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How To Choose a Career or College Major:
A Step-by-Step Guide

The time you spend doing it right now can affect the rest of your life!

Tom G. Stevens PhD
Psychologist/Professor Emeritus, California State University, Long Beach
Send Feedback/Questions to: Tom.Stevens@csulb.edu
 
 
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How To Choose a Career or College Major:
A Step-by-Step Guide

Tom G. Stevens PhD

STEP 1: GET READY

STEP 2: SELF-EXPLORATION--What Do You Want?

STEP 3: CAREER EXPLORATION--Exploring The World of Work

STEP 4: MAKE A DECISION--Step-by-Step

STEP 5:CAREER PREPARATION PLANNING

STEPS 6 & 7: ACTION AND GATHERING FEEDBACK:

SUMMARY:

 

Also, Go to Dr. Stevens Free online Success and Happiness Attributes Questionnaire (SHAQ) for testing your academic major interests, academic success factors, and many other career success related scales.

Overview:

  • Are you undecided about your major or Career?
  • Would you like to find a career that best fits your interests and abilities?
  • You can learn a career planning process to help you make career decisions throughout life.
  • You can use this decision-making model to make many types of important decisions.
  • Avoiding a career decision or making a poor choice can be very costly.
  • The time you spend planning now can help add to your happiness throughout your life.
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WHAT DECISION ARE YOU MAKING?

You may be thinking that you need to take some tests or think hard until you find the ideal career for you. Actually, that is not how most people make career decisions. Career decisions tend to be made in stages. At each stage you learn a little more about what you want. Therefore, if you are a freshman or sophomore and have not chosen a major or career, you are not alone. Eighty per cent of college students change majors at least once.

CAREER DECISION LADDER

Following are examples of a typical progression of career decisions people make. Which decision are you currently concerned about? You might think of this progression of decisions as a career decision ladder.

  • Whether or not to go to college.
  • Which college to go to.
  • Which general area to go into. Examples of general directions include "Business," "Sales," "Scientific," "Teaching," "People-oriented," "Artistic," "A Medically-related field," "Sports-related," "Entertainment," or "Writing."
  • Narrow down to 2 or 3 majors--taking courses in each and exploring each in other ways. (Perhaps exploring the one with the most requirements first.)
  • Decide upon one major. (If the decision is very hard, you might pick the one which seems to have access to more career directions and closes fewest doors.)
  • Decide which more specific occupation you want. (You might decide this before you decide upon your major. On the other hand some people never consciously decide which occupation they want.)
  • Decide which specific job you want (during a job search).
  • After you have worked in that job for awhile, decide if you want to continue your same job or career or if you want to make a change.
  • What future positions (such as promotions into management positions) might you want?

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WHICH TYPE OF DECISION ARE YOU MAKING?

As you may have noticed, making career decisions is actually a life-long process. Since your career decisions can have about as much or more effect on your overall satisfaction with life as any decision you ever make, spending time making them effectively may be one of the best investments of your time you ever make.

 

EXPERIENCES OF STUDENTS WHO DIDN'T MAKE A DECISION

What can happen if you don't make an effective decision? Following are some actual situations of students I have talked with.

* Quote from a student, "When I was 18 I thought that someday I would just know what I wanted to be, but now I am 30 and still don't know."

* Senior with about 120 units in various fields, "Now I've decided that I really want to major in business, but it's going to take me almost three years more to get my degree."

* Quote from former student who had been working for four years in the field he majored in, "I knew when I was in college that I didn't like my courses in this field very well, but I just kept going so I could graduate. Now I am so unhappy in this that I am ready to come back to college and start over again in something else. I wish I had really thought about what I wanted to do."

* Research has shown that students who are more clear about their career goals tend to be more successful in college and make better grades. Do you think this can't happen to you? It probably won't if you will take an active role and EXPLORE, EXPLORE, EXPLORE YOURSELF and the WORLD OF WORK. Use this little guide as a way of getting started and guiding your process.
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WHERE TO GET HELP

CAREER COUNSELING

  • You can receive Individual counseling and testing to help you decide upon a major or career.

UNIVERSITY COURSES

  • Try taking a course designed to help you learn more about careers and plan your career.

CAREER INFORMATION CENTERS

  • Start with books such as the Occupational Outlook Handbook and Dictionary of Occupational Titles.. Look at literature from private companies. Look into the computer program called SIGI. Look at videotapes that have interviews with people who have knowledge of careers you are interested in.

INFORMATION ABOUT MAJORS

  • Go to the specific academic department you are interested in and speak to a faculty advisor.

INTERVIEWS WITH PERSONS IN THE OCCUPATION

  • Interviewing with persons in the occupation is probably the best way that you can get information about the career. This will be discussed in more depth below.

JOB SEARCH HELP

  • You may want help in preparing and conducting a job search or want a chance to participate in on-campus interviews for graduating seniors. The classic book in this area is Bolles', What Color is Your Parachute? Go to your COUNSELING CENTER or CAREER DEVELOPMENT CENTER.

WORK EXPERIENCE

  • You may be able to get a great deal of information about a career (plus some important experience to add to your resume) through work experience. Work experience can be arranged which is paid, volunteer, or for which you receive course credit.

