Chapter 2

Getting to Know Yourself

Most people don’t plan to fail; they just fail to plan.

•The truth is, half of all employed people simply fall into their jobs – out of laziness

or luck or from being unaware of other options.

•If you’d rather have a say in your future, it’s time to take control of your own life!

Decision-Making Process:

A logical series of steps to identify and evaluate possibilities and to arrive at a good choice.You can use the 7 Step process to determine a career.

Decision-Making Process:

Step #1: Define Your Needs and Wants

Where will you want to live?Do you want a job that will allow you to travel or to stay at home?How much money will you need to earn?How much of your time and energy will you be willing to devote to your job?

Analyze Your Personal Resources - Step #2

Your resources relate to who you are and what you have to offer,

ValuesInterestsAptitudes & AbilitiesTalentsPersonality TraitsStyles of Learning

By being aware of all that you are, you will be more likely to make a realistic career choice.

Identify Your Career ChoicesStep #3

Select several possible careers that may match your personal needs and resources.Keep your eyes and ears open to discover “what’s out there.”You can change your mind!

Research Your Career ChoicesStep #4

Have your ever heard the phrase “research and development”?The two terms go together because successful people know that there is no development without research.How well have you explored your options?

Evaluate Your Career ChoicesStep #5

Evaluating your career choice involves systematically looking at them to see whether they match your personal needs and resources.

Make Your Decision and Plan How to Reach Your Goal #6 &

#7Though you may change your career goal several times, it is still important to make a decision and a plan.You may also discover at some point that your career goal is unrealistic or undesirable.You can then repeat the decision-making process to arrive at a new goal.

2.2 “Know thyself!”

This inscription was carved at the Ancient Greek temple in Delphi, where people once traveled seeking advice about their futures.This bit of ancient wisdom is no less valid today.By getting to know yourself, you can plot your future better and choose a career you’ll be interested in pursuing.

Setting Lifestyle Goals

Lifestyle goals are the way you want to spend your time, energy, and resources in the future.

What do you want to accomplish in life?Do you want to raise a family?Where would you like to live?How would you like to spend your free time?Do you want a high income or just enough money to be comfortable?

What Are Your Values?

Values – principles that you want to live by and the beliefs that are important to you.

Artistic expressionMoneyFine clothing

Your values may change as you go through life.You will probably keep a core set of basic values that you learned early on from the people who were most important to you.

Question…

Now imagine your life ten years from today...where will you be?Now imagine your life twenty years from today...where will you be?

Your Values

Values – beliefs & principlesSix General Values

May change going through lifeCore set – learned early in life

Responsibility – fulfilling obligations in a dependable and trustworthy way

Caring for a sick friendAutomatically expected – parent

Relationships – if you value relationships, your family and friends are important to you

Six General Values

Compassion – you care deeply about people and their well-being, as well as, other creaturesCourage – the ability to conquer fear or despairAchievement – means you want to succeed in whatever you doRecognition – being rewarded for your work in some noticeable way

Activities

List your own values in order of importanceCan you imagine a career that would satisfy your mix of values?Interests are things you enjoy doingList 10 of your favorite activities – rank in order

Data, People, or Things?

Identifying your interests can help you recognize whether you would prefer to work with data, people, or things.Data category – working with information, ideas, facts, symbols, figures, or statisticsPeople category – working with people and animalsThings category – working with physical objects of any size – such as instruments, tools, machinery, equipment, raw materials, and vehicles

Data, People, or Things?

Which category are you most interested in?Interest Surveys – a helpful way to identify and assess your interests

No right or wrong answers

Are Your Goals Realistic?

Aptitude and ability are the “before and after” of a skillAptitude – your potential for learning a certain skillAbility – a skill you have already developedChart – Mental / Physical / SocialAsk a friend - compare

Are Your Goals Realistic?

Now review your list of aptitudes and abilities, try to think of one career that requires each of your skills

Example: You like children then a career could be elementary teacher

Personality – the combination of your attitudes, behaviors, and characteristics

Food = Personality?

Does your favorite snack food say a lot about your personality? Absolutely, says Alan Hirsch, director of the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago.Choose one…

Potato ChipTortilla ChipPretzel

Are Your Goals Realistic?

PersonalitySelf-concept – the way you see yourself

When you look in the mirror, do you see someone who is confident, curious, dependable, funny, observant, sympathetic?

On some days you may think you’re a fairly interesting person, and on other days, you may think you’re not that interesting

Everyone has highs and lows

Are Your Goals Realistic?

Learning styles – the different ways that people naturally think and learn – page 42When you are aware of your own learning styles, you are able to determine the best approach for you to learn something newYou can also judge what kind of field would be good for your particular personality type, because you’d probably do well in a career that used your strongest learning style.

Career Do’s & Don’ts

Do:Spend quiet moments to identify what is important to you.Keep an open mind to all ideas, people, and opportunitiesMake a list of personal strengths and weaknessesStart something you always wanted to do.

Career Do’s & Don’ts

Don’t:Place more importance on personal appearance than on who you are insideReject criticism unless it is totally unfoundedBelieve that your way is the only right way.Make excuses for your behavior