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Career Exploration (Career Guides)

Career Exploration

There are many factors when looking for a career, so finding a handful of options that suit your interest is a good idea. Once you have figured out which careers might have the greatest potential, you can trust your own direct experiences to guide you, and consider the following to clarify your perspective:

  • Figure out if anyone you know has experience in the field or if they have connections to the field
  • Set up informational interviews to answer any questions you may have
  • Find someone you can shadow
  • Do an internship in the field
  • Visit an organization that specializes in your interest

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The Academic and Career Advising Center provides opportunities and resources for you to explore, experience and “try on” potential careers, including information interviews, volunteering, part-time jobs, summer jobs, and internships. Humboldt Handshake is a great source for searching jobs in your careers of interest. The Occupational Outlook Handbook by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics is a good resource for statistical data.

Once you have narrowed down your major options, schedule a meeting with a department chair or a career advisor to get a better sense of your path. In these meetings you’ll have the opportunity to ask questions about the major, career opportunities, as well as the department and the faculty.

Here are some questions to ask an academic advisor or department chair:

  • Are there any faculty members/courses that specifically address my interests?
  • What’s rewarding about this field? What are the challenges?
  • If this major requires me to have a concentration or emphasis, how should I choose?
  • How flexible is the major with substituting or taking alternative courses?

Take courses that are interesting to you. Choose your General Education (GE) courses carefully, as they can help you gain insight into majors that meet your interest.

For more tips download the Major Exploration Guide.

  • The Occupational Information Network, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor/Employment and Training Administration, serves as a database on occupational information. Here you can find occupation-specific descriptions for most jobs in the United States. This can serve as a useful tool in researching future career interests. https://www.onetonline.org/

Research Careers

Career Information

Think of it as “career shopping.” Before any large purchase or investment (the cost of your undergraduate degree at Humboldt is estimated at around $40,000-$50,000!) it is always wise to research and make the best choice, based on good information. Careers vary remarkably and you can benefit from knowing more about careers before committing yourself to a significant investment of time, effort and money. There are sad tales of those that started their professional lives after graduation, only to realize that they really did not enjoy the work. Better to research now than to regret later!

Here are some questions that you may want to ask:

  • Which degree and major are best suited to my career interests?
  • How much does it pay to begin? What will I earn after I gain more experience?
  • What is the current and projected demand for this career?
  • What unique skills, abilities, traits and characteristics are needed to be successful in this work?
  • What is the “work-style” that is associated with the career? Is the work done with others, or will I work alone? Will I work mostly inside or outside? Will I be closely supervised or will I work more independently?

There are organizations with great websites that have researched careers and can answer these questions for you. Try these:

Occupational Guides

Career Exploration/Gaining Experience

Volunteering: A “win-win” situation exists between students that volunteer their time and organizations that host them. Students gain insights, experience, skills and references from their efforts while organizations benefit from the energy and effort of volunteers.

Informational Interviews: Through a network of Humboldt alumni and employers in the community you can arrange opportunities to meet and discuss careers with professionals in virtually any career field. Schedule an appointment with a career advisor to facilitate an information interviewing opportunity. Informational Interview Guide (.pdf)

Part-time and Summer Jobs: The Academic and Career Advising Center has an abundance of jobs available through their on-line job listings. For more information, to register for services and access jobs, go to Handshake (https://humboldt.joinhandshake.com), the Academic and Career Advising Center database for part-time and summer listings.