Four Steps to Your Career Goal

Step 1: Self Discovery

Selecting a career path and major are two of the most important decisions you will make as a Kent State student.  Begin by taking a closer look at your skills, interests, and values with the assessments below, then meet with a career expert who can interpret your results!

What are my INTERESTS?

Interests are the things you enjoy. What types of activities do you have fun doing?  Do they involve working with data, people or things?  Some of our interests are reflected in our hobbies and social activities. Most people who enjoy their work have some invested interest in the activities they perform. Don't ignore your interests, they will likely be critical to your future career satisfaction.  To help you find out what your interests are:

• Take the Interest Inventory in MyPlan
• Complete the Self-Directed Search at the Career Services Center

What are my VALUES?

What is most important to you?  We all need to make money, but what keeps you motivated to work hard? Is it making a contribution to your community? Providing leadership? Having job security? There are no "right" answers, just preferences. Remember, people who pursue careers that are in line with their values tend to be more satisfied and successful. To help you learn more about what is important to you in a job:

• Take the Values Assessment in MyPlan
• Complete the Work Values exercise in Collage: A Kent State to Career Portfolio 
• Complete the Imagine Your Future Workday exercise in the Career Exploration section of Collage: A Kent State to Career Portfolio to understand your preferred work environment.
• Take the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator at the Career Services Center 

What are my SKILLS?

Skills are your abilities, talents, and strengths. Organizing, speaking, writing, planning, and problem-solving are all examples of skills. Examining your experiences and discovering what you do well is an important part of career decision making. To help you understand your strengths and weaknesses:

• Take the Skills Profiler in MyPlan
• Complete the Skills exercise in Collage: Kent State to Career Portfolio

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