TIP: Try your COOPERATIVE EDUCATION CENTER.
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THE STEPS TO MAKING A CAREER DECISION

The process of making any career decisions is very similar.

* If you learn this career decision process, it can help you with every career decision throughout your life. This problem-solving model can also be used to help you make other important life decisions--such as choice of a partner or buying a house or a car.

* Research has supported the conclusion that persons who were more systematic in choosing their careers tend to be happier and more successful in their careers.

You can use the following section as a guide to the steps of making a career decision. You may not use all of the steps exactly as described below; however, this section may help guide you through the process. The steps to making a career decision include the following.

* STEP 1: GET READY

* STEP 2: SELF-EXPLORATION--Gather information about yourself

* STEP 3: CAREER EXPLORATION--Gather Information about the world of work and generate alternative career options

* STEP 4: MAKING A DECISION--NARROW THE ALTERNATIVES

* STEP 5: PLANNING--MAKE A CAREER PREPARATION PLAN

* STEPS 6&7: ACTION AND FEEDBACK--TRY OUT YOUR CHOICES

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Now we will take one step at a time for you to examine in more detail. Do the suggested activities at each step as you are ready for them. You may want to also seek help from your Counseling Center or Career Development Center or attend Career Decision Workshops at either center.

 


STEP 1: GET READY

ASSIGN TIME TO EXPLORE AND DECIDE

Many students spend very little time on one the most important decisions in their lives. Spending the equivalent of a 3-unit course to decide which courses you will take for the other 121 or more units seems only reasonable.

WHICH DECISION ARE YOU MAKING?

Look at the examples above and try to clarify what you need to decide and when need to make the decision. WHAT ARE YOUR INITIAL ALTERNATIVES Make a list of the majors or occupations which you are currently considering. At this point make it as large as is reasonable. Use general statements if necessary.
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STEP 2: SELF-EXPLORATION--
Gather information about yourself

WHAT IS YOUR OVERALL GOAL THAT YOU WANT FROM YOUR CAREER (or your life)?

What do you want most out of a job or career? I hear many answers from people such as money, security, job satisfaction, or helping other people. However, I suggest that most people would really rather have a happy life and help contribute to the happiness of others in some way. In other words if you had a conflict between being a rich, unhappy person and a non-rich, happy person--which would you choose? That is a way to tell which of your values or selection criteria are the most important to you. Understanding more clearly what you want out of a career increases your chance at getting it.

If overall goals in your life are to be a happy person and to contribute to others, then the next step is figuring out what it is that you need to make you happy and productive. Most of us assume that a higher income will increase our chances at being happy. What else do you need? Whatever you need in general tells you something about what you want at work as well. You are not a different person at work than at home. You have the same needs and values. If you like meeting people or reading, then you will probably like meeting people or reading as part of your work.

MAKE A LIST OF CAREER SELECTION CRITERIA

The key objective of gathering information about yourself is to make a list of your Career Selection Criteria. Your Career Selection Criteria are the result of all of your thinking about what you realistically want in a career. Each criteria might represent one aspect of something that can make a difference in your overall happiness or productivity. Examples of Career Selection Criteria which might be important to you include "income," "variety," "vacation," "amount of education required," "amount of contact with other people,""amount of freedom," "opportunities for advancement," "difficulty in getting into graduate school," etc.

Your list of Career Selection Criteria is a result of exploring your interests, your skills and abilities, and all your other values and needs. Thus they summarize everything that is important to you in making a career decision. They are the dimensions by which you weigh the pluses and minuses of any particular career or job that you might be considering. You will be able to use these selection criteria more systematically in step 4 below. You can also use your criteria list to think of questions when reading about occupations or interviewing people in the actual occupations. This will make the career information you get more specific to your own unique interests and needs. Making a good selection criteria list and interviewing people in the careers are about the two most important things you can do to make a good career decision. TRY DOING THE FOLLOWING.

1) MAKE AN INITIAL LIST. Take out a piece of paper and first give yourself 5 minutes or less to write down everything that you can think of that is important to you in a career.

2) EXPLORE THE POSSIBLE SELECTION CRITERIA BELOW. When you have completed that initial list, then explore the following questions in order to help you think of additional criteria which may be important to you. Try thinking about or writing answers to each of the following questions. But remember to add each important item to your Career Selection Criteria list. Explore each of the following sections:

1.ACTIVITIES & PRODUCTS ON THE JOB

2.WORKING WITH OTHERS

3.ENTRY & ADVANCEMENT REQUIREMENTS

4.CAREER-RELATED SKILLS

5.EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE, & OTHER REQUIREMENTS

6.EXTRINSIC BENEFITS OF THE CAREER

7.WORK CONDITIONS

8.TRAVEL, MOBILITY, & GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION

9.TYPE OF ORGANIZATION

10.YOUR FUTURE

11.EFFECTS ON YOUR LIFE OUTSIDE OF WORK
 

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1.ACTIVITIES AND PRODUCTS ON THE JOB

* What Are Your Interests? List your main interests and activities whether or not they seem to relate to jobs.

