Choosing a career path, at times, may seem like a giant leap to some future college

students — one that can appear daunting and overwhelming. Students can figure out
which direction to take by answering simple questions.
Let’s look at the 10 biggest things to keep in my mind when looking past college to
enter the real world.
1. Your passion and skills
What do you love to do? What would you do for free and still be happy? Your career
may not ultimately be a perfect match to what you come up with, but daydream for a
bit and then write down the biggest reasons you get up in the morning. What inspires
you? What drives you? After you write that initial list, do you see any links in
common?
Furthermore, take a minute and write down your top skills (writing, mathematics,
computer coding, etc.). Do you see any connections that jump out between the two
lists? If you do, you might be well on your way down your career path.
2. Your personality
Equally important to knowing what you love and what you are good at is knowing
what makes you you.
If you are a people person, it would probably not be a good idea for you to run a
library. If you are more of an introvert, you may not want to get into the field of
customer service or hospitality.
In addition to writing down a list of your main personality traits, take some time to
use the Interest Finder on NCCareers.org to gain even more insight into this
dynamic. You can use your CFNC user ID and password to log in and save
assessments on your personal CFNC Dashboard. Another great free online
personality test is 16 Personalities.
3. Your goals
What do you want out of your career the most? Is having a high salary the biggest
motivator or is a solid work-life balance your North Star? Do you want to travel the
world or work remotely with ease from your kitchen table? Do you want to live in the
heart of a major city in an apartment or in a more rural setting on a big plot of land?
Where do you see yourself five, 10, or 20 years down the road?
Before you begin searching for your possible careers, you need to start plotting out
what your future could look like. Write up a list of what is most important to you. This
is where creating a vision board could also come in handy to help you begin to hone
in on the pillars of your potential career.
4. Your values
What do you value the most when it comes to finding a career? Just as you need to
start thinking about your goals, you need to determine what values will help propel
you to those goals. It may be handy to keep your list of personality traits nearby for
this exercise because many of them may be connected to your values.
What type of work culture or leadership structure do you think you would thrive in?
Are there any “deal breakers” that arise from your personal convictions? Many of
these answers may take years to reveal themselves, but some may be easier to see
than others.
For those who love to read, several books have been written on the subject, such as
“In Search of Values: 31 Strategies for Finding Out What Really Matters Most to
You” by Sidney B. Simon.
5. Your options
Now that you have a better idea of what your ideal job may look like, it is time to see
what occupations are out there. A great place to start is the “Explore Occupations”
tab on the NCCareers.org site. Search for careers out of close to 800 job titles. You
can also browse by the fastest growing jobs in North Carolina; or filter and sort
results by a range of options. If you are not ready to type in an exact occupation, you
can also click on the “Career Cluster” to look at jobs for an entire industry. Write
down the job titles that interest you the most. You can save career clusters in your
CFNC Account as well.
Furthermore, not everyone is cut out for the traditional 9 to 5 working arrangement in
which you report to a traditional supervisor. After looking over occupations, you can
check out if you’re best suited to start your own business by using the Small
Business/Entrepreneur Readiness Survey found under the “Be Your Own Boss” tab
under “Find My Interests” on NCCareers.org.
6. Your potential salary
You have a list of possible occupations. Great! It is now time to get an idea of what
the salary ranges of those possible careers could be — because rent and bills will
not pay themselves. A good starting point is the “Salary Range” filter under the
“Explore Occupations tab” on NCCareers.org.
For a more in-depth look at current and previous salaries for given occupations, try
other online resources such as Salary.com, Glassdoor, or PayScale. Write down the
given salary ranges of each position — and search by the desired location of where
you want to live — to get a better feel for how much certain professions pay in
relation to the overall cost of living in that particular region of the country.
7. Your job prospects and outlooks
Along with passion, you must also factor in practicality — as in what jobs are dying
off and which ones are projected to surge in terms of popularity and necessity to
meet the needs of our changing world.
Although we cannot stare into a crystal ball for insight into occupations 10 years
down the road, there are tools available to help glean a better idea of the fastest-
growing and most in-demand careers. One of those resources is the Occupational
Outlook Handbook by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics . This site can also serve as
a good guide for salary projections.
8. Your educational costs and training
Simply put, no two occupations are the same when it comes to the amount of
education and training needed. Some require graduate school. Some require
internships. Some professions, such as becoming a doctor, require logging in a
certain number of hours as a resident.
As you continue to whittle down your list of possible occupations, know how much
schooling and training will be necessary for you to obtain a certain profession. That
will help you begin to create a rough timeline in your mind of when you can go from
student to practitioner — and determine the possible costs of those educational
paths as you start planning for college and managing your finances. The
Occupational Outlook Handbook’s “Field of Degree ” page is a great starting point.
9. Your resources at home and school
It also pays to seek out a traditional in-person third party, such as a school
counselor. In addition to providing you with resources to help you select the next
step in your higher education path, a counselor can also help you envision your
career path. In addition, several high schools in North Carolina have NC Career
Coaches, which serve as ambassadors to nearby community colleges, and College
Advisors, which is part of the College Advising Corps.
Lastly, you can always sit down with a parent or family member — especially if he or
she is in a profession that is of interest to you. Even if they are not, there is a good
chance that they might know someone who is — and could possibly set up an
informational interview (see below).
10. Your learning opportunities
One of the best ways to get a feel for a particular occupation is to set up an
informational interview with a person from that industry. Reach out to someone via
email to set up 15 minutes to talk either by phone, Zoom, or, if local, in-person for a
cup of coffee.
Prepare a brief list of questions to ask, with the last question being “How can I help
you?” Ask who else you should contact. Follow up with a thank-you note, and, before
long, you will be well on your way to learning about the art of networking as you
continue to progress down your career path.
Order
1. Give introduction of myself and academic life.
2. Questions
3. What I am here to talk abut
4. Explain process of registering for ug and admissions, Scholarships
5. How to stay on track and focused
6. University Life; Explain my field of study and career path. Give insight on the
technical/engineering field.
7. Life after university
8. -Life planning; financially, legal documents etc (ID, license, degrees,) etc
Questions to ask
1. How many of you have looked into tertiary education? (University of Guyana, CPCE,
Carnegie School of Home Economics, GTI)

For those who just finished CSEC, ask if they have their next move figured out, if they have ug
as an option.
For those who have not started their CSEC year, ask if they know what stream they want or how
many subjects they plan on writing, if they know what subjects are the most important.

Website; uog.edu.gy “FIND YOUR MAJOR”