semesters in college.

Need Help?

• If you need assistance with career planning, contact Counseling Services: – Blount County Center - 981-5303 – Division Street Campus - 971-5218 – Magnolia Campus - 329-3113 – Pellissippi Campus - 694-6547