* How Do You Want To Spend Your Time On Your Job? What do you like doing? Imagine what some typical days might be like. Examples of types of job activities you may want to seek or avoid:

* THING-ORIENTED ACTIVITIES * CREATIVE & IDEAL-ORIENTED

  • Machine or manual activities? Creative writing?
  • Athletic activities? Art?
  • Engineering or other design?

* DATA-ORIENTED ACTIVITIES Program development?

  • Detailed data processing? Scientific or knowledge discovery?
  • Numerical or accounting? Learning & education?
  • Clerical work? Designing computer programs?

* MANAGING OTHERS * SALES & MARKETING

  • Organizing, planning? Persuading others?
  • Supervising? Self-direction?
  • Conflict resolution? Creative interpersonal ideas?
  • Motivating others? Conversing with many others?
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* HELPING, TEACHING, COUNSELING ACTIVITIES

  • Speaking to groups?
  • Counseling, advising, consulting?
  • Instructing, teaching?
  • Learning, reading?

* How Much Change And Variety Do You Like? Do you like doing a lot of different things each day or would you like to work on one big project until it is completed? Would you like to change jobs or projects frequently or not?

* How Mentally Challenging or Difficult Do You Want Your Work To Be?

* What Do You Want To Contribute To Others? Do you like to have others directly express appreciation for what you do? How important is it to you that you are making a certain kind of contribution to society?

* What Products or Services Do You Have An Interest In? Which type of product do you have more interest in? airplanes, cars, electronics, fashion merchandise, art products, media, office products, computers, home furnishings, houses, buildings, highways, plants, animals, food, entertainment, manufacturing equipment, paper products, appliances, military-related, or what?

Or perhaps you would rather work in an organization that produces a service such as education, counseling, religious activities, personal care, health care, repair, consulting, accounting, food service, entertainment, artistic services, sports training, personnel services, sales, marketing, research, writing or media production, or one of many others.

Think about what natural interests you have and the type of organization you might want to work for. Perhaps you could begin working or that type of organization before graduation to get an early start and make your part-time work more interesting and informative. It may help you get a good job after graduation.

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2.WORKING WITH OTHERS--WHAT DO YOU WANT?

Which Are Most Important To You On The Job?  

  • Think about how you feel about each of these different types of relationships on the job. How much do you want to do of each? How important is each?
  • Managing Others? Being Managed Well?
  • Freedom To Do What You Want? Working Alone?
  • Helping Or Teaching Others? Being Part Of A Team
  • Receiving Support From Others? Having Friends At Work?
  • Persuading Or Selling To Others?

* Type and Amount of Supervision You Receive? Pay special attention to the questions above concerning the type and amount of supervision you receive. For example, if you like a lot of freedom to work without someone constantly telling you what to do, and you don't get that freedom, it could lead to a lot of unhappiness on your part. What type of supervision setting do you want?

3.ENTRY AND ADVANCEMENT REQUIREMENTS

Educational and Training Requirements. Which are needed? Which do you want?:

  • College Degrees?
  • Grade Average Expectations?
  • Risk of Not Being Admitted To Graduate School?
  • Special Licenses Or Credentials Required By The State Or Profession?
  • Supervised Experience Required?
  • Experience Required?
  • Portfolios, Publications, Or Other Products Required To Get Jobs?

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4.LIST YOUR CAREER-RELATED SKILLS

* What Are Your Skills and Abilities? How do they compare to the requirements for getting the degrees or other credentials or for getting the first job in the field? In general how are your abilities and skills in the following areas?

  • Job-Related Technical Knowledge And Skills (The direct knowledge and skills required to do the specialized tasks of the job.Examples: For an engineer, math and science; for an executive, management skills.)
  • General Thinking And Learning Skills (Such as problem-solving skills, logical thinking, creative thinking skills, and study skills)
  • Self-Management and Self-Motivation Skills (Such time-management, goal-setting, positive philosophy, stress management, self-direction.)
  • Interpersonal Skills (Such as meeting people, assertiveness, teaching, leadership, persuading others, intimacy skills.)

5.EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE, AND OTHER REQUIREMENTS

  • What Is the Cost of Getting Into That Career? How does that compare with your expected inner resources such as motivation and your external resources--such as money?
  • How Competitive Is That Field?
  • How Much Continued Education Or Professional Development Is Expected? Do you want a job that requires continual learning? How important is that?
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6.THE EXTRINSIC BENEFITS OF THE CAREER

  • How Much Income Do You Expect? What is the minimum you will accept to do what you really want? How important is it to you that you make a lot of money? What are the long term financial prospects of that occupation?
  • How Much Vacation Do You Expect? How important is this to you?
  • How Much Job Security Do You Expect? How important is this to you?
  • What Kind of Retirement Plan and Benefits Do Your Expect?

7.WORK CONDITIONS

  • What Kind of Work Hours Or Freedom of Scheduling Do You Want? How important is that to you?
  • What Kind of Physical Environment Do You Want To Work In? Consider some of the following factors:
  • Indoors vs. Outdoors? Privacy?
  • Beauty of Environment? Pollution?
  • Noise or distractions? Cleanliness?
  • Office Setting? Health or Safety Risks?

