Career Planning
Zits by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman
"Next time you feel unqualified to be used by God remember this,
he tends to recruit from the pit, not the pedestal."
@JonAcuff
he tends to recruit from the pit, not the pedestal."
@JonAcuff
How to Start Planning for a Career
1. What problem do you want to solve in the future? Think about it. What makes you angry (in a good way)? What motivates you to take action? What are you always offering up solutions for when you talk with your friends? What makes you unique? The clues are there. Once you can identify a problem you are passionate about solving, you can find the major (career) that will help you fulfill your goal.
WATCH BELOW "How can a child aspire to a career they don't know exists?" by Ed Hidalgo (TEDxKids@ElCajon)
2. Now write down the careers that interest you. Who are the type of people that solve the problems you identified earlier? Why does this interest you? Reviewing these questions will help fine tune your career vision. It's okay if it develops over time or completely changes.
Sometimes adversity shapes your future. In this Positive University podcast, Inquoris “Inky” Johnson shares how his football career ended in 2006 at the University of Tennessee with an injury that permanently paralyzed his right arm.
3. Research those careers to understand what your future might look like. Dream! Research future careers by going to the library and by searching online. Check out the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Occupational Outlook Handbook where you'll learn about salary, growth rate, needed skills, job opportunities, and what majors to consider. My Next Move builds on the handbook allowing you to search by keywords or industries.
There are a few excellent career assessments you can take. They are critical to guiding your career choices. It is also important for you to work with a career professional or school counselor to review and apply your results.
4. Remember that God's calling will be greater than your major or career choice. Blackaby Ministries tweeted: "God does not want your life to depend on a plan or an income or a person or anything else. He wants you to trust him." Trusting God is a daily experience. With this in mind, know that your college major is just the starting point of your career.
Higher education will give you a safe environment to take personal risks as you discover more about who you are and where God is leading you. Business leader and consultant Peter Drucker wrote: "Successful careers are not planned. They develop when people are prepared for opportunities because they know their strengths, their method of work, and their values" (Managing Oneself, p.32, Harvard Business Review Classics).
What you learn in college (major, experiences, values, etc.) may be applicable in many industries. When Satyan Devadoss was a mathematics professor at Williams College (MA), he created this compilation graphic to demonstrate the impact of a major on a career based on 15,000+ Williams College alums.
So, learn to trust God with his calling on your life.
5. Once you've identified potential careers, take 5-15 minutes to interview someone currently in that industry. Send an email, visit their workplace, or speak with them at a community gathering. Simply ask them about their education, the awesomeness of their job, and the things they wish they didn't have to do. You can also visit CareerVillage to ask current professionals your questions.
1. What problem do you want to solve in the future? Think about it. What makes you angry (in a good way)? What motivates you to take action? What are you always offering up solutions for when you talk with your friends? What makes you unique? The clues are there. Once you can identify a problem you are passionate about solving, you can find the major (career) that will help you fulfill your goal.
WATCH BELOW "How can a child aspire to a career they don't know exists?" by Ed Hidalgo (TEDxKids@ElCajon)
2. Now write down the careers that interest you. Who are the type of people that solve the problems you identified earlier? Why does this interest you? Reviewing these questions will help fine tune your career vision. It's okay if it develops over time or completely changes.
Sometimes adversity shapes your future. In this Positive University podcast, Inquoris “Inky” Johnson shares how his football career ended in 2006 at the University of Tennessee with an injury that permanently paralyzed his right arm.
3. Research those careers to understand what your future might look like. Dream! Research future careers by going to the library and by searching online. Check out the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Occupational Outlook Handbook where you'll learn about salary, growth rate, needed skills, job opportunities, and what majors to consider. My Next Move builds on the handbook allowing you to search by keywords or industries.
There are a few excellent career assessments you can take. They are critical to guiding your career choices. It is also important for you to work with a career professional or school counselor to review and apply your results.
- YouScience takes about 90-minutes (in small chunks) to complete the assessment, but you'll get a detailed report linking you to careers, insight into what interests you, and how you tend to tackle projects and decisions. Within each aptitude category (vocabulary, idea generation, numerical computation, inductive reasoning, etc.) you'll learn how that impacts your daily life at school, at work, and in your social life.
- Holland's Theory of Career Choice is a theory of personality that focuses on career and vocational choice. The 48 multiple-choice questions will assess your suitability within six occupational types: Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional (RIASEC). It will take about 10 minutes to complete.
- Myers Briggs. The earlier you know and begin to understand your personality type, the better decisions you will make when taking jobs, interacting with the world around you, accepting responsibility, and selecting college majors. You can take a free version on 16Personalities but should eventually take the full version on MBTI.
- Human eSources offers the Strengths for Success. It takes about 40 minutes to complete. You'll receive a report with that helps you understand your personality type, your learning styles, and careers that people with your personality type have found success.
- Birkman. You'll answer 298 questions in about 30 minutes and have a report that includes an in-depth assessment to help you find careers where you can perform meaningful and satisfying work.
4. Remember that God's calling will be greater than your major or career choice. Blackaby Ministries tweeted: "God does not want your life to depend on a plan or an income or a person or anything else. He wants you to trust him." Trusting God is a daily experience. With this in mind, know that your college major is just the starting point of your career.
Higher education will give you a safe environment to take personal risks as you discover more about who you are and where God is leading you. Business leader and consultant Peter Drucker wrote: "Successful careers are not planned. They develop when people are prepared for opportunities because they know their strengths, their method of work, and their values" (Managing Oneself, p.32, Harvard Business Review Classics).
What you learn in college (major, experiences, values, etc.) may be applicable in many industries. When Satyan Devadoss was a mathematics professor at Williams College (MA), he created this compilation graphic to demonstrate the impact of a major on a career based on 15,000+ Williams College alums.
So, learn to trust God with his calling on your life.
5. Once you've identified potential careers, take 5-15 minutes to interview someone currently in that industry. Send an email, visit their workplace, or speak with them at a community gathering. Simply ask them about their education, the awesomeness of their job, and the things they wish they didn't have to do. You can also visit CareerVillage to ask current professionals your questions.
Zits by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman