Career Decisions and the World of Work Career

Career Decisions and the World of Work Career & Advising Services Reid Hall 110 208 -792 -2313 www. lcsc. edu/cas

Where are you going? You’ve decided to go to college – what do you want from your education?

Ø About what to major in? Ø About choosing a career? Ø About being prepared ?

Choosing a Major & Career • The majority of majors are designed for academic purposes rather than for career purposes • Some majors are difficult to relate to a specific job, such as philosophy or history • Choosing a major or a career requires good decision making skills

Decision Making Steps • • Identify the decision to be made Gather information about yourself Generate alternatives Gather information Match self & information Make a choice Develop a plan of action Review decision & consequences

Decision Making Steps, continued… • Make career planning part of life planning. Your career is only one part of your life. Keep an over-all life plan in mind as you consider your career directions. • Career planning is an on-going process. The average person changes careers 5 -7 times in their life. Take time to learn how to make good career decisions now, and it will serve you well again and again.

Career – Life Rainbow • Imagine that it is ten years from today and your life is exactly as you would like it to be. • What roles will you be playing? How will this affect your decision today on what career to pursue?

Holland Codes, Majors and Careers • John Holland developed a system of personality types to classify jobs into job categories, interest clusters, or work personality environments. • Your three letter code, or Holland code, can shed light on your characteristics, strengths, preferences as related to potential major and career choice.

The Party – Self Assessment • Thumbnail sketch of your potential interests • More sophisticated assessments needed before important decisions about major or career options • What is your three-letter code?

Basic Work Tasks • All work can be divided into four main tasks. • Every career choice you will consider will fall into one of these areas:

Basic Work Tasks, continued… DATA Data activities involve impersonal processes THINGS Things activities involve nonpersonal processes

Basic Work Tasks, continued… IDEAS Ideas activities involve intrapersonal processes PEOPLE People activities involve interpersonal processes

Holland Code Regions • DATA: Enterprising or Conventional • THINGS: Realistic (hands-on) • IDEAS: Artistic or Investigative • PEOPLE: Social

Job Family Regions • DATA: Administration/Sales (contacts) or Business Operations • THINGS: Technical • IDEAS: Arts or Sciences • PEOPLE: Social Service

Other Methods… • Besides assessments, other means of acquiring information about majors or careers are suggested, such as: 1) 2) 3) Research through printed and on-line resources Contacting someone in the field you can interview Job Shadowing someone in the field you are interested in

Where are you going? Students who take advantage of the services at their campus career center early in their college experience tend to be more satisfied with their career choice, more confident with their job search and interviewing skills, and tend to find a job more quickly upon graduation.

Career & Advising Services Staff: Debra Lybyer, Director Debi Mundell, Assistant Director Susan Lawson, Career Counselor Andrea Masom, Career Advisor Green Baggett, Staff Volunteer Denise Harris, Administrative Assistant I Hours/ Location: Monday - Friday, 8: 00 a. m. - 5: 00 p. m. Reid Hall 110