Choosing a career is an important task for each student as well as job seeker, but it may also be a difficult one. It may not be easy to decide what type of job will be the best fit for you, and since career counseling helps people assess their skills, needs, and desires in order to find a career that works for them, this type of counseling is considered to be an important step to take before deciding on a permanent career. Researching a wide variety of potential careers may be overwhelming, and information on the skill sets and education needed for a particular position may be contradictory or difficult to find. A career counselor will often be able to provide valuable information in these areas and others.
Some of the following questions may be helpful to decide a career:
- What do I enjoy doing?
- What kinds of activities are fun and fulfilling for me?
- What am I good at?
- What is my skill set?
- What qualifications do I have, such as a degree or experience?
- How much money do I need to make to feel satisfied?
- What jobs are available in the place(s) I had like to live?
- Do I want to travel?
- What are my values?
- Is it important to me to be of service to others?
- Am I looking for intensely challenging work or something relatively easy?
- Am I willing to do what others tell me without question, or would I rather make most decisions on my own?
- To what degree do I need stability and security?
HOW CAREER COUNSELING CAN HELP
In a career counseling session, the counselor will help a person explore skills and strengths, consider education levels and give advice about continuing education, and determine interests and personality type. Counselors may also administer an IQ test or an aptitude test.
Some potential topics of discussion in career counseling:
- Particular skills or talents. In which careers might they be useful?
- The educational commitment required of various careers.
- The potential earnings of various careers.
- The daily working environment. Some people enjoy working in an office, while others might be more successful in a fast-paced or outdoor environment.
- The opportunities for change or advancement in a particular career. Some careers are more flexible than others. Lawyers and doctors, for example, may shift their focus or area of specialty but will generally remain lawyers and doctors. Other careers or education paths might more allow mobility between positions in a given field.
The necessary skills/education for a desired career.
Some counselors may also be able to offer advice on how to improve your position at a job that is, for the most part, enjoyable. For example, possible ways to earn a promotion or the best methods to negotiate a salary adjustment could be discussed.