How can students have a clearer vision of the career path they want to pursue?

Students need to learn themselves in order to know that clear path. Learning to listen to yourself and not what everyone else says has a major affect on the outcome.





Sometimes the student needs trial and error before determining their career path. If one major doesn't feel right, maybe the next one will.How can students have a clearer vision of the career path they want to pursue?
I think it is important to think of what you want from your entire career, not just your first job. Do you want to be a manager? Would you like to own your own business? Do you want to be the guru or expert in your field? Do you want to work only enough to get by and do other things with the rest of your time? Understanding how far you want to go will help you know how much education you will need.





Often, the more pressing issue is trying to figure out where you should go for college, or what you should major in. I suggest giving yourself until the very beginning of your senior year in high school before committing to anything. Use the time you have before then to explore the opportunities available in all of your interests. If you can get a summer job, an internship, or even just several conversations with people in the fields you are interested in, you will gain a lot of perspective. Be sure to keep in mind the level of compensation that is realistic for jobs in your field. A good resource for this is career websites where you can search for jobs. This will also point out if your job is limited in geographic areas. If you REALLY want to live in, say, Indiana, you should know what opportunities are out there.





Once Senior year starts, you have to pick colleges to apply to. If you are still very undecided, you should make sure that your choices can accommodate any of your possible career paths. One warning - sometimes those huge books of college information are not completely up to date. You should contact the Admissions office of any prospective colleges to make sure that they really offer the programs you are interested in.





While you are in school, pay close attention to how much you like the courses related to your main course of study. Sometimes, people find out that they are more exited by the subject in a random elective, and they switch majors to pursue this new course. If you are going to do that, do it early, so you have a better chance of getting out on time.





Internships over the summer should be related to your major. Not only does this give you a better resume when it comes time to look for the ';real'; job after school, but it gives you a glimpse into what life will be like until you retire. Academia is very different from Work! Try not to work at the same place more than one summer, even if they want you back, because you should experience a variety of work-cultures while you have the chance.





Everyone should have the chance to love their work. Let yourself change your mind if what you set out on originally isn't turning out well. The right career is the one that motivates you to become your best person.How can students have a clearer vision of the career path they want to pursue?
As a school counselor, I would first recommend that you visit the person like me on your campus. We have unlimited resources and are more than happy to help you find a variety of careers that interest you. We have specialized 'tests' (don't worry, these are impossible to fail) that use your answers to comply a list of possible careers you might enjoy according to your hobbies, personality, talents, social life, and abilities. Next, I would visit people who actually work in the careers you are interested in. Many schools have what is called 'job shadowing' where you follow around an employee for a day or two who already works in the field you like. Write a list of questions to ask them about their work, their likes and dislikes, how they decided to work in this area, etc. Keep an open mind. There may not be just one career that you will stay at the rest of your life, like your parents and grandparents may have done.
Try out as many areas as you can, get jobs and internships in different areas. Volunteer in jobs that sound interesting to you, interview people who do them. Research how much schooling each requires. There are books like What Color is Your Parachute that can point you in the right direction. You can talk to school counselors that also have career placement tests which you can take. Most of all, experience what you are interested in before you spend a bunch of energy working toward it :)
There are a few different approaches to this but I'll give the best I know of.





Think of the things you really like to do in your spare time. Do you like to work with your hands? Do you have a way with words? Do you have a fascination about a particular job? Write down the things that capture your attention the most. For me I have been a people watcher all of my life as well as an avid reader. I realized that I have a way with words that many don't have. I am now a freelance writer and working on my first novel.


Follow your natural inherent talents. Unless, of course, you want to be miserable in your working career.
Look at what you like to do most(hobbies). Then see the skills you have learnt over the years. Kneel down and ask Heavenly Father/God to tell you the answer. The thing u r most confident and happy with after praying is what you need to pursue. Remember our desires may not always be fulfilled. The best is what God tells us.
they should pursue a field that


they like doing to limit the stress


level. good luck all.
The most important piece of advice in this article follows this sentence, so please make note of it and repeat it to yourself as often as you need as you read this article and make decisions regarding choosing a major in college. Are you ready for it? The advice: Don't panic.





I know it's easier said than done. Choosing a major, thinking about a career, getting an education -鈥?these are the things college is all about. Yes, there are some students who arrive on campus and know exactly their major and career ambitions, but the majority of students do not, thus there is no need to rush into a decision about your major as soon as you step on campus.





