What do I want to do for a career?

Maybe you know exactly what you want to do and perhaps you have no idea, or maybe you are somewhere in between. Exploring this question if you are unsure is a great starting point to your career pathway. Let's face it, you need to have an idea as to what you want to do so you can select an education pathway that will get you there! Not having an idea of where you are headed before you get there can have some longer-term expensive consequences (changing majors and needing to take a new set of courses, spending time and energy at one school only to transfer to another that fits your needs, etc.).

Will things change?

According the the Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS), the average person will hold 11 jobs from age 18-46. You never know how your career path will unfold and chances are, it will be filled with a few surprises along the way - possibly multiple careers. That is a-ok, it is part of the journey. The important thing is to get to know yourself, over and over again.

Get in-touch with you!

Whether you have a career selected or you are up in the air, it is always a good idea to get in touch with yourself to evaluate if the path you are on is a good fit or to get started on one all together. You should reflect on things like: preferences, skills, abilities, knowledge, interests, personality, desired lifestyle, values, external factors, etc. and go from there. Selecting a career or narrowing down a few options now

Tools to help.

There are many steps you can take to explore your interests and determine your career path. Here are a few of the many options.

Career Assessment- If you are connected to any educational program, they may have free or low-cost options for this. Here are some options at OSU for this.
Job Shadowing- For any career you are interested in pursuing, consider doing a job shadowing experience. This is when you show-up on the job site and follow around someone or multiple people who are doing the work you are interested in. You can observe and maybe help out a bit. There are many benefits to these experiences; you can put yourself in the shoes of that career and assess if it is a good fit or not.
Network- Be sure to build your network now - these networks is what leads into job opportunities. At this stage, you could consider doing informational interviews with members in your network who work in roles in which you are curious.
Internships and/or Volunteering- Securing a paid internship or a volunteer opportunity is a great way for you to get some experience and learn if it is a good fit for you.
Career Counseling- There might be some free career counseling resources in your area - perhaps at a local community college, public assistance program, or any education program you are connected to! There are so many options out there, a career counselor can help you get to the heart of what you might be interested in.
My.Act.org- This is a great resource to explore career, positions, and school majors. Explore the 72 Inventory Questions under the tab titled PLANS.. It is well worth the few minutes it takes to do a couple of career assessments. The program will take your answers from the assessment and create a career map offering career suggestions and from this map, you can click on the letters to explore positions within the suggested areas.
Bureau of Labor and Statistics- Use this online tool to see what you might make in any given field. You use this tool to find your desired state, choose an occupation, and review the salary averages. You want to select a career that sets you up for a lifestyle you want to live. This also gives you a starting point to assess potential starting salary (helps you to decide how much student loan to borrow) and your Return on Investment (ROI) for your education.

Explore a variety of resources through OSU's Career Development Center.

Find your education pathway

Once you have some career options in mind, you want to choose the best college/university/post-secondary pathway for you and your goals. There are so many options and making these decisions can be challenging. You will want to reflect on things such as:

type of certificate, degree, etc. you need (trade school, associates, bachelor's, masters or law degree, doctorate, etc.),
types of majors you need for your ideal career,
the geographical location you need to be in (or perhaps online),
the size of the university,
the costs compared to what you can afford,
the graduation rates,
the support systems and opportunities that you want and need compared to what they offer,
and more!

Allow yourself to do the research, consider different options, and then create a plan and path that is right for you! It may take some time, but taking the time to gather this information can ultimately save you time and money later on - it can also help you to ensure you are picking a career and pathway that aligns with the life you want to live.

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