Getting started on your career planning seems like a good idea, but the question is how do you figure out what you want to do?
You need to get information; about yourself, about what is out there in the world of work and what areas might be the best fit for you.
Knowing yourself means more than just knowing your program of study; you need to understand:
- your interests both in and out of school,
- your skills, what you are good at,
- your personality and
- your values, the things you think are really important principles for your life.
Our career counsellors can help you, either through individual appointments or the Explore Your Career Options workshop. As you work through this stage, you may notice similarities between your interests, skills, personality and values that can help you and the counsellor identify career areas of interest.
Then you can start to look at the world of work by researching these career areas and learning about new ones. Our Career Assistants will be happy to show you our Career Library resources and helpful weblinks. The information you find will help you explore the careers and begin to narrow down to your top choices. You can then use our Extern program and do information interviewing to make some career decisions.
Remember, this career choice will probably not be the only one you make in your life; many people change careers as they and the work world changes. So don’t worry that you have to find the perfect career; try to find the option(s) that work best for you right now.
Following these steps, you will have a strong sense of what you are looking for and what is possible. You will feel more confident in your choice and increase your chances of success in reaching your career goals.
Not sure how to get started?
Download the checklist for each step to help you stay on track (you can now save your progress!)
Step 1:
Identify Options
Step 2:
Explore Options
A. Further Education
B. Direct Entry Into Workforce
Step 3:
Final Preparation
A. Further Education
B. Direct Entry Into Workforce