Would you just love to know exactly what field would best fit you for skills and interest you possess? Well, most likely we won’t be as lucky as the person who received this fortune!
Choosing the right career path can be challenging. Often one will take several twists and turns before finding their straight away path to an appealing career. But you may find it by exploring and engaging!
Here are a few examples of how you could explore a future career:
- Conduct informational interviews
- Join a club in your major
- Study abroad
- Volunteer
- Do an internship
- Job shadow
- Get involved on campus and/or in community
- Attend Career Fairs
- Check out Vault, an online resource providing information about different careers
- Meet with a career counselor to take a career assessment
I have actually done the majority of the items listed above. They do not all have to be in the field you believe you are going into, I have done a variety of positions from peer mentoring to teaching to business to shadowing in a clinic. Taking advantage of these different opportunities allowed me to find out what I enjoy doing, what I am successful in, and helped me develop skills that I have applied towards the career I am currently pursuing. I reassured my choice of Pre-Therapy track last year by joining the Pre-Therapy & Allied Health Club on campus, speaking with current Physical Therapy students, and conducting an informational interview last Fall.
The informational interview is something many students don’t tend to do. My previous supervisor came up with the idea and helped me find a P.T. to interview; I prepared my questions and followed through with the set meeting. With the support from my supervisor I asked for a chance to complete observational hours in the clinic, the P.T. directed me toward the correct contact and it was approved. Completing the hours helped me get a vision of how the career field was like. Researching definitely helps us find our niche!
I encourage you to begin exploring your future career by talking to employers, professors, family, friends, and departments and gather as much information as possible. Also, visit our website for helpful links.
Posted by Marisol Cardoza, Career Services Assistant