Overcome the Complicated LTP

I have found it very difficult task to decide my career. I realized this difficulty, when Mr. Mannan assigned us to write "Life Thinking Paper". So, to overcome this trouble, I googled about career decision making and found a very useful article about it which helped me very much to write an realistic mission statement also.

So, I want to share this useful instructions with my all class fellows. I hope, it will make your LTP less complicated.

Introduction

Effective career decision-making requires a lot of work and energy, but is necessary to maximize the likelihood of being satisfied with your career (or college major) choice. People tend to spend a lot of time deciding where they will live, what car they will buy, or where they will vacation but spend less time on determining what career best fits them in terms of their values, interests, personality, and skills. Thus, this segment will seek to assist you in identifying what questions you need to ask yourself (and others), as well as where to go to learn more about particular careers or college majors.

WHAT CAREER IS BEST FOR ME?

There are several variables that influence how satisfied you will be in a particular career (VIPS):

1. VALUES – What needs do you want your career to meet? What needs must it meet? Thus, how important is power, security, service to others, socializing, interest, creativity, adventure, opportunities for advancement? Do you want to work with your hands or your mind? Do you want to work alone or with others? Do you want to have the authority to influence and persuade others? Do you like routine work or prefer a variety of tasks? Do you need flexibility in your work schedule or are you okay with regular hours? Try to identify your most important and least important values. How can they be met by the career(s) you are currently considering?
2. INTERESTS – What do you like to do? What are your hobbies? What do you like to read about, or talk about with others? Do you like machines, tools, science, theories, data, self-expression, art appreciation, people, human welfare, business, politics, leadership, organization, data, finance?
3. PERSONALITY – What words describe you? Do you prefer to spend time with others or by yourself? Do you prefer making decisions after gathering lots of information and facts, or do you prefer to rely on your own internal processes and evaluations? Do you like to fix things, teach, create, organize, persuade, or investigate?
4. SKILLS – What are you great at? Good at? Okay at? Not so good at? How is your physical coordination, math, writing, analysis, creativity, listening, understanding, verbal ability, ability to motivate and direct others, record keeping, and attention to detail?

Sometimes it is difficult to determine/clarify these areas of information. Thus, you may benefit from talking with a counselor, friends/family members who know you well and who are open to you taking a "curious", exploratory approach to career/major decision-making. Also, counselors (i.e., at the Counseling Center, Peer Counselors, or Career Resource Center) can sometimes provide you with various self-report inventories that help you identify, organize, and evaluate your values, interests, personality, and skills.

Where to Learn More About Particular Careers/Majors

Once you have identified the aforementioned intrapersonal information (i.e., VIPS), it is important to begin gathering information about careers that you have an initial interest. Also, obtain information on those careers that you may not be interested in but do not know enough about before discarding them as a possibility. In other words, before deciding against a career, be sure you have (and can list) specific reasons why you would not pursue it other than relying on a "hunch" or "intuition" (or someone else’s opinion). Places or people who can assist you in this process include:

Campus Services

• Counseling Center
• Peer Counseling Program
• Career Resource Center
• Academic Advisors
• Instructors
• Teaching Assistants/Graduate Students

Community Services

• Public Libraries
• Search Engines on the Internet
• Career Planning Books
• Magazines (e.g., Newsweek, Time, Money, Working Woman, Business Week)
• Local Adult/Community Education Programs
• Community Colleges/Technical Institutes
• State Employment Service (look in phone book for "Employment Service")
• Your Own Employer
• Networking – e.g., Chamber of Commerce; the professional society in your area of interest; and/or those already working in your field of interest
• Internships – e.g., volunteer or intern at a place of interest

Summary

Career exploration can be a fun, exciting time. However, the extent of its helpfulness is limited by the amount of time, energy and thought you are able/willing to invest in it. There are a multitude of resources (i.e.,. on campus and in the community) that can assist you with identifying and meeting some of your career goals, but it is up to you to begin the process. Why not begin today?