How can students have a clearer vision of the career path they want to pursue?

Answer 1

Students need to learn themselves in order to know that clear path. Learning to listen to yourself and not what everyone else says has a major affect on the outcome.

Sometimes the student needs trial and error before determining their career path. If one major doesn't feel right, maybe the next one will.

Answer 2

If students want a clearer vision of the career paths they want to pursue, the first thing they need to do is be realistic.
Just because they are interested in Topic A today, doesn't mean they will be interested in it tomorrow. Is this something they can focus on long term? Most students choose a subject because the ends appear to justify the work they have to do to obtain it. However, once the reality sets in, a sense of overwhelment or boredom can make the ends seem ridiculous for the amount of work required.

As an example: When I started college, out of ten of my close friends seven were engineering majors. They all wanted to make "big bucks" in a stable career. However, once the classload, the cost of studies, the internships and the extracurricular activities were assigned to them, only two were able to finish and obtain degrees in an engineering field.

Recognizing one's own reality is the first step in determining what kind of future will be worth pursuing.

Answer 3

By taking advantage of all the resources out there available to you. Many of them are listed in the answers posted by others. The most important thing, however, is creating a plan and strategy that will help you move along your path at the same time you define it. You can do one or all of the things below, but the better you plan and use your resources, the more successful you'll be.

- Visit your career services center now.
Take advantage of personality and interest tests to help define "possible" career paths, and then use online or print resources to research those that sound interesting. And keep using career services throughout your entire college years!

- Listen to your heart. Those things you love to do, to learn about, and to experience are your best clues to potential (and successful!) careers.

- Start getting experience as early as you can. Even if you work for free (hey, you define how many hours a week!) you're going to learn more than you could in a class alone. If you can manage to get three (or more) internships before graduation, you'll be in good shape.

- Learn the challenges to getting your dream career. Talk to alumni who are out there in the field now. Find out about competition for jobs, extra schooling, the pros and the cons to decide if it's worth it.

- Don't let money or an abundance of jobs in a particular field lead you down the wrong path. People have followed unusual and "not practical" career paths and succeeded both in happiness and money. They had passion and drive to succeed and to do anything it took to get that dream job.

Good luck to you!

Michelle Watson Gellas

Answer 4

I think it is important to think of what you want from your entire career, not just your first job. Do you want to be a manager? Would you like to own your own business? Do you want to be the guru or expert in your field? Do you want to work only enough to get by and do other things with the rest of your time? Understanding how far you want to go will help you know how much education you will need.

Often, the more pressing issue is trying to figure out where you should go for college, or what you should major in. I suggest giving yourself until the very beginning of your senior year in high school before committing to anything. Use the time you have before then to explore the opportunities available in all of your interests. If you can get a summer job, an internship, or even just several conversations with people in the fields you are interested in, you will gain a lot of perspective. Be sure to keep in mind the level of compensation that is realistic for jobs in your field. A good resource for this is career websites where you can search for jobs. This will also point out if your job is limited in geographic areas. If you REALLY want to live in, say, Indiana, you should know what opportunities are out there.

Once Senior year starts, you have to pick colleges to apply to. If you are still very undecided, you should make sure that your choices can accommodate any of your possible career paths. One warning - sometimes those huge books of college information are not completely up to date. You should contact the Admissions office of any prospective colleges to make sure that they really offer the programs you are interested in.

While you are in school, pay close attention to how much you like the courses related to your main course of study. Sometimes, people find out that they are more exited by the subject in a random elective, and they switch majors to pursue this new course. If you are going to do that, do it early, so you have a better chance of getting out on time.

Internships over the summer should be related to your major. Not only does this give you a better resume when it comes time to look for the "real" job after school, but it gives you a glimpse into what life will be like until you retire. Academia is very different from Work! Try not to work at the same place more than one summer, even if they want you back, because you should experience a variety of work-cultures while you have the chance.

Everyone should have the chance to love their work. Let yourself change your mind if what you set out on originally isn't turning out well. The right career is the one that motivates you to become your best person.

Answer 5

As a school counselor, I would first recommend that you visit the person like me on your campus. We have unlimited resources and are more than happy to help you find a variety of careers that interest you. We have specialized 'tests' (don't worry, these are impossible to fail) that use your answers to comply a list of possible careers you might enjoy according to your hobbies, personality, talents, social life, and abilities. Next, I would visit people who actually work in the careers you are interested in. Many schools have what is called 'job shadowing' where you follow around an employee for a day or two who already works in the field you like. Write a list of questions to ask them about their work, their likes and dislikes, how they decided to work in this area, etc. Keep an open mind. There may not be just one career that you will stay at the rest of your life, like your parents and grandparents may have done.

Answer 6

I feel that the best way to have a clearer vision of the career path is to try everything. See what you like, and what you don't. Take different classes as a freshman (in college) to see what interests you, and what makes you fall asleep.

Answer 7

Think back to how you found your career. That's a tough question. Some find their career path just by working at a job they like and therefore, moving up in that company.
Speaking in terms of college, one has to have a good idea as to what type of studies and skills are expected for a specific career. I have heard people say the word "lawyer" for example and say "yeah, I'd like to do that. Being in the legal field myself, I can tell you that law is not glamorous and you have to love it to work with it. My point is for one to truly comprehend what it is they will be studying and how it is applied. A good idea for those about to leave HS, is a selection of careers on paper and their most basic requirements and study courses. Perhaps touring companies where peope are doing the jobs they desire.

Answer 8

There are a few different approaches to this but I'll give the best I know of.

Think of the things you really like to do in your spare time. Do you like to work with your hands? Do you have a way with words? Do you have a fascination about a particular job? Write down the things that capture your attention the most. For me I have been a people watcher all of my life as well as an avid reader. I realized that I have a way with words that many don't have. I am now a freelance writer and working on my first novel.
Follow your natural inherent talents. Unless, of course, you want to be miserable in your working career.

Answer 9

Try out as many areas as you can, get jobs and internships in different areas. Volunteer in jobs that sound interesting to you, interview people who do them. Research how much schooling each requires. There are books like What Color is Your Parachute that can point you in the right direction. You can talk to school counselors that also have career placement tests which you can take. Most of all, experience what you are interested in before you spend a bunch of energy working toward it :)

Answer 10

Look at what you like to do most(hobbies). Then see the skills you have learnt over the years. Kneel down and ask Heavenly Father/God to tell you the answer. The thing u r most confident and happy with after praying is what you need to pursue. Remember our desires may not always be fulfilled. The best is what God tells us.