SDV 100

 “Funded by a U.S. Department of Labor ETA grant award. This announcement is the creation of the grantee and does not necessarily reflect the official position of the USDOL.”

 Your work is your livelihood! It is how you support yourself & family!  Adults spend more time at work than any other endeavor (possible exception – sleep)  Will you “Live to Work” or “Work to Live”

 Recent National Association of Colleges and Employers survey of over 1,300 college students:  66% -chose a major based on career interests  12% -just sort of drifted into their major  9% -other such as inspiration from teacher  7% -based on perceived earning potential  6% -following advice of family & friends

 Learning about yourself. You are the best expert on “you.” Spend some time and effort engaging in some “self-discovery.”  Many different exercises, inventories, and assessments out there to help you discover – just -- “who am I?”  Unfortunately, lots of misleading information out there about career choice.

 Myth #1 –There is only (one) perfect job for me.  Fact: There are probably many different careers that each include very similar interests, skills, values, and workplace environments that would satisfy your career goals.  You would probably be happy & successful in most of them!

 Fact: Unless you enter a vocation that requires very specific technical skills such as engineering, architecture, or accounting:  One major -- can lead to many different careers.  One career -- can be reached through many different majors and career paths.

 Fact: You may have as many as (5-10) different careers/occupations in your working lifetime.  You will be required to constantly re-evaluate your career path as the marketplace and your life’s goals and needs change over time.

 Fact: These majors include many transferable skills such as interpersonal communication, reading, writing, critical thinking, and research.  All of these skills are important and highly valued in most of today’s careers.  But, be aware that you may have to do post- graduate work to move into specific areas (MBA in Business).

 Fact: Some students do, but the majority do not.  Average student changes majors between two and five times during their college career.  Research indicates that students with declared majors entering college change more often than students who enter college as undecided.

 Community colleges charge by the credit hour, so investigation can be expensive.  If changing your major results in adding another year to your college career, it could be expensive - extra $45, cost (extra colleges expenses, plus a lost year of salary).  Some colleges and universities are even beginning to add a surcharge to tuition costs when students exceed 130% of the credits it takes to complete the degree.

 Fact: Most people benefit greatly from some career and personal exploration.  The more information that you gather about yourself and possible career paths, the more likely you will be to make a wise career decision.

 Fact: They don’t! And, in fact much of what we think we know about careers is often based on stereotypes and incomplete, or incorrect information.  As you learn more about yourself, and explore various career possibilities, you can get a much more accurate picture about what might be the best choice(s) for you.

 Fact: Unfortunately --- No!  Assessments can provide very helpful information about you and possible career options.  But no test, assessment, or inventory can provide the perfect match for you!  But it is very helpful and most really benefit from exploration about both yourself and potential careers!

 Fact: Probably not.  That could be risky because skills are just one of several factors to consider.  Other important factors for consideration include values, interests, passions, and preferred work environments, just to name a few.

 Fact: Job market trends should not be the only factor you consider.  The job market fluctuates constantly - through ongoing frictional unemployment such as retirements, workers changing jobs, and changing markets.  There will always be some openings for “good employees.”

 As you work with a Career Advisor you can investigate and determine the following:  Who Am I? (Career Assessments)  Where Am I Going? (Occupational and Career Info.)  How Do I Get There? (Career Tools)

 Comprehensive Career & Career Planning website (Walmart of Career Exploration)  Located on the NRCC Home Page  Free for Students & Public  All NRCC students have an account  Log in with you SIS student log-in & password

 Three Assessments - Skills, Interests, & Work Values  Research specific occupations & career clusters  Research occupations in demand  Research top employers in region  Research beginning & median salaries

 Determine aligned majors & applicable Va. Colleges  Determine college costs  Prepare for college admission & attendance  Find and apply for financial aid  Build resumes and prepare for interviews  Veterans Crosswalk (Aligns military jobs/skills to civilian jobs/careers)

 Birds of a feather flock together!  People generally like to be around and work with others who have similar personalities (skills, interests, & values).  Common personalities working together create work environments with the same general personality.  Individuals whose personalities are congruent with the personality of the work environment are generally happier and more successful.  Individuals and work environments can be classified into one of six different personalities.  Classifications: Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, & Conventional.  People are generally “blends” of the six different classifications.

 Virginia Career View: (Research careers, career clusters and schools)  Occupational Outlook Handbook : (Research occupations, pay, & current outlook)  Onet Online: (Research occupations, career clusters, & current outlook)  Virginia Workforce Connection: (Job & labor market information & job seeking skills) Virginia Workforce Connection - VaWorkConnect.comVirginia Workforce Connection - VaWorkConnect.com  Monster College: (Research occupations, pay, & major to career converter)

 University of California, Berkley. Top 10 Career Myths. Retrieved from sbd.stm