Career Exploration
Career exploration is investigating the world of work to help you discover a rewarding and satisfying career. It starts with self-assessment—understanding yourself, your interests, values and skills.
In the next step, you research to gather information about career fields, companies and industries to answer: "What's out there that I might be interested in? What's going to be out there when I graduate? What do I have to do to follow my dream?" The time that you invest in identifying the kinds of work that you find rewarding and satisfying will make goal setting and job searching easier and more successful.
A good starting point would be to sit down with a career counselor, either during walk-in hours or by appointment, and set up a career exploration strategy.
Career Research Tips
Keep in mind that you may find information in a number of different ways. Here are a few:
Print Media
- Business Week
- Chicago Tribune's Career Builder
- Journal of Educational Psychology
- What Color is Your Parachute?
Websites
- Department of Labor Dictionary of Occupational Titles
- Department of Labor Occupation Outlook Handbook
- O*Net - Occupational Outlook Network
Experiential Learning
- Coursework
- Internships
- Summer jobs and part-time jobs
- Travel clubs and organizations
Networking Activities
- Conversations with family, friends, teachers and coaches
- Information interviews
- Professional association events, including those sponsored by student chapters
Just like the self-assessment process, career exploration is dynamic. Your career preferences, interests, skills and values will change over time, as will the world around you. The economy will change; the political environment will change; your family situation will change.
All of this means that you will need to find yourself exploring new options and interests on a regular basis. Taking time now to learn about career exploration is an investment that will serve you well in the future.