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Now is the time to reflect upon and discover what motivates you, what your belief system is, what your perceptions are of past experiences, and what you’re good at.

Decisions made in college and thereafter depend upon your level of self-knowledge and can ultimately determine your competitiveness in the job market and the degree of career success and meaningfulness one has.

Three excellent resources to get you started in the process of learning more about yourself include FOCUS, career counseling and assessment services.

What are my interests?

One of the best ways to stay motivated in your career is to engage yourself in activities which are of interest to you.

As you begin to explore interest areas think about:

  • What classes you have enjoyed in the past
  • Contributions related to your volunteer experiences which provided a sense of purpose and enjoyment
  • Aspects of your hobbies which could transfer into a means of financial support
  • Special projects and causes you devoted a large amount of time to and enjoyed

Another way to explore your interests is to think about your preferences in the way you want to work with people, data, things, and ideas. By considering a number of these areas, you will be able to better determine a career which will be the best fit.

You can learn more about your interests by taking the FOCUS career assessment tests. Focus can help evaluate your work interests, leisure interests, skills, personality, and values and finds career paths based on these aspects. 

To learn more about your interest areas complete the Interest Checklist (Word). 

What does my personality have to do with my career?

When making significant career or education decisions, it is important to recognize a few key characteristics about your personality so you can make choices well suited for you. Not sure about what your personality traits are? You can begin discovering your unique personality traits by considering:

  • Your communication preferences
  • Level of energy
  • Interaction styles
  • Level of curiosity
  • Approach to decision making
  • View of the world and much more

These factors provide a good indication of potential majors and careers to pursue.

To learn more about your personality, complete the Personality Checklist (Word). 

Do my values matter?

Taking time to identify and understand what is important to you in a career will increase your chances of a satisfying future. Your values are the principles you use to determine how much something means to you. As you begin to define your values you should consider:

  • What your general beliefs are
  • What guides your decision making
  • What your world view is and much more

Another important part of understanding your values is being able to create balance between your personal and career values. Sometimes your personal and career values may be in harmony, and other times, you may have to make a value adjustment.

To learn more about your personal and career values complete the Values Checklist (Word). 

What are my skills?

A skill is a talent you have acquired from your educational, work, and life experiences. The more you know about what you can do, the better you’ll be able to decide on a degree or a career path. You will need to evaluate the skills you currently possess or want to develop. Taking time to review your experiences will help you identify acquired skills you find enjoyable. This information can be used to guide you in exploring various career paths.

To learn more about your skills, complete the Skills Checklist (Word).

Tools for Who Am I?

Additional Resources