Choosing A Career
What are different methods of deciding on a career?
Most people try to fit themselves into somebody else's job description. How do I make my skills work to get this particular job? And what they don't do is step back and say "What do I really feel passionate about?", "What do I love to do so much that I would do it for free?". And that's the key to finding the right livelyhood for yourself. What do you feel passionate about, what do you love to do? Your career should be a natural extension of who you are as a human being. So if you really get clear about that, when you get up in the morning, you should be getting up to live your life, and not just getting up to go to a job. So it's very, very important to get clear about your values, the things you really love to do, how you want to make a difference in the world, that's another very important part, talk to friends and family, do internships, and find out about all different types of careers before you make that decision.
How do I research different career possibilities?
There are many different ways to research career possibilities. The Internet is a great source. Family, friends. Being aware of different types of careers requires reading, watching the news, being out there, networking, talking to people, and finding out what it is they do. It's a great way to learn about careers. Also, asking people, "How did you get the job that you have? What does it take to do what you do? And what are some other types of careers that are similar to what you're doing?" They can also put you in touch with people in their network who can introduce you to different types of work that you can be doing.
How do I determine my career passion?
One of the things that a career counsellor will do is help that client get to know themselves as well as they possibly can; their interests, their skills, and their values. Also, for many clients a spiritual component is important because they want to feel like their work is making a difference and that it is somehow contributing to the world. Whether you want to add the spiritual component to that part of it or not is completely up to you, but it is very, very critical for you to get to know yourself well. In my practice is we use a number of assessments to help you do this. We also use a very in-depth values assessment that helps clients get extremely clear on what is truly important to them; what they're willing to trade off on in terms of their work and the things that they're not. We call that their value's bible, and what that does is it enables them to take that information and weigh it against any possible career option that comes their way. So, they can then look at this particular career and even if it sounds really fun they can say "Gosh, you know it sounds great but it doesn't match my value system, so I can comfortably let this go." That winds up being so tremendously empowering for clients. In terms of getting to know what your passion is, I think that's one of the most critical things that every single human being needs to do.
How do I determine my career skills or interests?
One of the best things that you can do to determine your skills or interests is to work with a licensed career counselor who can give you different types of assessments that measure skills, interests and values. Again, think about the things that you love doing so much that you would do them for free. There are also different types of assessments availible on the internet, through career counselors, through career counseling centers at various junior colleges and universities. There are alot of free ways to determine what your skills and interests are.
What is a "career assessment test"?
Usually a career counselor will administer any one of a number of different types of career assessments. Anything from the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, the Strong-Campbell Assessment. I use two different types of assessments, called the COPS and the COPES and what those measure are interests and values. And some assessments are better than others and I always caution clients to get with a counselor who really knows the assessments very well. Because sometimes the assessments can wind up causing a little bit more harm than good, if they aren't interpreted correctly. So for example, I've had clients come to see me who have taken the Strong-Campbell Assessment and they've sat down and started to cry and said, "You know the Strong-Campbell told me that I need to be an astronaut, a shoe salesman and a candlestick maker. And I don't want to do any of those things." Well, the reason that the client is upset is because the person who was really assessing the assessment didn't do a good job in terms of really letting the client know what this evaluation really means. So, that's a very, very important part of the component. So if you are going to take assessments online, just be sure that you understand that you are taking an online assessment and that there is no career counselor who really knows you really well to be able to evaluate those assessments. It's always good to get with someone who is trained in those types of tests.
