Getting Started
You’ve probably heard it at least a dozen times – what are you going to be when you grow up? When you were younger, it was a fun question, one of those questions that you were not expected to have an answer for. Now when people ask… sometimes you want to run and hide or yell “Give me a break, I’m only a kid.” Now you’re expected to not only know what you want to be, but how to go about doing it.
We’ve been there, standing in your shoes and know there is no easy answer. But we do know that the average college student will change their major a couple of times and the average adult will tell you that they’ve had a couple of different jobs in their lifetime.
So where do you start? There are a couple of steps to figuring it all out. First and foremost, you have to learn a little bit about yourself.
Who Am I?
Of course you know who you are, but have you thought about how your personality and daily habits might translate into finding a college, a major, and even a career that’s a good match for you?
There are no “right” answers and this isn’t a quiz that will lead you to a specific answer, but understanding what you like and what’s important to you is the foundation for making a college decision – as well as many other important decisions that you will face in your adult life.
10 Questions to consider: (don’t forget to write down your answers!)
- What subjects or activities have I loved since I was a child?
- What are some new subjects or activities that have recently piqued my interest?
- In which classes did I continuously get the best grades? The worst grades?
- What’s more important to me – making a lot of money or helping people? Or am I somewhere in between?
- If I won the lottery or didn’t ever have to worry about money, what would I want to do with my life?
- Do I like to work in teams or work alone?
- Do I like to settle in and be in one spot all day, or run around and do many different things (sometimes all at once)?
- Do I love to speak in front of people or do I prefer to be in the background?
- Do I enjoy thinking things through and solving complex problems on paper, or do I prefer getting out and about and being face-to-face with people?
- What are my biggest concerns in choosing a college or a career?
Reviewing your answers to these questions will help you to start and understand your personal values and interests. And they’ll also help you to have productive conversations about your college plans with your parents, guidance counselors, teachers and friends.
Remember that a career is more than a job. It’s something you’ll hopefully do for a long time, so it should be something you enjoy and also allow you to have the kind of life you want.
Need more help? We have three career exploration tools to help you select the right career for you.
- Work Importance Profiler – helps you figure out what type of work environment is good for you start here
- Career Interest Profiler – helps you identify careers that fit your particular interest start here
- Career Browser – helps you learn about the many different types of jobs available in a particular career field start here