SELF-DISCOVERY: FIRST STEP ON YOUR CAREER PATH
By Carol Stanton, CGS Career Counselor

     "My father majored in history, so I'm going to major in history."  "My roommate thinks public relations is a good field, so I think I'll try that."  Did you ever realize that some people put more time into choosing the right computer or a new car than they do into making their career choice or major? 

Self-Assessment. In order to make a good choice in a major or a career direction, it helps to spend time taking a personal inventory of your interests, values, beliefs, skills and personality type.  Self-discovery can be fun and perhaps one of the most useful research projects you'll ever do.  There are many resources to help you accomplish it, from websites and books, to career counseling.

Websites.
If you want to go the "do it yourself" route, there are a number of self-discovery websites that provide self-assessment exercises, such as the Career Key
at www.careerkey.org/english or the Discover program on the Pitt Career Services website's (www.careers.pitt.edu ) Cyber Career Counselor section.

Strong Interest Inventory.
There are also assessment tools given through the CGS Career Services office, such as the Strong Interest Inventory.  This inventory assesses your interests in six different categories:  Realistic, Conventional, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Investigative.  Your interests are compared to the interests of people in over one hundred different occupations.  This can be particularly helpful as a springboard to discovering and beginning to explore various careers.  In discussing the results of the Strong with their career counselor, students often identify career options that they hadn't considered before.  Or, sometimes, it will validate a direction that they were already thinking of pursuing.

Myers-Briggs.
Another valuable exercise available through the CGS Career Services office is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator.  This measures your "type" on the introverted/extraverted scale and three other areas.  This can be quite useful in considering career options.  For instance, if you are an introvert, you may not be very happy in extraverted kinds of occupations such as sales.  Or, if you're more extraverted, you probably wouldn't enjoy a job where you work alone, such as research.  An excellent book on this subject is Gifts Differing by Isabel Briggs-Myers.

Books.
Understanding your type can also be accessed through the Keirsey Temperment Sorter that can be found through the website (www.keirsey.com ) or the book Please Understand Me by David Keirsey.  Like the Myers-Briggs, this instrument looks at sixteen different character types and shows how it can be applied to your life.
Another fascinating book that looks at the relationship between personality type and career is Do What You Are by Paul Tieger and Barbara Barron-Tieger.  In this book, they discuss occupations for each of the different types, as well as case examples of people representing each of the types and how they made their career choices.
There are many books that have information and exercises on career decision-making and self-assessment.  Most job search books, such as What Color Is Your Parachute, have sections on self-discovery. 

Career Libraries.
There is a career reference library in the McCarl Center in CGS, one in the Career Services office on the 2nd floor of the William Pitt Union, and a Job Center at the Carnegie Public Library, where you may check out books with a library card. All of these libraries have a wide array of books on self-discovery.  Also, large bookstores, such as Barnes and Noble, feature sections on self-help and careers.

Values.
This is another important area of self-assessment. Values underlie many of the choices that we make in life.  For instance, which of the following are most important to you:  creativity, security, freedom, money, helping others, power, fame, or intellectual fulfillment?  If money is very important, you would probably not be able to feel happy in a career such as social work.  If helping others is important, then a career in social work may suit your values.

Skills.
An area of self-assessment that can be difficult to look at on your own is skills assessment.  What are your work skills?  What skills are needed for the career of your choice?  How can you obtain these skills?  Classes?  Internships? On-the-job training?

New possibilities.
In doing research or talking to people about career choices, you may find that some of your beliefs are challenged.  For example, if you have always thought of yourself as a "science person" even though you don't enjoy science classes as much as you used to, it may be hard to give up that self-concept.   However, through the process of self-discovery, you may find that there are other areas that interest you now that you may not have considered before.  Be open to these possibilities.

Classes or Volunteer Work.
Another way to learn more about yourself is to take a course or do some volunteer work in an area that you may be interested in.  By learning more about a subject or doing some hands-on experience, you may discover an interest or talent that you didn't know you had.  Pay attention to those subjects that have you staying up late at night studying or thinking about. Go where your passions are.

Travel is also an interesting way of discovering yourself.  It's not only what you find in your travels, but also how you cope with different circumstances, that can give you valuable information about who you are and what your strengths and weaknesses are.  Even spending time in nature is a good way to get in touch with yourself and tune in to all the aspects of you that may get lost in the hustle-bustle of the rest of the year.

If you need help with self-discovery or any aspect of the career planning process, please contact Carol Stanton, CGS Career Counselor at (412) 624-1689.