And guess what? A majority of students in all colleges and universities change their major at least once in their college careers; and many change their major several times over the course of their college career.





This article is all about giving you some pointers and direction -- some steps for you to take -- in your journey toward discovering that ideal career path for you. But it is a journey, so make sure you spend some time thinking about it before making a decision. And don't be discouraged if you still don't have a major the first time you take this journey...your goal should be narrowing your focus from all possible majors to a few areas that you can then explore in greater depth.





Please also keep in mind that many schools have double majors, some triple majors, and most minors as well as majors.


Which brings me to the last piece of general advice before you begin your journey: your major in college is important for your first job after graduation, but studies show that most people will change careers about four or five times over the course of their lives -鈥?and no major exists that can prepare you for that!





The first stop on your journey should be an examination or self-assessment of your interests. What types of things excite you? What types of jobs or careers appeal to you? If you are not sure, start the process at Quintessential Careers: Career Assessment. Also, many, if not all, college career centers have a variety of self-tests you can take to help you answer some of these questions.





The second stop on your journey is an examination of your abilities. What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses? What kind of skills do you have? You can begin this self-examination by looking at the courses you took in high school. What were your best subjects? Is there a pattern there? What kinds of extracurricular activities did you participate in while in high school? What kinds of things did you learn from part-time or summer jobs? While you can only do part of it now, you may want to skim through our article, Using a SWOT Analysis in Your Career Planning.





The third stop on your journey involves examining what you value in work. Examples of values include: helping society, working under pressure, group affiliation, stability, security, status, pacing, working alone or with groups, having a positive impact on others, and many others. Again, a visit to your college's career center should help. You can also check out our Workplace Values Assessment for Job-Seekers, which examines what you value in your job, your career, and your work.





The fourth stop on your journey is career exploration. The University of California at Berkeley offers Career Exploration Links 鈥?Occupations, which allows you to explore a general list of occupations or search for a specific occupation and provides links to resources that give you lots of information about the occupation(s) you choose. There are many schools that offer similar ';what can I do with a major in鈥?'; fact sheets or Websites, but one of my favorites is at Ashland University. You can also learn more about various occupations, including future trends, by searching the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Outlook Handbook. You can find all these resources -- and more -- at Quintessential Careers: Career Exploration Tools.





The fifth stop on your journey is the reality check. You need to honestly evaluate your options. Do you really value physicians and have an interest in being a doctor, but have little skills in science? Does your occupation require an advanced degree, but your future commitments preclude graduate study? Do you have a strong interest in the arts, but your family is convinced you will become a CPA like your father? There are often ways to get around some of the obstacles during the reality check, but it is still important to face these obstacles and be realistic about whether you can get around them.





The sixth and final stop on your journey is the task of narrowing your choices and focusing on choosing a major. Based on all your research and self-assessment of the first five stops on your journey, you should now have a better idea of the careers/majors you are not interested in pursuing as well as a handful of potential careers/majors that do interest you. What are the typical majors found at a comprehensive university? Visit Quintessential Careers: College Majors for a listing of the typical college majors.





What are some other resources for helping you get more information about a major and/or a career?





Take advantage of:


Your college's course catalog -鈥?you'll be amazed at the wealth of information you can find here鈥rom required courses to specialized majors and tracks.





Your professors, including your academic adviser -鈥?talk with your professors, whether you have taken a class with them or not鈥any of them have worked in the field in which they teach and all are experts about careers and career opportunities.





Your classmates, especially upperclassmen -鈥?these are the folk who are deep into their major, perhaps already having had an internship or gone through job interviews...use them as a resource to gather more information.





Your college's alumni -鈥?unless your college was just founded, your school probably has a deep and varied group of alums, many of whom like to talk with current students鈥o use them as a resource to gather more information about careers.





Your family and friends -鈥?there's a wealth of information right at your fingertips. Next time you go home or call home, ask your family about majors and careers.





Your college's career center -鈥?almost always under-appreciated, these folk have such a wealth of information at their fingertips that it is a shame more students don't take advantage of them鈥nd not just in your senior year 鈥? start visiting in your first year because most have resources for choosing a major and a career, as well as internship and job placement information.





