INTERESTS Welcome to Step 1: Identifying Interests   This represents the first step of a five part career planning process; Many people believe that the best way to plan their career is to see what's available and make choices based on the available options.  It's a very similar approach to walking into an "all-you-can-eat" buffet and selecting from the available options.  But what if you don't like what's on the menu?   Fortunately, there is a  better approach to planning your career and understanding your interests is a key component. INTERESTS

INTERESTS What do you want?   As was stated at the onset, you should not limit your career by selecting from what's available in your local job market.  The economy and labour market conditions fluctuate so frequently that the "hot" jobs right now may provide no opportunities in a year's time.  The key to longevity in a career is to focus on what you want and what you are good at. Build your career around those principles. INTERESTS

INTERESTS So, what do you want?  Get a piece of paper and make a list of absolutely everything  you want.  (If you are stuck, try selecting some words from the list on the right).   This is a vital part of your career plan! If you can't articulate what you want, you will not be able to formulate a career goal nor the plan to get you there. So please take some time and list some of your wants before going any further in this module.  “Wants” Happiness Wealth Purpose Fame Balance Admiration Freedom Power Luxury Adventure Expertise Help Others Inner Peace Health Safety Security Love Respect Friendship A new ______ INTERESTS

INTERESTS What are your interests?   As with your wants, your interests are unique to you.  Your interests will be the primary guides to helping you narrow down what types of jobs you may enjoy and are the best fit for you. Do you want to be part of that statistic? Before you go any further, please take some time and make a list of things that interest you.  They don't have to be in any particular order and they don’t have to be career-related. INTERESTS

INTERESTS Other things you may want to consider: In addition to your wants and interests there are other things you may want to discover about yourself.   Personality Why are you interested in certain things and not others?  It may have to do with your personality preferences.  Knowing your preferences can provide powerful insight as to what careers may be best suited for a person given their interests and personality preferences. Motivation What motivates you to pursue your goals? What pushes you to continue in the face of adversity? By understanding and developing motivational supports is key to achieving one's goals.  INTERESTS

INTERESTS Self-assessment Resources  Here is a list of resources you can explore that may help you to achieve a better understanding of who you are and what you want to accomplish in your career.   http://personalitydimensions.com/ http://youth.gc.ca/ http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes2.asp http://similarminds.com/personality_tests.html Make sure you discuss your interests and goals for the future with your friends and family.  They may be able to add information you may have omitted and they will be your support team for attaining those goals. Wondering how you can use all this information? This is the next (and final) part of this module. INTERESTS

INTERESTS What do I do with this information? Hopefully you took some time to write down some of your wants and interests.  If you haven't, you won't derive the full benefit of your career plan.   Those exercises are designed to get you actively involved in your future.  No professional career counsellor, teacher or parent should select a career they feel you should pursue.  They can be helpful as guides to assist you in the decision-making process but ultimately, this is YOUR decision. A self-assessment is not a quick, nor an easy process.  It evolves over time. Your interests will also evolve over time and your career should adapt to accommodate those changes. The more you understand about what makes you tick, the better prepared you will be to make your career (and your life) work in your favour. The information you are gathering will be used in the next step of your career plan. INTERESTS

INTERESTS Putting it all Together  The main objective of this module is to encourage you to begin a self-assessment.   Your career is an extension of you.  It should add value to your life by giving you a sense of fulfillment, provide an income for you to survive and enjoy other aspects of your life, give you a social outlet to meet people and to allow you to learn new skills. Your job should not be a source of stress and unhappiness!  Good career management requires a person to do a self-assessment at numerous points in their career.  Especially when a job begins to become less satisfying.  This makes sense because as you learn new things and have new experiences, you begin to want new things and seek to challenge yourself in different ways. People who don't begin to suffer from "burn-out". INTERESTS

Need more information? INTERESTS Check out some of the additional resources available to help you navigate through this step including activities, additional website resources, and a workbook at: INTERESTS

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