* What Kind of Psychological Environment Do You Want To Work In? Consider some of the following factors:

  • Lots of pressure and deadlines?
  • High uncertainty about what is expected?
  • Competitive atmosphere?
  • Job Insecurity?
  • Paid By What You Produce vs. Regular Salary?
  • Potential for Advancement?

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8.TRAVEL, MOBILITY, AND GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION

  • Where Do You Want To Work? How important is where you live to you? How do you feel about working for an organization that may want you to move around the country?
  • How Do You Feel About Traveling As Part Of Your Work? Remember that there is a great variety in where and how often employees travel.

9.TYPE OF ORGANIZATION

  • Do you have any preferences about the type of organization you work for? For example do you care if it is private or public? Do you want to work in education or the military? Do you want to work for a large or small organization?

10.YOUR FUTURE

Often college students only think about how well they will like their first or "entry-level" job in their chosen occupation. They often don't even consider their future beyond their first job. For example many jobs are "dead-end" jobs with little opportunity for advancement. Others may offer many opportunities for advancement into higher level positions within the occupation or may allow for easier switching to new occupations. Some jobs may be challenging at first, but become very routine after the first few years. Other jobs allow for continued change and professional development. If you are the type of person that likes learning or gets bored easily, this could be a major consideration. Following are some issues to consider.

  • Opportunities For Advancement?
  • Opportunities For Professional Growth And Continued Stimulation--Avoiding Boredom?
  • What If You Don't Want To Do This The Rest Of Your Life? -- Will Your Degree Help You Get Into other Careers Too?
  • Opportunities for Advancement In Income?

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11.EFFECTS OF YOUR CAREER ON YOUR LIFE OUTSIDE OF WORK

Careers can have effects of the rest of your life outside of the work time and outside of the work environment. If you have to work odd hours, move a lot, do a lot of social entertainment, live in a certain area, or come home exhausted, your job can have major impacts on your personal or family life. Following are a sample of issues to explore.

  •  Geographic Location?
  •  Effects On Your Family Life?
  •  Effects On Your Social Life?
  •  Effects On Your Recreation and Hobbies?

OTHER QUESTIONS TO EXPLORE

There are many other possible issues to explore which might be important to add to your list of Career Selection Criteria.

  •  What school subjects do you enjoy the most? Does this give you a clue to what you want to think about or learn about in your daily work?
  •  What jobs or work experiences have you had? What have you liked and disliked most about school or these work experiences?
  •  What else in your life do you enjoy doing? How do you spend your time? Many persons turn hobbies into full-time jobs.
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    Keep your career selection criteria as you explore careers--

    Use them to write interview questions and make decisions

OTHER SELF-EXPLORATION ACTIVITIES--such as occupational interest tests

* Consider occupational interest tests and other tests at your Counseling Center or Career Development Center. You may also try other self-exploration ideas suggested by your counselor.

* Consider computer career-search programs. Consider taking "SIGI," a computer-assisted assessment or other programs that might be available at your college.

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STEP 3: CAREER EXPLORATION--
Gather information about the world of work

GENERATE ALTERNATIVE CAREER OPTIONS

Begin this step by "brainstorming" and listing all the occupations or careers which you might in your wildest dreams be interested in. This is because you don't want to initially exclude possibilities. Once you have a basic idea of what some of your more important Career Selection Criteria are and have an initial list of possible occupations to explore, then you are ready to more systematically begin exploring the world of work. Some suggestions follow: Use your Career Selection Criteria to help guide you in making a list of questions you want to use to evaluate each occupation, or just use your Career Selection Criteria "as is."
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USE WRITTEN INFORMATION TO GET A GENERAL OVERVIEW

* Go to your Career Information Center. Once you are there you may want to start with one of these prime reference sources.

Occupational Outlook Handbook (the "BIBLE" of career information)--This is the best , most up-to-date single career information resource. Find careers your interested in and read about them. As you read reflect, add new career selection criteria. Also: Take notes. 
===> To view the OCC go to it's internet address at:
 

Dictionary of Occupational Titles--Use this reference to find thousands of job titles. If you are looking for a job that is different or combines more than one interest, try this resource.  

United States Government Manual (lists U.S. government jobs)--Use this if you have any interest in Federal government-related jobs. Take a look, there are many interesting federal jobs that most students never even think about.

State, County, and City Government Job Books. If you have an interest in working for other levels of government, go to state, county, and city government personnel offices or a large library (such as your college) and ask to see the large books that list all types of job classifications. You'll be amazed at all the types of jobs available that few college students ever even know exist.

Company Literature. Many other organizations also produce job-information literature. See what is available at your career information center and library. Also, write organizations you might have an interest in. Address their personnel offices.

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* Make a Career Information file and put all of your self-assessment information in it as well as notes you take as you read the career information literature and interview persons.

* Look at a WIDE VARIETY OF OCCUPATIONS--even some you may think you have little interest in. This may help you clarify additional Career Selection Criteria and think of new career alternatives you formerly had not considered. Be sure and include any occupations for which you received high scores on your interest tests.

