Career
Pathways
Assessments
FIND YOUR CAREER
What Do You Want to Do?
Find a Career that's Right for You
Your first step is to find a career that matches your skills, interests, and values. You don't want a career that you hate. Let's find something you enjoy that fits your strengths.
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Identify Your Skills & Interests
You have a lot to think about. You have all the potential in the world, and you get to take your first steps toward your career. While planning your career may seem daunting, it doesn't need to be stressful. By chunking the process down, you can take smaller steps to consider each step and make good decisions.
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The first thing to consider is what you like to do and what you're good at. Be sure to keep an open mind. For example:
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What are your favorite classes in school?
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What outside activities do you enjoy?
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What are you passionate about?
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What is your lifestyle like?
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What goals do you have?
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Brainstorm some answers and jot down some ideas. It will help to move through the next parts.
Career Assessments Help
Assessments are tools that ask questions to help you learn about yourself. They help explore options...then YOU make the decision about what to do.
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What Does an Assessment Do?
Assessments can identify strengths, skills, interests, values, or other traits as they match a list of careers. Assessments help you find careers that fit you.
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What Can an Assessment Tells You?
Assessments might tell you what you already know - which will CONFIRM your thoughts.
They may help you consider different careers you haven't considered.
They may introduce you to perspectives you haven't considered. So...keep an open mind.
Assessments can help you:
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Understand your strengths (or weaknesses).
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Find out about specific occupations that are a good match for your unique blend of skills.
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Learn where your skills fall short.
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Decide whether you need more training.
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Write a more meaningful resume or cover letter.
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Reflect on where you want to take your career and where you want your career to take you..
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What Won't an Assessment Tell You?
Assessments won't tell you what to do or what will make you happy. You are in charge of that. Your future boss, company, and coworkers depend on you making good choices.
Pause...
If you already know what you want to do...
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...you do not need to take an assessment. Go with what your interests are. After all - you know what you want, so go ahead and pursue your passion. Besides, if you know what you want, chances are you will skew the results to create the outcome you want.
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If you want to take the assessment "just to see" what it says, go ahead. Just remember that the assessment outcome should not supersede your passion.
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We will discuss pathways to prepare for your career shortly. Just know that if you have a career interest in sight, there is a way to get there.
Complete an Assessment
There are several career interest assessments available.
It's good to evaluate your interests if you are unsure of what you want to do. Below are a few to choose from. You may select one or complete more than one.
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Explore your interests and career clusters that match.
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Student Interest Survey for Career Clusters
A pencil and paper approach to career interest surveys. Available in English and Spanish.
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A great place to start is to get signed up through WorkSource - the Washington State Workforce Council resource to help you navigate your career.
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Another resource to evaluate your career interest comes from the Department of Labor. Check out their tool to assist in exploring careers that may interest you.
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Not sure what you're interested in? Begin with a career interest assessment. This one from O*NET is a widely used interest profiler that has helped millions of students explore their career interests.
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Check out the CareerOneStop tool to evaluate your skills and match them with your career interests. It's worth a look to see what you do well and how you can match it with a career.
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Check out the CareerOneStop tool to evaluate your work values and match them with your career interests. It's worth a look to see what you do well and how you can match it with a career.
COMPARING CAREER STRATEGIES
Let's compare two different approaches to career strategies. One is a more "traditional" approach. Another is thinking it through with you having control of the outcomes.