Four Steps to Your Career Goal

Step 1: Self Discovery

What are my SKILLS?

Skills are your abilities, talents, and strengths. Organizing, speaking, writing, planning, and problem-solving are all examples of skills. Examining your experiences and discovering what you do well is an important part of career decision making. Often skills developed in one career field are valuable in other seemingly unrelated fields. These are called transferable skills.  To help you understand your strengths and weaknesses:

• Take the Skills Profiler in MyPlan
• Complete the Skills exercise in Collage: Kent State to Career Portfolio

What are my INTERESTS?

Interests are the things you enjoy. What types of activities do you have fun doing? Do they involve working with data, people or things? Some of our interests are reflected in our hobbies and social activities. Most people who enjoy their work have some inherent interest in the activities they must perform. Don't ignore your interests, they will likely be critical to your future career satisfaction.  To help you find out what your interests are:

• Take the Interest Inventory in MyPlan
• Come to the Career Services Center to take the Self-Directed Search.

What are my VALUES?

What is most important to you?  We all need to make money, but what keeps you motivated to work hard? Is it making a contribution to your community?  Providing leadership?  Having job security? There are no "right" answers, just preferences. Remember, people who pursue work that is in line with their values tend to be more satisfied and successful.  To help you learn more about what is important to you in a job:

• Take the Values Assessment in MyPlan
• Complete the Work Values exercise in Collage: A Kent State to Career Portfolio 
• Take the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator to learn more about your personality type and how it relates to careers.

What is my PREFERRED WORK ENVIRONMENT?

Do you prefer to work alone or to collaborate with others? Would you like to work for a small organization or a large one? In the country, or the city?  Again, there are no right-or-wrong answers, just your own personal desires and inclinations.  To help you learn more about your preferred work environment:

• Complete the Imagine Your Future Workday exercise in the Career Exploration section of Collage: A Kent State to Career Portfolio

STILL UNSURE ABOUT THE ANSWERS to these questions?

• First, make an appointment with a career counselor who can provide further assistance.
• Second, consider registering for the seven-week, one-credit hour, Career Construction Course (US 2008). This graded course is designed to help students match their strengths and interests to a major and career. 

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