Planful Career Decision Making

Jim Peacock, Director of the Advising , Career, and Transfer

(ACT) CenterKennebec Valley Community College

Identify the three steps of “Planful Career Decision Making”

Identify personal preferences and skills utilizing the Holland tool

Apply the Holland types to career selection

Utilize career related web resources to research information related to career choice

Identify career related resources at KVCC

Learning Outcomes

THE Common Question

What do you want to be when you grow up?

*this is the wrong question

Here is a better question…

What occupation do I want to do for the next 5 to 10 years?

Steps in Planful Decision Making

Planful Decision Making1. Learn About Yourself (interest, temperament, values)2. Quality Research (using quality resources) how these traits match with occupations.

a) Readb) Watchc) Talkd) Take a classe) Volunteer or work in

3. Make a Plan

Step 1

Learn about yourself Holland Interest Assessment

The most used theory for Interests A very simple assessment can be found

on KVCC career website www.kvcc.me.edu/career

Go to “How to Choose A Major at KVCC” link

What is your TOP Holland code? Do you have two that are most like you?

Holland Interest

NOTE: this simple assessment is for those people who want to major at KV.

If you would like an Interest Assessment that is includes other majors / occupations, consider taking the Career Decision Making at KVCC1 creditPass/ Fail classCdM 010 on the schedule

See Jim Peacock

Holland Codes

Realistic - work with hands, tools, equipment and see tangible results; prefer to work alone

Investigative - work with science, math, abstract thinking, ideas; prefer to work alone

Artistic - work with art, music, words to express self creatively; like to entertain

Holland Codes

Social - work face-to-face with people to help, teach, counsel; high value on verbal skills

Enterprising - work face-to-face with people to sell, lead, manage; high value on influencing others

Conventional - work with data, numbers, records to keep them orderly

Step 2

Quality Research Occupational Outlook Handbook

www.bls.gov/oco Great site for occupational information. Make sure you check out the RELATED OCCUPATIONS!

America’s Career Info Net. www.careeronestop.org Has over 450 career videos; fastest growing jobs; wages, and piles of other occupational information.

Occupational Outlook Quarterly - articles www.bls.gov/opub/ooq/ooqhome.htm

O*Net. http://online.onetcenter.org Government website with tons of information regarding specific occupations.

Step 3

Make a Plan Keep it short, maybe 5 years out for

most people. Be specific as you can

Example of a specific goal / plan

By June 2015, I want to be employed by a local medical center as an emergency room nurse.

I plan to begin the Nursing program at KVCC September 2013.

I will apply to the nursing program at KVCC and complete all requirements for admissions by December 2011.

Curiosity, flexibility, risk

All the planning in the world can not replace: Curiosity to discover new opportunities The flexibility to consider something

new Risk taking attitude

Because we all have influences / obstacles in our lives that we must deal with.

Career choices are influenced by many things:

Parents Social & environmental Gender Age Interests Abilities Geography Luck / chance

CREATE OPPORTUNITY

“Unplanned events are not only inevitable, but they are desirable” Krumboltz

Get involved with an activity of interest you just might:

- meet other people w/similar interest

- maybe one of them is making a living in a related occupation

Take action

Volunteer Internships Part time job Try a class Summer jobsDO SOMETHING!

At some point…. ….you have to walk to the end of

the high board and make your best guess at what you want.

Do this AFTER you have completed quality research.

Remember: What do you want to do for the next 5-10 years? (NOT the rest of your life!)

Want more help? Take Career Decision Making CDM 010

Thank you.Jim Peacock

Advising , Career, and Transfer (ACT) Center DirectorFrye Building

Enrollment CenterRoom 107

Kennebec Valley Community CollegeFairfield, ME 04937

207-453-5082