WHERE THE JOBS ARE

Would you like to know which occupations are going to have many openings compared to the number of job seekers in the future? You will find that there are many books, newspaper articles, TV news reports, employees, friends, relatives, and nearly everyone else who is willing to predict where the jobs will be in the future. Most of these sources will state their predictions with a high degree of certainty. What has been the accuracy of these types of predictions in the past? The answer is "very poor to good." The reason the predictions tend to be so bad so often is that world events often have dramatic impacts upon jobs, and world events are so unpredictable.

Who is selected governor or president, states of war, new government programs, and sudden shifts in college major preferences by large numbers of students are all examples of almost unpredictable major events that greatly effect worker supply and demand. So take what you hear with a great deal of skepticism and go more with what you want. How would you feel if you go into a career you don't care much for because people say"there are lots of jobs," then later it turns out that there are not many jobs after all?

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INTERVIEW PEOPLE IN THE OCCUPATION

This is probably the most important thing that you can do to get information about careers. Most of the students I talk to have difficulty thinking of people in a career they are interested in to interview. Following are some suggestions which have worked for many other students.

Step 1: Finding Persons in the Occupation to Interview.

1. Think of everyone who you have contact with including faculty, friends, relatives, friends of relatives, or just "call cold" persons in various organizations.

2. Find professors in related major departments and interview them. They are being paid to help students and have office hours available that you can utilize.

3. Ask everyone you know (including professors) if they or anyone they know either

(1) works in the profession or

(2)  knows anyone who works in the profession. For example if they work in a large organization they may be able to get you an interview with someone else in that organization.

(3) If the above ideas aren't adequate, call organizations where people in the occupation might work and ask to speak to someone who works in that profession. Use the phone book yellow pages or go to the library or Career Development Center to get names and phone numbers of such organizations.

==> TIP: Find people to interview who are happy and successful
in their job.
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Step 2: Getting the Interview

Many students are reluctant to contact people because they are concerned that they may be bothering the busy professional or taking too much of their time. First of all it is important for them to realize that if the professional does not have time for them, then they will almost certainly tell them. However, most professionals truly enjoy helping students. How would you feel if 10 years from now if a college student came to you? The feedback that I get from students who have tried this is that almost all people they approach are very cooperative and give them tremendously valuable information.

When you find a person to interview or call an organization, try saying something like, "I'm a college student who is trying to make a decision about going into this occupation and it would be very helpful to me if I could interview {this person} for a few minutes to ask them a few questions about this type of career." If you reach a secretary, be persistent about getting the actual person in the occupation to make the decision about whether to interview you or not.

Step 3: Conducting the Interview

If possible meet the person in their place of work. Come with a list of questions based upon your list of career selection criteria and use the list openly during the interview.

What to ask the interviewee

  • His/her title and job description
  • Employer, products or services, division/unit,
  • What this person's job and unit contributes to the company as a whole
  • Entry level requirements: education & training, credentials, experience, personal resources and skills
  • Opportunities and requirements for advancement
  • Salaries: low, average, high of beginning and advanced employees
  • Supply and demand for persons in that field
  • His/her activities: exactly what he/she and others do in a typical day or week
  • What are differences in what he/she does from what others in the same occupation do?
  • What other types of work does this type of job or occupation prepare a person to do in the future if one wants to advance or change?
  • What does this person like and dislike about the occupation?
  • What are common likes and dislikes of people in this occupation?

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What didn't you ask that you should have? Ask what else you should know about this occupation that you have not asked so far. What would this person have wanted to find out that they didn't know before getting into field?
 

Use your CAREER SELECTION CRITERIA to make additional questions. These are probably your most important questions!

ADDITIONAL TIPS

  • Remember to evaluate what you hear by your own Career Selection Criteria. Your interests and values may be quite different from those of the person you are interviewing.
  • During the interview tell the person about yourself so that he/she may give information which may be more relevant to you.
  • During the interview, ask for the names and phone numbers of persons your

interviewee knows, whom you can later call to interview. Later call them and tell them you were referred by Mr. so and so.

  • Check for opportunities for volunteer or paid work experience.
  • Don't be turned off the whole profession by one unhappy or negative interviewee. If you get too much negative information, try at least one other person who is happier in their work.
  • When finished thank the interviewee and later write a thank you letter.

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STEP 4: MAKE A DECISION--
Reduce the number of alternatives
As you gather information about yourself and the world of work, you will naturally begin to eliminate some career options and add others. People often think that if they have not yet found their "ideal career," then there is something wrong. Actually, having a variety of career options may not only be "ok," but is often very desirable. Even if you decide upon "one" occupation, such as an engineer, it is wise to "keep your options open" for the future. Even if you become an engineer, later you may want to have options for changing jobs and perhaps selling, managing, teaching, or owning your own business. A person with more developed options is more prepared for the future. Nevertheless, it is important to make some decisions which narrow your alternatives.

For example, you need to decide upon a major, perhaps a minor, and you need to decide what other courses you will take to prepare for your future. Once you are ready to make that decision, you will need a way of comparing each of your important career alternatives on each of your important Career Selection Criteria.

