Here are some important questions to ask yourself when trying to identify your career path:
- What is important to me?
- What careers seem interesting to me? Why?
- Who has influenced my ideas about my career options?
- What jobs might I consider as a parallel plan? (Plan B, Plan C, etc.)
- What career paths can I cross off my list?
- What impact do I want to make on the world?
- What topics and ideas spark my curiosity?
- What do I “geek” over? What could I talk about for hours?
- What do I have to offer others?
- What comes naturally to me?
- How do I like to spend my time?
- What are my favorite classes, and why?
- What extracurricular activities do I enjoy? What have I learned about myself from participating in the activities?
- Who do I look up to? What about them inspires or motivates me?
- What personal qualities do I view as my strengths?
- What activities make me feel happy or energized?
- When do I feel most comfortable and at ease?
- What are the biggest lessons I’ve learned so far?
- How do I define success?
- If I were guaranteed success, what would I do?
- When have I been most inspired or most motivated?
- If I could choose a tattoo for myself, what might it be? Why?
- If I had a magic wand, what would I do for a year?
Here are some action steps you can take to narrow down your career path:
“An awareness of one’s own personality or individuality.” – Merriam-Webster.com
As you begin to think about yourself, what attributes do you believe make you who you are? What type of individual traits do you believe will help you with your own success? What makes you YOU? Once you realize who you are and what your personality is, you can review what type of careers are out there. One way to assess these might be through Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). Additionally, use the online tools for Skills and Values (Card sorts)
Consider your academic and career plans. Be selective with courses and activities and explore your interests. Strategize with your Academic Advisor to develop your knowledge and skills to better prepare you for your successful career.
- What are your goals? Take time to determine your goals related to your education and career.
The Strong Interest Inventory can be useful (Career Interest Profiler) to discover your true interests
Now you have taken some courses, narrowed down your options next, take time to complete a short self-reflection(link to PDF handout).
- How does/will Cal Poly Pomona fit in with this career plan?
- What are the important things to know about this career?
- As I look to my near future, what do I seek in my work/career?
Have you worked prior to attending Cal Poly Pomona? If you have, evaluate the situation. Does the role help you in meeting your goals? If not, perhaps re-evaluate. If you do not have experience, select a variety of experiences on and off campus which could include volunteering, internships, research, part time campus work, or off campus jobs to build skills and utilize acquired knowledge from courses.
Over time you will develop Career Readiness skills to market yourself to employers. Additionally, you will have opportunities to network with employers, alumni, campus constituents, and others working in fields you are interested in. Online tools provide additional options to discover more about industries.
Here are a few for your consideration:
- ONET: Detailed descriptions of job occupations
- Bureau of Labor and Statistics: Statistics on hiring trends
- What Can I Do With This Major: Features 100 major profiles with information on common career paths, types of employers that hire in the field, and strategies to maximize opportunities.
- Campus Catalog: Learn about the curriculum behind your major/degree
