What Do You Want From Your Degree?
Get proactive with your career planning this Spring!
It's March, and the end of term is only a few short weeks away. With the busyness of the term at a peak, graduating students often find it hard to look even a few weeks ahead due to the urgency of the next paper, lab or final exam that is demanding your attention. Often, students are so immersed with their schoolwork that before you know it, you are preparing for convocation. The question often asked at that point is, "OK, now what kind of job can I get with this degree?"
While this can be an important question to ask as part of your career planning process, it is critical that another question is asked first: "What do *I* want to do with the skills, knowledge and experience acquired during the completion of my degree?" Learning more about yourself, including your skills, values, personality preferences, interests, and desired future lifestyle is a first step in researching career options and in presenting yourself to an employer. This will allow you to look at your occupational options with a greater sense of confidence that you can make an appropriate decision and be successful in your job search. As basic and important as this may sound, career planning is not focused on in most degree programs at the university.
So, now, your next question may be, "Sounds good, but how do I figure this out?"
The Counselling Centre offers a variety of resources that may help you with the process of career decision-making:
- Life After Graduation is a career planning workshop aimed at undergraduate students approaching the end of their degrees who are looking for some assistance in effectively exploring their options after the degree is completed.
- Life after Graduate School is a career planning workshop aimed at graduate students approaching the end of their degrees who are looking for some assistance in effectively exploring their options after their graduate degree is completed.
- The Counselling Centre's website includes links that can assist you with decision-making help and has a list of websites that can assist you with your career research.
- If you are looking for additional guidance, you can check out the drop-in career clinic, offered Tuesdays at 11 am and Wednesdays at 1 pm during the Winter term.
Good luck with the completing of your degree!
© Anna-Lisa Ciccocioppo, Counselling Centre, U of C
