Unlocking the Career Mystery:

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Unlocking the Career Mystery

• The What, How, and Why of
• Career Choice

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WHAT IS MYSTERIOUS ABOUT CAREER CHOICE?
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THE ONLY REAL MYSTERY IS DISCOVERING WHO YOU
ARE!
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CAREER MYTHS

• MYTHI have to choose a major/career and I cannot
  change my mind.
• TRUTH Statistics tell us students will change
  majors 3-7 times over their college career.
• MYTH When I choose a career it will be the one I
  am in
• for my most of my life.
• TRUTH Those days are over. For most people, the
  economy, changing technology, and personal
  choices will necessitate a change of career, at
  least once, during ones lifetime.

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BIG MYTH

• My counselor, parent, sister, brother, husband,
  wife, friend can tell me the best major/career
  for me.
• TRUTH Only YOU can choose the best fit
  major/career for you! And you can do this, by
  KNOWING YOURSELF.

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Step 1 to Knowing Yourself

• Gather information about self through
• Personality - Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)
• Interests Strong Interest Inventory,
  Self-Directed Search (SDS)
• Values clarification
• CHOICES or DISCOVER

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Step 2

• Gather information about major/career that
  matches your personality, interests, values.
• Use the resources available in the Career
  Resource Center

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Step 3

• Make a decision to create a plan to obtain the
  career you want.
• Select a major
• Determine Prerequisites
• Get an Educational Plan from Counseling
  Educational Planning Department (CEPD)

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Why is making a major/career choice important?
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Importance of Picking a Major

• establishes motivation
• saves you time money
• Makes goal-setting and achieving your goals easier

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DALE PARNELL

• if there is no goal, there is no motivation. If
  there is no motivation, there is no persistence.

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How Do We Get Motivated?

• In order to have motivation, one must have
  meaning in their life.
• In order to have meaning in ones life, one must
  have a goal.

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Steps to Motivation

Goal (Major/Career) ? Meaning of Life ?
Motivation
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Meaning of Life
He who has a why to live can bear with almost
any how. - Nietzsche
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When there is nothing on top of the mountain-

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-climbing to the top can be difficult and
uninspiring.
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When there is something on top of the mountain- a
home, car, money and love-

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climbing to the top can be rewarding and
fulfilling.
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It takes 6 months to a year to make a career
decision. The exercise that follows is a way to
begin the career decision-making process using
values as a basis for selecting a major. The best
career decision will utilize information about
your personality, interests, and values.
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PICK A MAJOR EXERCISE
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Values Clarification

• From the list of values, select five which you
  feel are the most important.
• Rate the selected five values from most important
  to least important.
• Keep this list handy when selecting a career to
  go with your major.

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PICK A MAJOR

• From the list of majors, cross out any major you
  know you definitely do not want to take.
• Do this until you have at least three to five
  remaining.
• Rank the remaining majors from most important to
  least important.

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Identify Majors for Research

• For your top four majors, list several career
  options.
• Use the Major Career sheet from your packet.
• For further research refer to the resource list
  also included in packet.

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Once you have selected a Major

• Make an appointment with a counselor or advisor
  in the Counseling and Educational Planning Office
  (407-328-2337) to
• Change or Declare a Major
• Prepare an Online Educational Plan

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Additional Suggestions

• Career Counseling in CEPD
• Life/Career Planning- SLS 1301C
• CHOICES/DISCOVER
• Career Resource Center

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Conclusion

• There is no magic wand when it comes to
  discovering what gives YOU meaning and
  motivation. You must look within at your
  personality, interests, and values to determine
  which path to follow.