What's Involved in Career Choice[1]
A pyramid can be used to show what's involved in making a
career choice (see Figure 1):
Knowing
About Myself, such as
My
values
Example: security
My
interests
Example: working with people
My
skills
Example: using a computer to plan a budget
Knowing
About My Options
Understanding specific
occupations, programs of study, and jobs
Examples:
What are typical work tasks for a real estate appraiser?
How much math is required for a major in Finance?
What is the
average starting salary for a retail salesperson?
What type of
training is required to be a physical therapist?
Understanding how occupations
and programs of study can be organized
Example:
Realistic
Investigative
Artistic
Social
Enterprising
Conventional
Understanding how job settings
can be organized
Example:
Business/Industry
Government
Education
Non-Profit
Professions
Private
Enterprise
Knowing How I Make Decisions
How do I usually make important
decisions?
Thinking About My Decision Making
Self-talk
Example: "I'll never be able
to make a good career choice."
Self-awareness
Example: "I'm getting very scared about this."
Being aware of and controlling my
self-talk
Example: "I can't really predict the future and imagining failure is not
going to help me find a good job."
Figure 1
What's Involved in Career Choice
Reprinted from The
Career Development Quarterly, 41, 1992, p. 70, copyrighted NCDA. Reprinted
with permission of the National Career Development Association. Used with
permission.
A
Guide to Good Decision Making[2]
A cycle can be
used to show the steps in making a career choice (see Figure 2):
Knowing I Need
to Make a Choice
Events - things that happen to me
"I need to choose a program of study by next semester."
Comments from my friends and relatives
"My roommate said that I'll have problems if I don't make a decision
soon."
The way I feel
"I'm scared about committing myself."
Avoiding my problems
"I'll get started next week."
Physical problems
"I'm
so upset about this, I can't eat."
Understanding
Myself and My Options
Understanding
myself,
such as
My values
My interests
My skills
Understanding occupations, programs of study, or jobs
Understanding specific occupations, programs of study, or
jobs
Understanding how occupations, programs of study, or jobs
are organized
Understanding how I make important decisions
Understanding how I think about my decisions
Self-talk
Self-awareness
Being aware of and controlling my
self-talk
Expanding and
Narrowing My List of Occupations, Programs of Study, or Jobs
Identify occupations, programs of study, or
jobs that fit my values, interests, and skills
Pick the 3 to 5 best occupations, programs of study, or jobs
using what I learned from "Understanding Myself and My Options"
Choosing an
Occupation, Program of Study, or Job
Costs and benefits of
each occupation, program of study, or job to:
myself?
my family?
my cultural group
my community or society?
Rank
occupations, programs of study, or jobs
Make a choice
Make back-up
choice(s) in case I have a problem with my first choice
Implementing
My Choice
Plan - Make a plan for getting education or training
Try Out - Get work experience (full time, part-time, volunteer) and
take courses or get training to test my choice
Apply - Apply for and get a job
Knowing I Made
a Good Choice
Have events changed?
How did my friends and relatives react
to my choice?
How do I feel now?
Am I avoiding doing what needs to be
done?
Figure 2
A Guide To
Good Decision Making
Reprinted from The
Career Development Quarterly, 41, 1992, p. 70, copyrighted NCDA. Reprinted
with permission of the National Career Development Association. Used with
permission.