There are also a number of books that you may find useful, including:





How to Choose a College Major, by Linda Landis Andrews (VGM Career Horizons).





The College Board Guide to 150 Popular College Majors , by Renee Gernand (College Entrance Examination Board).





The College Majors Handbook: The Actual Jobs, Earnings, and Trends for Graduates of 60 College Majors, by Paul E. Harrington and Thomas F. Harrington (Jist Works).





Major Decisions: A Guide to College Majors , Richard A. Blumenthal and Joseph A. Despres (Wintergreen/Orchard House).





Major in Success: Make College Easier, Beat the System, and Get a Very Cool Job , Patrick Combs (Ten Speed Press).
If students want a clearer vision of the career paths they want to pursue, the first thing they need to do is be realistic.


Just because they are interested in Topic A today, doesn't mean they will be interested in it tomorrow. Is this something they can focus on long term? Most students choose a subject because the ends appear to justify the work they have to do to obtain it. However, once the reality sets in, a sense of overwhelment or boredom can make the ends seem ridiculous for the amount of work required.





As an example: When I started college, out of ten of my close friends seven were engineering majors. They all wanted to make ';big bucks'; in a stable career. However, once the classload, the cost of studies, the internships and the extracurricular activities were assigned to them, only two were able to finish and obtain degrees in an engineering field.





Recognizing one's own reality is the first step in determining what kind of future will be worth pursuing.
Think back to how you found your career. That's a tough question. Some find their career path just by working at a job they like and therefore, moving up in that company.


Speaking in terms of college, one has to have a good idea as to what type of studies and skills are expected for a specific career. I have heard people say the word ';lawyer'; for example and say ';yeah, I'd like to do that. Being in the legal field myself, I can tell you that law is not glamorous and you have to love it to work with it. My point is for one to truly comprehend what it is they will be studying and how it is applied. A good idea for those about to leave HS, is a selection of careers on paper and their most basic requirements and study courses. Perhaps touring companies where peope are doing the jobs they desire.
i think the first step is knowing your interests, secondlythey have to figure out fromthat what they are willing and wanting to put the most time and effort into;thirdly, they need to ask themselves can they see themselves doing this job for several years. they need to ask god and go to prayer over the matter, and they need support. If there is a no to any of these than they need to find a different carrer field
Think about the classes, subjects, professors or jobs you've had, and which made you feel like, ';Yes!'; when you understood something, or were challenged by something, or discovered something you never knew. If you follow these kinds of signs, I think you're more likely to get lucky enough to find something that could be a passion for you; that you have the skill or could gain the skill to be good at; that you'd do for free because its so fun or you love it; and get paid for it, too. Getting paid for something you'd do anyway, and or something you believe passionately in, is so awesome it almost feels illegal (: Trust me. It rocks. Good luck.
In my opinion you must determine where your interests are. After that determine what jobs are out there that pertain to your interests and what do you need to do in order to gain the skills needed in order to work in that field.


I wish you success in your chosen career.
I feel that the best way to have a clearer vision of the career path is to try everything. See what you like, and what you don't. Take different classes as a freshman (in college) to see what interests you, and what makes you fall asleep.
By taking advantage of all the resources out there available to you. Many of them are listed in the answers posted by others. The most important thing, however, is creating a plan and strategy that will help you move along your path at the same time you define it. You can do one or all of the things below, but the better you plan and use your resources, the more successful you'll be.





- Visit your career services center now.


Take advantage of personality and interest tests to help define ';possible'; career paths, and then use online or print resources to research those that sound interesting. And keep using career services throughout your entire college years!





- Listen to your heart. Those things you love to do, to learn about, and to experience are your best clues to potential (and successful!) careers.





- Start getting experience as early as you can. Even if you work for free (hey, you define how many hours a week!) you're going to learn more than you could in a class alone. If you can manage to get three (or more) internships before graduation, you'll be in good shape.





- Learn the challenges to getting your dream career. Talk to alumni who are out there in the field now. Find out about competition for jobs, extra schooling, the pros and the cons to decide if it's worth it.





- Don't let money or an abundance of jobs in a particular field lead you down the wrong path. People have followed unusual and ';not practical'; career paths and succeeded both in happiness and money. They had passion and drive to succeed and to do anything it took to get that dream job.





Good luck to you!





Michelle Watson Gellas