The University of Scranton - Office of Career Services The University of Scranton - Office of Career Services | Career Decision Making | |
| Action Plans for College Students | |
.What you can expect when seeing a career counselor in the Office of Career Services.
Career Development is a life-long process which involves a three step process: Discover, Test, and Choose. Experiences and insight influence the career decisions you make.
DISCOVER more about yourself and more about careers.
Identify anything you seem to have a talent for, activities you enjoy doing, and
what is important to you. Explore industries, employers, and occupations
that are of interest to you.Think
about ways to develop marketable skills. Examples:
computer, communication, analytical thinking, foreign language, leadership
skills, etc.
TEST
Test your self-knowledge against reality
through courses, extra-curricular activities, informational interviews and work
experiences including part-time, summer, internship, and
full-time positions. Even volunteer
experiences can provide the opportunity to "test" a career field.
(Follow this volunteer link for
CHOOSE
Make plans and implement choices that are consistent with your
self-knowledge and the results of your testing. Examples:
choice of major or minor, whether to study abroad, which summer position to
pursue, and which full-time job offer to accept. Eliminate some of the
uncertainty in making a decision. Gather as much information as possible about
yourself and the world of work to minimize the risks.
You will continue to revisit this process over and over during college and
throughout your career. As you continue to grow personally, you'll discover new
parts of yourself that need to be tested. In turn, this will influence your
choices. Your career grows with you!
Aunt
Bonnie’s Career Catapult
Barriers/Challenges to Career Decision Making
Choosing a Major - from Princeton Review
Choosing and Using Your
Major
- Look for the link to this article from The University of Virginia
Choosing Your Major - from Jobweb.com
Explore the
Possibilities - from the University of Missouri
Famous
People and their College Majors
Find a Career - Next
Step Magazine
Guide to Career Decision Making/Choosing a Major - from Florida State
University
How to Choose a
Career or a Major: A Step-to-Step Guide - from California State
University
I
Have to Pick a Major, Now What? - from MonsterTrak.com
Jobs and Careers - From about.com
Making a Major Decision
- This article was written by a student
Steps to Take in
Career Decision Making - from St. Louis University
How Assessment Can
Help You Choose A Major or Career - An article about assessment tools,
it explains the different types and how they can help you.
Self Directed Search- by
taking this 20 minute interest inventory and discussing the results with a career
counselor in the Office of Career Services you can explore occupations that
match your interests and abilities. Just call x7640 to set up an appointment to
take the test in our office as part of the services we provide to students. If you are interested in taking the on-line version, please be aware that PAR,
Inc. does not charge for you to take the test but there is a fee to receive your
results. For instructions to use the Self Directed Search, click
HERE.
If you wish to receive your results free of charge, call Career Services at 941.7640 before taking the test to receive your User ID and password.
Strong Interest Inventory - by taking this 30 minute interest inventory and discussing the computerized results with a counselor in the Office of Career Services you can identify occupations recommended for you to explore further. Click Here. (You must call 941-7640 for the login and password). For instructions to use the Strong Interest Inventory, click HERE.
SIGI 3 - by working on this computerized interest inventory you can clarify your work-related values, search and create a list of occupations based on your interests, values, and work skills, or major field of study, and obtain up to date information and printouts on hundreds of occupations. Click here to log in using your University username and password.
Helpful Resources to use with SIGI 3 - The User's Guide and After SIGI -A guide to further resources
Career Development eManual
- Created by the
Career Key - a test that asks questions about your abilities, values, and self beliefs. The result is a list of occupations that match your responses with links directly to the Occupational Outlook Handbook of each occupation
Career Interests Game – Look for the link to the Career Interests Game.
This site was created by the
Career Quiz - from
CareerZone - This site requires you to select from
Keirsey Temperament Sorter II - A 70 question test designed to identify your personality type.
Match Major Sheets - from
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Instrument - There is a fee for this test
MyMajors.com - This site can suggest six majors for you to think about based on information you enter about your interests and high school experience. This site can also give you more information about what these majors are, what type of courses you would take to get a degree and what jobs are available to graduates with this major.
Self-Assessment Exercises- Look for the link called Analyzing Your Work Preferences Workbook. This workbook helps you to identify your values, interests, and skills.
Values Inventory - from The
America's Careerinfonet - Includes career information, employment trends and projections, general career sites, search engine career pages, and work and life issues.
Career Exploration Links - Occupational - from
Career Information - from Collegegrad.com
CareersOnline-Expert Advice - Videos from students and alumni
Career Toolkits - Comprehensive Career Tools & Information online and free. Review list of careers and job descriptions.
Career Videos - Links to 360 career videos showing people at their jobs
Career Voyages- Explore
career options with a focus on high growth jobs
Career Voyages - Section focused on Education careers
Dictionary of Occupational Titles
– Brief descriptions of the work done in over 12, 000 occupations
Find a Major - from
Industry and Career
Profiles . . . from Wetfeet.com
Job Profiles -
Experienced workers share: rewards of their job; stressful parts of the job;
basic skills the job demands; challenges of the future; and advice on entering
the field. Grouped by fields of study.
JobGenie - just job descriptions.
Major Resource Kits- By the
University of
Monster Career Advice Job Profiles
O*NET Online - United States Department of Labor. Search by occupation or skills and learn about tasks, knowledge, skills, abilities, work values, wages, and related occupations.
Occupational Outlook Handbook - Includes nature of the work, training required, employment outlook, salary, related occupations - U.S. Department of Labor
Occupational Outlook Quarterly Online - Includes articles and national occupational projections
Princeton
Review - Click on
Research Career & Internship Opportunities. Then type in Careers. This site will give you career
information that includes daily life, paying your dues, something to fall back
on, past and future, what to expect from your life.
U.S. News Work and
Career - Articles and career outlooks
of interest to college students
Wall Street Journal - Career
Journal section has articles and career information links.
Action Plans for
College Students
- from The Office of Career
Services, The University of Scranton
A Four
Year (and beyond) Plan to Career Success
Career
Action Plan for Students Choosing a Major
Career Action Plan - Suggested actions for the discovery, exploration,
experience/experiment, and choice phases of career development.
Career Planning: What to
do, Year By Year – Look for the link to this handout from the
Career
Planning a Career
- Ten steps to planning your career
Planning Your Career - from Colorado State University
Try this Four-Year Career Checklist - from Monstertrak.com
The University of
Scranton Alumni Web Directory - Consider sending an email message
to an alumni to gather more career information. To screen the
database you need to do an initial and then a second search based on majors.
e-mail the Career Services Staff
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University of Scranton Home Page
