Decisions, Decisions, Decisions!

If only deciding your final career path were as simple as flipping a coin! Making a final decision about your career path is probably one of the most difficult and challenging decisions you will ever make. If your anything like me, you have many careers in mind that interest you or that you are passionate about. The self assessment and research aspects of career planning from the last two blogs should help narrow down your options to 1-3 broad areas or fields that you are passionate about. But now it's time to get more specific! Here are three steps to making this ever so difficult decision less daunting:

1. Discussing

• Seek out people in the broad areas you defined through assessments and researching to speak with about their position; a great way to do this is through looking up organizations you are interested in and finding individuals who 'speak' to what you think you might like to do. And of course, don't forget to utilize Linkedin for this!
• Once you find someone you'd like to reach out to, send them an e-mail requesting an opportunity to ask them questions about their field and explain your interests in the occupation to the individual briefly. 
• The discussion doesn't have to be face to face; if the person you are interested in speaking with is not local, utilize Skype, e-mail, or the phone. 
• Find out what they like and dislike about what they do, as well as what qualifications lead them to the career path they are currently on, or any other questions you feel are important to know.
• Prepare your questions ahead of time! Not only will you be presenting yourself professionally, but you will also get all the questions answered that you are curious about without forgetting to ask something important!

2. Observing

• After speaking with the professionals already in the fields you are interested in, the next step is to arrange a chance to observe them in action; if this is not possible, making a visit to the site which you would like to work at will give you a good idea of how things operate there and what you would be required to do.
• When at the site, keep the atmosphere, morale, and of course yourself, in mind.
• It's important to ask yourself questions like: Does this seem like a place you would want to come to everyday? Does everyone seem like they have too much/too little to do? Are the tasks they are completing of interest you? Do you picture yourself working here? 

3. Doing

• Now comes the fun part! Once you have discussed and observed the occupations you are interested in, it's finally time to get out there and actually experience it for yourself!
• Look up volunteer, internship, or co-op opportunities in the fields that interest you and dedicate some spare time to getting directly involved; this is the only way you will truly know whether or not the work involved is something you are passionate about and want to pursue seriously.
• Think of it like a "try-out"; you don't know if you made the team yet, but you are learning about the team and the game itself by just being apart of the try out! 
• This step will be crucial in making that final career decision! You truly don't know if something is for you until you try it out for yourself, so seek out the best opportunity for you to do so and get the most out of it as you can in order to make an educated and informed decision about your career path!

I hope these steps help you navigate your way to making a final career decision that works for you! And remember: As long as you have clearly defined goals and are utilizing steps to reach them, no difficult decision is ever too much to handle! Check out our past blog on goal setting here if you'd like more information on how to define and meet your goals successfully!

Scarlet Stark
Career Assistant
Psychology Major

Goal Setting in the New Year!

Getting back into the school setting after a relaxing holiday can be overwhelming. All of a sudden you have assignments to prepare for and final marks to think about. It is so easy to fall behind, but setting the right achievable goals can lead you to a successful term.

First you want to decide what your goals are! Here at Career Services we made a tool to help lead you to the completion of your goals, we call it the Goal Action Form. We use this tool often with students especially if they are preparing to write up big career documents (such as a CV or Portfolio) or if they are applying to grad school or teacher's college. However you want to use this tool, it can provide anyone with a visual step by step process to keep them on track. We have a bunch of these at the Career Resource Centre that you are welcome to come pick up any time!

Goal seeing is an important method of deciding what you want to achieve in your life. It separates whats important from whats irrelevant or a distraction. It is also a tool for motivating yourself, and building your self-confidence based on successful achievement of goals.

If you don't already set goals, try starting now. As you make this technique a part of your life and use the resources that surround you, you'll find your goals accelerating and you will wonder how you did without it!

What does it all mean?: The Importance of Knowing Yourself

Finding a rewarding and fulfilling career is not an easy task. There are so many things to consider when deciding on a field, and occupation. Regardless of whether you feel a bit intimidated by selecting a career, or whether you are just interested in knowing all the facts, knowing yourself is the most useful thing you can do in your job search.

In my experience, people tend to search for jobs backwards. They hone in on one particular job title and say  "I want to be THIS!" instead of finding a job that would suit them, and weighing different careers. Having only one job in mind limits your research and potentially closes your mind off from related careers you may be interested in. While there is nothing wrong with having a directed vision and knowing where you want to go, we here at Career Services like to give you every resource we can to help you be successful in your career related quests. :)

Completing personality assessments (that can be accessed for free on careerzone -  I like typefocus for the purpose of this topic!) are an excellent place to start reflecting on what is important to you, and the workplaces you would succeed in. In addition to career and personality assessments, you may find it useful to reflect on your personal thoughts on:

Your Values:

• What is important to you? 
• How would you uphold your values in the workplace?
• Does the workplace of the job you are interested in support your values?

Pace:

•  Is the job you are researching a fast paced job? 
• Would you be required to work under pressure?  
• How do you perform under pressure?

Expression:

•  Do you enjoy performing the same tasks every day, or do you like variety?
• Do you enjoy having some degree of creative freedom over your work?

Working With Others:

•  Would you prefer to work as a team or by yourself?
• Would you like to help others through your work?

This is only a sample of the many questions you could ask yourself when it comes to evaluating yourself and certain jobs. This information is useful because it can assist you in your job search. There are many related careers out there that are within the same field, but may be more customized to your specific values, wants, and needs and will ultimately make you happier in your future position.

 If you would like to talk more about assessments, the career search process ( ask to see the triangle!), or knowing yourself  then come on by to Career Services. We would be happy to help you!

Becky White
Lead Career Assistant
4th year Tourism and Environment (Hons.)

Goal Setting: An Important Tool in your Student Toolbox

 If you don't know where you are going, how will you get there? Goals work much the same way. In our busy lives, it seems difficult to think about the future when all we are doing is  trying to keep our head above water in our course work. However, having clearly defined goals sets you up for success.

 By taking the time to identify what is important to you, and what you would like to accomplish, you are setting parameters for yourself that you will work within.  For example, if you have decided that you would like to increase your average this semester, you may be more inclined to  take more time on your homework, not procrastinate (not that you did that before... right?), or politely decline an invitation to weekend plans with your friends in favour of studying a little harder for an upcoming test.  So you see, having predetermined goals affects your behaviour in future situations. Keeping goals and results that you would like to achieve in the back of your mind nudges your actions in a successful direction.

Setting goals is important to your future because it helps you decide where you would like to go. It helps you understand whats important to you, and keeps you moving with positive momentum. These goals don't have to be academic in nature. Setting personal goals is important too! There is more to life than academic pursuits, and by setting personal goals you will be helping yourself  to become  well rounded. Goals take persistence, commitment, drive, and energy. These positive traits are useful in so many of life's situations.

If you would like to learn more about setting goals, check out our post on SMART goals here.

If you would like to talk about your career related goals, come on in to Career Services. We would love to talk to you!

Becky White
4th Year Tourism and Environment ( Hons.)
Lead Career Assistant