The process of deciding a career is not accomplished overnight. It takes time and can be complex. To facilitate an informed career decision, it is helpful to:

• Begin the career decision-making process early, but understand a choice is "tentative,"
• Focus on identifying career groupings, clusters, or fields rather than one specific job,
• Develop sufficient self-awareness and self-understanding,
• Initiate a thorough investigation of careers and occupational information,
• Discover the "common ground" between self and career, and
• Develop a plan that can lead to the chosen career path.

Step One: Self-Assessment and Understanding

A good career choice begins when one establishes his/her individual career parameters. This step begins with a heightened awareness and understanding of one's beliefs, interests, work values, needs, ambitions, lifestyle, and skills.

Questions for the student to consider include:

• What have I done well and enjoyed in the past? (Skills, Interests)
• What type of work setting best interests me? (Interests)
• What components are most important for me to have in my work experience--high income? Team environment? Creativity? Structure? (Work values)
• What type of worker am I? (Lifestyle, Personality Traits)
• What type of work will I consider to be fulfilling? (Values)

How to Get Started: Counseling is the backbone of the career decision-making process. Counselors can use assessments, workshops, interviews, websites, computer-assisted career guidance programs, and group procedures to assist the student in gathering information on "self." A good counselor enables a student to take data, turn it into information, and move the student to action.

Step Two: Understanding of Careers and the World of Work

Effective exploration of career fields and job characteristics can help the student develop a realistic perspective on a career cluster. Encourage a thorough investigation!

Questions for the student to consider include:

• What duties are involved in a career?
• What types of careers will allow me to utilize my skills?
• Which careers provide opportunities for creativity, teamwork, variety, or other values of mine?
• What types of careers provide opportunities to work with people I enjoy?
• What opportunities exist for advancement?

How to Get Started: School media specialists can link a student with a wide variety of books and websites. Computer-assisted career guidance systems (CAGS), such as SCOIS, can assist in students gaining valuable labor market information on careers in South Carolina and the nation. Shadowing programs can match a professional employed in a career field with a student.

Step Three: Choosing a Career Path

This step involves synthesizing all accumulated information gathered about self in Step One with the information on the career in Step Two. An effective choice is made when the student determines the "common ground" between self and career(s).

Questions for the student to consider include:

• What match exists between the characteristics of this career and my traits and characteristics? Will the career be fulfilling?
• Do the "pluses" of this career outweigh the "minuses"?
• Will selection of this career necessitate that I make compromises with which I am comfortable? Can I handle the stress involved in this career?
• Am I capable of being successful in this career field?
• Can I explain this choice to my family even if it is not the career they want for me?

How to Get Started: These questions are less difficult when approached with a guidance counselor. A counseling appointment can encourage the student to discuss options with a counselor who is trained to facilitate decision-making while minimizing stress and building a student’s confidence. Don’t forget the insight a mentor can provide!

Step Four: Establishing a Plan to Enter the Career

Achieving an initial career goal involves being aware of academic and career options and taking steps to secure employment in the career field.

Questions for the student to consider include:

• What opportunities exist for me to gain experience in this field prior to graduation - internships, co-op jobs, service learning, or apprenticeships?
• What employers offer jobs matching my qualifications in this career field?
• Will I need to attend a two- or four-year college to achieve my goal?
• What additional courses might I need to prepare me for entrance into this field? Can clubs and organizations help me build other skills?
• What skill improvement is needed to enhance my employability – computer skills, language skills, motivation, interpersonal skills, or promptness?
• Have I developed the job search skills needed?

How to Get Started: Encourage action! Nothing beats work experience! Time spent in the work environment will allow one to realistically investigate "the match." See if the environment and work "culture" matches the student’s personality. Create resources that can help your students make a smooth transition from school to work. Develop workshops on resume writing, job search, and interviewing skills.