<p>Parents of CC, I humbly ask for your advice and have some questions about figuring out career paths, general introspection, and all of that.</p>
<li><p>First off, is it wise or ultimately beneficial for me to be career-conscious as a 19 year-old rising junior? I attend a relatively preprofessional school and I at times feel the need to “know what I want to do”, which admittedly, is something I know next to nothing about. </p></li>
<li><p>Is finding one’s “niche” or ideal career something that can be "rushed’ with intensive introspection, something that I am not meant to know right now and will require time, or a little of both? </p></li>
<li><p>Do those career aptitude tests really work?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Yes, it is beneficial to start thinking about careers now.
Probably either your campus counseling center or career center offers assessments to help you figure out what careers would be good fits for you. Yes, such assessments are very useful.</p>
<p>Introspection isn’t enough. Career assessments, talking to people in a variety of careers, working jobs – any jobs – to find out what kind of things you like, trying out ECs that interest you, reading about careers-- all of these things can help you find the kind of jobs/careers that would be good fits.</p>
<p>It also helps to remember that the career you pick now is not necessarily a life-long choice. Personally, I’m on my third career, as are many people I know. Decisions made now are not irreversible.</p>
<p>Yes, most people have at least 5 different types of careers. Some of the careers you’ll enter probably haven’t been created yet. Choosing a career isn’t an irrevocable decision.</p>
<p>All my life I knew what I wanted to do - I wanted to be a veterinarian. I never made it to vet school, though I did end up with a BS in zoology and was employed for many years in animal and science related fields. Today I teach the computer technology class for grades K-5 and have never found a more fun and fulfilling job. We didn’t even have personal computer when I was in college. I have a D who is going to be a senior (college) who has an idea of what she would like to do and now is starting to search for possibilities that fit her criteria. Use your career center for information. Attend any nearby workshops you think are interesting. Find conferences to attend. You may discover some field you never thought about that interests you. I agree with the advice that your choice needn’t be a lifelong one. Good luck.</p>
<p>Bear in mind that most people pursuing liberal arts degrees aren’t doing them in pursuit of a single career; they’re preparing themselves for a lifetime of career options. I have a rising senior and a rising sophomore in college, and neither of them have firm career plans. They are however, still learning and growing and discovering new interests - I think they’re positioning themselves well for their futures.</p>
<p>Before nailing down what career you want to follow, make sure you know what careers exist. Remember that there’s more than being a doctor, lawyer, or engineer (but any of those are fine also).</p>
<p>Think about what family friends are doing for careers. Also consider what people are doing in every other part of contact you have with companies and people. You can also check out the Bureau Of Labor Statistics guide to careers -
[Career</a> Guide to Industries](<a href=“http://www.bls.gov/oco/cg/home.htm]Career”>http://www.bls.gov/oco/cg/home.htm)</p>
<p>And then you need to determine an appropriate major for the career path. In some cases the major can be pretty flexible but in other cases not at all (engineering).</p>
<p>It’s nice to see someone comment on this. Liberal arts degrees provide a lot of flexibility and definitely prepare a student to explore changing interests as he or she grows. There’s more to life than being an engineer or an iBanker or a doctor, but it doesn’t seem like a lot of students on CC recognize that… but hey, if that’s the interest, go for it.</p>
<p>I think at this point in your life you are more versed in what you do not want to do or those things you have no interest in. You will find that as you move forward you will be forced to make some decisions and these decisions will lead to others. I believe we always move towards what we believe to be our better fit when making these decisions. So never look back, just keep moving forward finding out about youself through the choices you make. Do not try and plan out your life too much.</p>
I have a D who is going to be a senior (college) who has an idea of what she would like to do and now is starting to search for possibilities that fit her criteria. Use your career center for information. Attend any nearby workshops you think are interesting. Find conferences to attend. You may discover some field you never thought about that interests you. I agree with the advice that your choice needn’t be a lifelong one. Good luck.</p>