Pathway to Sagehen Career Journey

Your career journey STARTS HERE!

Determining which career path is right for you is not always easy. You have to put many pieces together to create the whole picture of what you want to do. And sometimes it generates more questions than answers…

The Sagehen Career Journey provides a 5-step process that can help you create an action-plan!

Below are the five steps. Take a look at them, figure out where you are and what assistance you might need.

Then, make an appointment with a CDO Advisor to talk about your specific needs and set your goals. If you have already worked through some of the steps, let us help you wherever you are. Additionally, this process is iterative, you can cycle through any of the steps multiple times.

What are your values? Do you know what you are interested in or what skills you have? What kinds of activities do you prefer to do and in what type of environment? Have you identified how your skills and interests might intersect? Self-assessment is critical to a fulfilling career journey and these are some of the questions that you need to answer to begin thinking about your career choices. Focus 2 is a useful resource for exploring these key questions. Learn about yourself using the Self-Assessments. Discover majors and occupations that match your personal attributes.

FOCUS 2

Now that you have given thorough thought to who you are, it’s time to discover what’s out there. You know your skills, what you are interested in and potentially have a major in mind. Do some research on some areas that might match you in these areas – gather career-related information. Look at industries/organizations as well as job/internship titles. You might even want to check out some people in your field of interest. Here are some resources to help guide you. Remember, major DOES NOT equal career choice, so be open to all the possibilities. Below are some resources that can help you get started on your exploration process. This is just the start of resources, there are many more.

Ok, you have found some options that interest you. Do you know what you need to be successful in those fields or even what is necessary to get noticed by the decision maker? Do you need to brush up on your cover letter, résumé, or personal statement writing skills or have your documents reviewed? Do you know how to conduct either an informational interview or interview for a position? Or are there specific skills you need for a role like research, technical, or language skills, data analysis, certifications or leadership skills that you need to develop? The list can be long, but you need to know what is necessary for you to be a viable candidate for a position and then obtain those skills.

Additionally, the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) has developed a “Competencies for a Career-Ready Workforce” which is comprised of eight core competencies that will prepare you for the world of work. Look at these and see if you are career-ready. If not, start working on these skills. (link button goes to our NACE & the Liberal Arts resource after it is published)

Your SKills at Work

With skills under your belt, it’s time to act. Create an action plan and get to work on it. You should be actively applying for opportunities, conducting informational interviews, networking, and getting experience in your area(s) of choice. This step is crucial in moving toward your career goals.

As a result of what you have done, what have you learned? Think about what went well, what didn’t. Did you find something you enjoyed and want more experiences like that or just the opposite? What should you improve upon or completely set aside? Use what you learned about this whole process to reflect on where you are. If you are not where you want to be, recalibrate, go back to the steps you need to adjust, and get moving again with the new information you have. This process isn’t  “one and done.” It’s “rinse and repeat as needed.”