CAREER SELF-ASSESSMENTS

Many of the answers concerning the work we were born to do are already within us, but we may have forgotten them.  That is the purpose of this self-assessment:  To help you remember.

Questions to Help You Discover the Work You Were Born to Do (Source: Nick Williams)

·          If you won the lottery or somehow had your financial needs taken care of, how would you want to spend your life?  What would be the purpose of your life?

·          If you only did work that inspired and delighted you, what would you want to do?

·          If all the work was equally paid and had the same status, what work would you love to do?

·          If you felt free, had no fear and no guilt, what work would you love to create or do?

·          If you were told you only had six months to live, would you do the same work?  If not, what would you do instead?

·          What has your heart always called you to do or be in your work?

·          As a child, what did you most often dream of doing or being when you grew up? What happened to these dreams and ideas?

·          What gives you the greatest sense of joy, aliveness, motivation or excitement?

·          If you had no doubt that you could be financially rewarded for doing what you most love and enjoy, what would you do then?

·          If you knew you had all the support you needed, what would you begin creating?

What Should I Do?  Choosing Your Career (Source: Michelle Tullier)

A professional wrestler runs for governor of Minnesota and wins.  The owner and pastry chef of my neighbourhood bakery is a former investment banker.  A friend from college who was a computer scientist for seven years now makes her living as a sailboat captain in Vancouver.

How did these people get where they are today?  Through a combination of luck, confidence and lots of self-awareness.  As you contemplate where your own career might take you after college, it's impossible to know what opportunities fate may throw your way.  What you can do, however, is identify your interests, talents and values, then explore occupations that might make good use of them.

If you follow the three-step process below, you won't just be sitting back waiting for careers and jobs to land in your lap.  You'll be working toward discovering what makes you happy.

Step One
 

Figure out what makes you tick. Ask yourself these questions:

What piques (and holds) my interest?

What do I do well?

What kind of personality do I have?

What's really important to me?

Take any career-related tests that your university's career centre might offer.  Or think of times when you've enjoyed and excelled at a job, internship, class or aspect of your personal life.  A great book to read for help with this process is Do What You Are, by Paul Tieger and Barbara Barron-Tieger.

Step Two

Learn about your career options.  Rarely do you have the opportunity to take a class in college that shows you what the work world is like.  You have to take the initiative to explore it yourself.  See if your college or university's career office has a library of books that describe different kinds of work, the typical qualifications needed and the salary ranges for various occupations.

You can also find profiles of career fields at many Internet sites.  Your college's or university's Career Counsellors should be able to help.  Also, talk to people through informational interviews, and try out careers by shadowing and taking internships or part-time jobs.

Step Three

Sort out your priorities.  After you have spent time on steps one and two, some of your strong preferences may start to emerge.  You might learn you do not want to be in a corporate environment:  That rules out investment banking.  Or you might find that your interest in art would not sustain a career, so you cross those types of jobs off your list.  Whatever it is that you learn about yourself, you are making important discoveries that will help you choose a good career when the time comes.

Most importantly, keep it all in perspective.  Remember that you do not have to live forever with any career decision you make now.  Most people change careers several times over their lives, so the thing you choose to do right after college will most likely not be your career forty or fifty years from now - unless you want it to be.  So do not put too much pressure on yourself to make the perfect decision.  And always keep your eyes open.