GET TO KNOW YOURSELF:
Self Assessment

Are you an idealist? Are you career-minded? What do you see yourself doing in 5 years? 10 years? What are you looking for in a job? What do you think about spending more than half of your life doing work-related activities?

Below is a short video documenting various opinions from students to people already settled into their careers.

Don't worry if you don't know the answer to some of these questions. Now is the perfect time to assess yourself and your plans for the future.

Before you start planning your life, you need to examine yourself and evaluate your personal strengths and weaknesses, discover what you are interested in, and define your values. Know what kind of job you want, and what kind of jobs you can handle. Self-assessment requires an honest evaluation of your strengths and weaknesses. Although it may be challenging, it is also one of hte most important in the process of planning your career.

Here are some topics which you can evaluate of yourself:



INTERESTS

What are your extracurricular activities? favorite hobbies? sports? subjects? What types of things dominate your thoughts? The decisions you make when you're planning your life commit you to a lifelong goal, career, etc. Therefore, it is important to make sure that you involve yourself in activities that you enjoy, subjects that interest you, and jobs that you would commit to for possibly 50+ years of your life.

Here are some ways to jumpstart your brainstorming:

1. Make a list of 10 activities you have enjoyed participating in for the last 4 years. Think about the activities you have just listed -- why do you like them? how do they challenge you?

2. Take an Interest Inventory Quiz :

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SKILLS

Evaluate the activities in which you are interested. What kinds of skills do those activities require? What are your strengths and weaknesses in each of those activities? How can you further develop your skills in those activities?

Here are some links to help you assess your skills in various activities:

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VALUES

Identifying your work values will help you find a job that best fits you. Working in a work environment where your work values are violated leads to dissatisfaction and possible conflict. Think about topics such as freedom, service to others, manner of behavior, integrity, rights, smoking vs. nonsmoking, etc. After coming up with a list of values important to you, classify them by how intensely you feel about them. Keep these values in mind when you look at career possibilities, and then evaluate your options based on conflicts, between your possible career and your values, that make specific career choices difficult.

Below are some things to consider when thinking about what you value in a job:

  • work fulfillment
  • work variety
  • responsibility
  • recognition
  • autonomy
  • challenge
  • schedule/working conditions
  • customer contact, types of customers
  • salary, advancement opportunity
  • training program
  • location of job, commuting distance
  • size of institution
  • friendliness of staff & co-workers

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GOALS

It is very important to define your goals, ambitions, or vision before you start to plan your career and the rest of your life. A career goal should be based on your interests, skills, values, career possibilities, and current job trends.

Below are several categories of goals to think about when planning your life:

  • artistic goals
  • career goals
  • education goals
  • family goals
  • financial goals
  • health goals
  • leisure goals
  • public service goals

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CALCULATE YOUR PERSONAL STATISTICS

Go to: Personal Calculators

These tools are interesting and unique ways to discover something about yourself and your life.

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