Career Decisions and
the World of Work
Career & Advising Services
Reid Hall 110
208-792-2313
www.lcsc.edu/cas
Where are you going?
You’ve decided to go to
college – what do you
want from your
education?
 About what to major in?
 About choosing a career?
 About being prepared ?
Choosing a Major & Career
• The majority of majors are designed for
academic purposes rather than for
career purposes
• Some majors are difficult to relate to a
specific job, such as philosophy or
history
• Choosing a major or a career requires
good decision making skills
Decision Making Steps
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Identify the decision to be made
Gather information about yourself
Generate alternatives
Gather information
Match self & information
Make a choice
Develop a plan of action
Review decision & consequences
Decision Making Steps,
continued…
• Make career planning part of life planning.
Your career is only one part of your life. Keep an
over-all life plan in mind as you consider your
career directions.
• Career planning is an on-going process.
The average person changes careers 5-7 times
in their life. Take time to learn how to make good
career decisions now, and it will serve you well
again and again.
Career – Life Rainbow
• Imagine that it is ten years from today
and your life is exactly as you would like
it to be.
• What roles will you be playing? How will
this affect your decision today on what
career to pursue?
Holland Codes, Majors
and Careers
• John Holland developed a system of
personality types to classify jobs into job
categories, interest clusters, or work
personality environments.
• Your three letter code, or Holland code, can
shed light on your characteristics, strengths,
preferences as related to potential major and
career choice.
The Party – Self Assessment
• Thumbnail sketch of your potential
interests
• More sophisticated assessments
needed before important decisions
about major or career options
• What is your three-letter code?
Basic Work Tasks
• All work can be divided into four main
tasks.
• Every career choice you will consider
will fall into one of these areas:
Basic Work Tasks, continued…
DATA
Data activities involve impersonal processes
THINGS
Things activities involve nonpersonal processes
Basic Work Tasks, continued…
IDEAS
Ideas activities involve intrapersonal processes
PEOPLE
People activities involve interpersonal processes
Holland Code Regions
• DATA: Enterprising or Conventional
• THINGS: Realistic (hands-on)
• IDEAS: Artistic or Investigative
• PEOPLE: Social
Job Family Regions
• DATA: Administration/Sales (contacts)
or Business Operations
• THINGS: Technical
• IDEAS: Arts or Sciences
• PEOPLE: Social Service
Other Methods…
• Besides assessments, other means of
acquiring information about majors or
careers are suggested, such as:
1)
2)
3)
Research through printed and on-line
resources
Contacting someone in the field you
can interview
Job Shadowing someone in the field
you are interested in
Where are you going?
Students who take advantage of the
services at their campus career center
early in their college experience tend to
be more satisfied with their career
choice, more confident with their job
search and interviewing skills, and tend
to find a job more quickly upon
graduation.
Career & Advising Services Staff:
Debra Lybyer, Director
Debi Mundell, Assistant Director
Susan Lawson, Career Counselor
Andrea Masom, Career Advisor
Green Baggett, Staff Volunteer
Denise Harris, Administrative Assistant I
Hours/ Location:
Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Reid Hall 110