Lesson 3: Make an Informed Career Decision
“Everything in your life is a reflection of a choice you have made. If you want a different result, make a different choice.” ~ Unknown
Informed career decision means making a decision using all available information. Many students choose a career based on what their friends are doing, or what is popular in the media, rather on what will be best for them in the future.
What are the factors to consider when making an informed career decision?
- Self (Interests, values, abilities, personality, personal definition of work)
- Labor Market (Number of positions, future employment outlook, salary benefits, geographic location)
- Work Environment (Physical space preferences, amount of people contact, hours, pace, type of Industry, cultural climate)
- Constraints (Motivation, length of time to complete degree, family responsibilities, geographic restrictions)
Now use that information to research the career options that were identified when you completed the Career Cruising or the Strong Interest Inventory. Assignment 3 will walk you through the essential steps of thoroughly researching your career.
Assignment 3a
Directions: Research one of the careers you have selected. Read about the daily job duties, work conditions, skills, and education required for this career. You may use one or more of the following methods to do this assignment:
- View a career profile using Career Cruising. Select the Careers tab.
- Use the O*Net to research the career of your choice at www.onetonline.org
- Go to www.luzerne.edu/careers and click on Helpful Web Sites, then Majors/Careers. Select the career of your choice for a list of informative web sites.
- Google “Careers in (fill in the blank)” to locate web sites specifically about your career.
- Conduct a 30 minute to one hour “Informational Interview” with a person in the occupation or career that you are considering. Click on the worksheet for a list of sample questions to ask: Informational Interview Questions.
Document your findings on Questions 2-7 of My Career Plan. Repeat this assignment for each career that you are interested in.
Assignment 3b
Directions: Now it’s time to look around to see what type of jobs might suit you. There is a lot of information about jobs, occupations, and employment prospects in your area. This information is called labor market information and can help you make decisions about the type of work you’d like to do. Labor market information includes:
- job descriptions
- wages
- employment requirements
- trends or outlooks (e.g., will there be work in this occupation in the future?)
- unemployment or labor shortages
Directions: Use one of the following web sites to search for job openings in the career you have chosen.
www.indeed.com
www.simplyhired.com
www.careerbuilder.com
You can also search for job openings on the LCCC Career Services Web Site: www.luzerne.edu/career (Click on Job Announcements for jobs and internships).
Add the information you found to Question 7 on My Career Plan.
Assignment 3c
After doing your research, review all of the information that you have collected. Look for any themes or similarities. You are now ready to select a career.
Directions: Write down the name of the Career that you have selected on Question 9 of My Career Plan. What is the most appropriate major to prepare you for this career? If you are considering a major/career that has competitive entry requirements (e.g. education, nursing, engineering, medical/dental/law school) it is a good idea to have a backup major, or a “Plan B”, just in case.
If you need more help choosing a major, please see a career counselor in the Career Services Office located in Building 9, room 904.
Congratulate yourself - you now know what you want to major in! Whew!
Now you’re ready to go to Lesson 4.