Career Services

Career Exploration Tools

LEARNING ABOUT CAREER/MAJORS

Discover: Discover is a comprehensive computer program that allows the user to explore numerous careers. The user can also take assessments concerning his/her skills, values, and interests to see how they relate to careers. It also provides job search information and current salary data. It is a very informative system which students can use on their own and at their own pace.

Library Materials: Our career library contains numerous publications on choosing a major and learning about careers. You can read brief descriptions of every job in the country or detailed information on common careers. Information available includes salary expectations, educational requirements, work environments, and job outlook.  

Part-time Jobs/Internships: Another way to learn about a career field is to get a part-time job or internship within the field. This is a great way to "test the waters" and to help you prepare for your professional career. Counselors in Career Services can help you locate a part-time job or internship.

LEARNING ABOUT YOURSELF

Self-Directed Search (SDS): The SDS examines career interests and skills in a systematic, self-guided way. After answering questions about what activities you enjoy, skills you have, and jobs that might interest you, a three-letter code is generated. This code is linked to majors and careers. It can be used to learn about your personality and the types of careers that people with personalities similar to yours enjoy. The assessment takes about 30-45 minutes to complete and at least 15 minutes for discussion with a counselor.

Card Sort: The card sort is a career assessment used to discover interests, values, and skills. The student and counselor work together. The student is provided with a stack of ninety cards describing various careers. The student sorts the cards into stacks, which reflect his/her likes and dislikes. The counselor then assists the student in determining what themes the careers have in common (i.e. the student likes working with children, but not in a teaching atmosphere; the student does not want to travel or work more than 40 hours per week). Total time required for the card sort is about 20-45 minutes.

Values Inventory: The values inventory is a simple checklist of values that are related to careers. It helps students become aware of how their personal values correspond to different careers. The checklist only takes 5-15 minutes and can be completed without a counselor.

To top