Following is a suggested method for doing that. This particular decision-making model is based upon one by Friel and Carkhuff and follows the general guidelines of a considerable amount of research on how people can make more effective decisions. It can also be used for any other type of decision--from buying a new car to choosing a mate.

 

EXAMPLE OF USING THE DECISION-MAKING MODEL

The decision-making model will be illustrated in a way which you can use an analogy for making your own career decision. In this example, Henry is trying to decide whether to major in psychology or in computer science. Thus he has narrowed his alternatives to the following two:

1) majoring in psychology with a career goal of either going into high school counseling or teaching or 2) majoring in computer science with a possible goal of working as a computer programmer. These are represented along the top axis of the following matrix.
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    (CAREER)  SELECTION CRITERIA  WEIGHTS     IDEAL PSYCHOLOGY  COMPUTER SCIENCE

Income

 9

 +5 (45)

 +2 (18)

+4 (36)

Vacation 

7

 +5 (35 )

 +5 (35)

 +2 ( 14)

Helping Others 

10

 +5 ( 50)

 +4 ( 40)

 +4 ( 40)

Future job options

 8

 +5 ( 50)

 +3 ( 24)

 +4 (32)

Supply/demand

 6

 +5 ( 30)

 medium( -6)

 0 ( 0)

Working hours 

3

 +5 ( 15)

 +4 ( 12)

 +3 ( 9)

Opportunity to teach others 

9

 +5 ( 45)

 +5 ( 45)

 +4 (36)

Helping personal interactions 

10

 +5 ( 50)

 +5 ( 50)

 +1 ( 10)

Security/retirement plans

 5 

+5 ( 25)

 +4 ( 20)

 +3 ( 15)

Enjoyment socialize with peers 

+5 ( 25)

 +4 ( 20)

 +4 ( 20)

Opportunity to make own decisions 

+5 ( 45)

 +4 ( 36)

 +3 ( 27)

Freedom for personal life as want 

+5 ( 40)

 +5 ( 40)

 +5 ( 40)

Opports for continued learning 

6

 +5 ( 30)

 +4 ( 24)

 +4 ( 24)

Physical work environment 

+5 ( 10)

 +3 ( 6)

 +2 ( 4)

Psychological environ & stress 

3

 +5 ( 15)

 0 ( 0)

 medium( -3)

Variety of work 

+5 ( 25)

 +2 ( 10)

 +3 ( 15)

Opportunities for creativity  7 +5 ( 35)  +3 ( 21)  +4 ( 28)

   TOTAL POINTS (add "happiness points" in parentheses) 

 570=possible

 

      ( 347)

 

  

  ( 405)**

 

  ** is the WINNER-it has the most points of the two alternatives  

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STEPS TO THE DECISION-MAKING MODEL
(Use example above)

STEP 1-- LIST YOUR CAREER ALTERNATIVES. This is your refined list of alternatives of which majors or occupations you are trying to decide between. Remember, that you can list as many as you want. You can list unusual combinations of simpler alternatives. For Henry those narrowed alternatives were psychology and computer science.

STEP 2--CAREER SELECTION CRITERIA. Review your Career Selection Criteria list and write all the important career selection criteria in the far left column. Note that repeating the same idea or leaving out an important idea can affect the decision outcome.

STEP 3-- CRITERIA WEIGHTS. Evaluate the relative importance to you of each of your Career Selection Criteria on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the most important). Write your answer in the column next to the selection criteria.

STEP 4--ALTERNATIVE EVALUATION SCALE. Each alternative is to be evaluated from the point of view of each selection criterion. You need to think about what this means for each selection criterion. For example Henry determined that for the selection criteria of income, a "minimally acceptable" income would be $25,000 starting with prospects of making up to $50,000 eventually. An outstanding salary would be starting at about $40,000 with prospects of making up to $100,000.

+5 = Maximum evaluation--outstanding (example: income begins at $40,000 goes to $100,000

+4, +3, +2, +1 = intermediate values

0 = Minimally acceptable value. (Example: income = begins at $20,000 goes to $45,000)

medium, -2, -3, -4 = intermediate values

-5 = Minimum evaluation--worst possible (Example: income begins at less than $10,000)

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STEP 5--EVALUATE EACH ALTERNATIVE BY EACH SELECTION CRITERION. Use the evaluation scale from step 3 to evaluate each alternative from the point of view of each Career Selection Criterion. Give it rating from -5 to +5. In the example above, both alternatives were evaluated on the criterion of "income": Henry gave the psychology income an evaluation of "+2" and computer science income an evaluation of " +4."

STEP 6--MULTIPLY THE CRITERIA WEIGHTS TIMES THE EVALUATIONS. In the example above for the selection criterion of "income," Henry multiplied the criterion weight of "9" times the evaluation of " +2" for "PSYCH" to get a result of "18." That is its SCORE OR POINTS for psychology on the criterion of income. Put it inside of the parentheses. This score of 18 is an overall prediction much Henry's income in psychology will contribute to his overall happiness. Since he had a score of 36 in computer science, he his predicting that he will be much happier with his income in that field.

STEP 7--FIND THE OVERALL SUM OF THE SCORES FOR EACH ALTERNATIVE. Add together the numbers inside the parentheses for each alternative. In the example above, the overall sum for the "PSYCH" alternative is "405."

