Career Decision-making steps
- Learn the basics of decision-making
- Complete a self-assessment
- Explore majors
- Explore careers
- Weigh the options/make a choice
- Implement a plan for success
Step 1: Learn the Basics of Decision-Making
These resources will help you become a better decision-maker by introducing you to a recommended process for making sound, realistic, and satisfying decisions. These steps will also help you to make an informed major or career decision:
- How to Be a Better Decision-Maker (.pdf)
A introduction to a series of steps that will help you make any decision - Before Choosing Your Direction... (.pdf)
Some points to consider before beginning the career decision-making process - Checklist for Choosing a Major (under construction)
Start here for a list of steps that will help you arrive at an informed decision about a major or career! - An Introduction to the Career Decision-Making Process
(under revision)
This publication describes a process that is effective for making a major/career decision. Specific suggestions are offered for each step in the process.
Step 2: Complete a Self-Assessment
Self-assessment is the process of gathering and understanding information about yourself -- your interests, personality, skills, values, and preferences. Of course, getting to know yourself is the task of a lifetime, but it is also the essential first step in the career decision-making process.
- Self-Assessment Tools
Learn about the assessments available through the Department of Counseling Services that can help you to survey your interests, values, abilities, and personality characteristics. - Career Exploration & Planning (AE 260) Course
Learn about a course offered through the Department for Academic Enrichment that can help you to examine your personality, interests, needs, abilities, achievements, and values; and develop a personal career plan. - Online Career Assessment Tools
This is a list of web sites containing free online career assessments and inventories.
Researching and gathering information about your academic options will help you to determine the major(s) that will help you prepare for the careers you have in mind. You can also gather information about potential careers at the same time.
The following resources will help you learn how to conduct your research:
- Frequently Asked Questions About Choosing a Major
Questions that students typically have about choosing a major - Worksheet for Researching Majors (.pdf document)
This worksheet will help you to research majors of interest to you and provide the information you need to make an effective decision about an academic program. - Questions to Ask about a Program of Study (.pdf document)
A list of questions that you can ask faculty, students, and alumni to obtain information about a program of study.
The following resources provide information about majors:
- Academic Choices
A list of Clarion's majors and minors with links to the academic department where each is housed. - What Can I Do With This Major/Degree?
This site is useful for students who seek information about a major and the careers that it can lead to. Also contains useful web sites for each major. - Additional Online Resources for Researching College Majors
This is a list of web sites containing information about majors, including a description of the major, occupational options, and links to additional resources.
Career exploration is exactly what it sounds like...conducting research on the world of work before deciding what career to pursue.
The following resources provide occupational/career information and help you learn how to conduct your research:
- Informational Interviews (.pdf document)
Want to know what a career is really like? This publication describes how to get career information by talking with people who are working in the field. - Job Shadowing (.pdf document)
Shadowing someone is another way to gain a better understanding of an occupation or career field that interests you. - Worksheet for Researching Occupations (.pdf document)
This worksheet will help you to research occupations of interest to you and provide the information you need to make an effective career decision.
- Employment Outlook Information
This is a list of web sites providing information about employment outlook and trends.
This step moves you from self-assessment and research to evaluating your alternatives and making a commitment to one of them. It provides a way to examine the information carefully, weigh the advantages and disadvantages of each alternative, and make a choice.
Step 6: Implement a Plan for Success
Visit our Career Planning Information Center to determine your next steps. They will help you to confirm your career choice, get experience, and develop the skills valued by employers and/or graduate schools.
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