STEP 8--COMPARE THE ALTERNATIVES WITH EACH OTHER AND WITH THE "IDEAL." The "ideal" is the maximum possible number of points. Once you have determined all the totals and compared them to each other, try to figure out why one alternative came out ahead of another--where it got its points. Play with the points until you think the points match your true feelings and values.
==> The alternative with the most points is the one you are predictingwill make you the happiest person overall.
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WHAT IF YOU ARE NOT READY TO CHOOSE ONE ALTERNATIVE MAJOR OR CAREER NOW?

Many students just have not done enough exploration to make a final decision about their major. Following is a list of several strategies which we recommend if you are undecided.

* Inquire about the course requirements of the majors you are strongly considering. Start with the major which has the MOST REQUIREMENTS or the major which requires that you take SPECIFIC GENERAL EDUCATION COURSES (such as chemistry, biology, physics, calculus, or economics).

* Start taking courses which are good introductions or overviews of that major. * You may also TAKE GENERAL EDUCATION COURSES for which you have the PROPER BACKGROUND and which DO NOT CONFLICT WITH MAJOR REQUIREMENTS for those same general education requirements. For example, suppose you are considering a major in business and a major in health science. If the business major requires that you take an economics course and it also meets the social science general education requirement, you might wait to fill that general education requirement if you are not really very interested in economics. Take it after you make your decision about your major.

* You may begin PREPARING FOR TWO OR MORE MAJORS AT ONCE. If you can't choose between two majors, you can begin taking courses in both. This delays your decision until you have done more exploration. Later you may decide to major in one and minor in the other. In any case, having more than one area of concentration can look good on a resume later.

* If you decide to prepare for more than one major at once, then take the most courses

1) in the major WITH THE MOST COURSE REQUIREMENTS and/or

2) in the major YOU CURRENTLY FAVOR THE MOST.

* If you CAN'T NARROW YOUR ALTERNATIVE MAJORS TO TWO OR THREE and have completed your general education requirements, then

1) redouble your efforts at making a decision--GET HELP NOW,

2) continue taking courses in the most likely majors,

3) try making a TENTATIVE DECISION. A tentative decision means that you pick the most likely alternative and pursue it until you change your mind. One important rule in making that tentative decision is:

* If you are STILL UNDECIDED, pick a major that is LESS SPECIALIZED, is MORE FLEXIBLE, and is ACCEPTED in more entry-level jobs (or graduate schools) in the general type of organizational setting in which you might be most comfortable (such as education, technical, medical, business, etc.).
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WHAT IF YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT YOU REALLY WANT TO DO?

Does this sound so awful to you? Actually, most jobs are not really people's ideas of the "ideal job." Do jobs like "clerk," "machinist," "garbage collector," "management assistant" sound like "ideal jobs." Probably not. Most people do not work in jobs that they decided would be ideal for them when they were 22. Most people end up in the jobs they are in because it was the best thing available at the time for someone with their education, experience, interests, and background. They may not be overjoyed about their work, but they find it interesting and it meets many of their selection criteria--such a providing an income. Think about the your parents and other people you have known who have had careers for 10, 20, or more years.

Many people work to make money so they can enjoy the rest of their life. They feel a sense of accomplishment for what the contribute to the benefit of society. People enjoy the people they work with, the setting, and many other aspects of the job other than the "content" of what they do. Therefore, it you can't find your "ideal career," then just do the best you can using your Career Selection Criteria list and try to pick a major that is useful for many of your general areas of interest. However, to the extent that you keep actively using the ideas presented in this paper, then you are increasing the chances that you will be one of those fortunate few who do accurately predict what career they will be happiest in, and actually end up happy and successful in that very career. Return to INDEX

STEP 5: PLANNING:
Make a career preparation plan

Once you have made some sort of tentative decision about what major(s) and career(s) you are going to pursue, then you are ready to begin actually planning how to prepare for that major(s) or career(s).

* To help with process I suggest that you complete the "Career and Life Preparation Plan" form or COMPLETE EACH SECTION BELOW IN WRITING ON YOUR OWN PAPER.

1) ACADEMIC MAJOR DEVELOPMENT PLAN

  • Degree objective(s) and Expected Date(s)
  • Major Course Requirements (list courses)
  • Grade Point Average Objective
  • Certification or Licensure Objective(s)--if any

2) SUPPLEMENTARY ACADEMIC AREA DEVELOPMENT PLAN

  • Types of Skills and Knowledge Desired
  • Areas of Course Concentration To Supplement Major Certification?

3) LIFE SKILLS DEVELOPMENT PLAN--Development of personal attributes which you need to meet your goals for maximum success in your career and personal life.

  • Thinking, Learning, and Problem-Solving Skills (Learned skills in math, logic, creative thinking, study skills, concentration, etc.)
  • Self-Motivation and Self-Management Skills (Learned skills in time-management, goal-setting, achievement motivation, self-discipline, stress & emotional coping skills, positive philosophy of life, clear career goals, etc.)
  • Interpersonal Skills (Learned skills in meeting people, assertiveness, conflict resolution, intimacy, persuasiveness, and leadership.)
  • Life skills development goals--Life Skills o Focus On (from the above list or own ideas.

ACTIVITIES--What I Intend To Do To Attain Those Goals Academic Courses To Complete Individual Help Activities (Example "Make appointment at counseling Center to get help with assertiveness")

  • Self-Help Activities (Example Read self-help books)
  • Workshops (Example "Take time-management workshop")
  • Organizations (Example "Get active in department association.")
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4) WORK EXPERIENCE PLAN--For a more planned approach to getting work experience relevant to your career and getting course credit for your work experience, see your department advisor and/or a counselor in the Cooperative Education program in the Career Development Center, SSA-250.)

  • Type of Work Experience Desired and Dates
  • Amount of Income Needed/Desired? Willing to do Volunteer Work?
  • Course Credit Desired?
  • Supervised Hours For Licensure or Special Credentials Desired?

5) OTHER GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS AND DATES OF EXPECTED COMPLETION

  • If you are certain which catalog you must follow for graduation requirements, consult with that catalog to develop a checklist of your graduation requirements. The "Schedule of Classes" current when you entered provides an even more convenient checklist of graduation requirements. SAVE IT UNTIL YOU GRADUATE.
  • * If you are unsure about your graduation requirements in your major, consult with a department advisor and get any statements of requirements IN WRITING.
  • * If you are unsure about any other graduation requirements, consult with an advisor at your Academic Advising Center.

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* Add your intended ACTIONS and EXPECTED DATES OF COMPLETION OF THOSE GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS to your preparation plan HERE. Remember that there are a significant number of requirements besides course requirements. Following is a general list for California State University, Long Beach.

1) Academic Major Requirements

2) General Education Requirements

3) Upper Division Unit Requirements (40)

4) TOTAL UNIT Requirements (124medium36 depends on major)

5) Grade Point Average Requirements (there are at least FIVE separate GPA requirements)

6) Writing Skills Requirements--EPT or alternative AND WPE or alternative.

7) Math Skills Requirements--ELM or alternative

8) Completion of University 100

9) Residency requirements

10) Can't count too many units in PE or Extended Education.

11) Filing Graduation Check for Final University Approval

* Be sure that you understand and plan for each of these requirements
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6) FEEDBACK FROM OTHERS

Once you have completed this "Career and Life Preparation Plan," then consult knowledgeable others for feedback on your plan. Consult with department advisors, Academic Advising Center advisors, persons employed in your fields of interest, or others whose opinion you value. Let them look over you plan and discuss it with you. Remember though that you are the one who should make the final decision--IT IS YOUR LIFE YOU ARE PREPARING FOR.

* What you do now can make a great deal of difference in how happy and successful you are in the future!

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STEPS 6 & 7: ACTION AND GATHERING FEEDBACK:


 

 Try out your choicesOnce you have completed your initial planning, it is time to begin testing your plan and taking action to complete your plans. Keep your "Career and Life Preparation Plan" available throughout your college career and keep updating it as you change your plans. Remember, that persons who do more planning and have more clear goals tend to be more successful in their careers.

Be OPEN TO FEEDBACK from OTHERS and from YOUR OWN FEELINGS. If you keep getting strong nagging feelings that a certain career or major may not be right for you, do not ignore those feelings. Instead check them out. Think about them to clearly identify their source, get more information about the career, and possibly explore new alternatives. In general don't stay with a major just because you started it or just because it is important to someone else.
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SUMMARY:The most important parts of making a career decision are:

(1) Making a complete and accurate list
of your career SELECTION CRITERIA,
(2) Exploring career information--especially INTERVIEWING PEOPLE,
(3) Making the decision--use the DECISION-MAKING MODEL,
and
(4) Acting on your decision and assessing the results.
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IF THIS SELF-HELP MANUAL IS NOT ENOUGH to help you through the career decision-making process--Get help from one of the resources mentioned earlier:
 
* COUNSELING CENTER
* CAREER DEVELOPMENT CENTER
* ACADEMIC ADVISING CENTER
* YOUR ACADEMIC MAJOR ADVISOR--Contact your department office.


The career decision you make now,
may be one of the most important decisions of your life.
It can have a great effect on what you do 40 hours/week
for many years and can affect your income and your personal life.
Isn't it important enough to spend a few hours
taking the steps in this little manual?
Good Luck, give me feedback at tstevens@csulb.edu.
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The BOOK (free download): Go to Contents of Dr. Stevens'  book,  You Can Choose To Be Happy: "Rise Above" Anxiety, Anger, and Depression.

SELF-HELP INFORMATION: 
FREE SELF-HELP materials available on this web site (click here to see list)  

ORDERING the BOOK:
  How to ORDER You Can Choose To Be Happy  

SHAQ QUESTIONNAIRE: Free
Success and Happiness Attributes Questionnaire (SHAQ)  to assess self on many factors  including HQ-Happiness Quotient 

EMAIL DR. STEVENS:
Email feedback to Dr. Stevens tstevens@csulb.edu I welcome your comments about my web site or any of its contents.           

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California State University, Long Beach Counseling and Psychological Services.
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