Liberal Arts Boot Camp
Career Exploration Workbook
One of the key advantages of a major in the Liberal Arts is the variety of available career paths. There are
many careers related to your major that you may have never considered before! This Liberal Arts Boot
Camp Career Exploration Workbook, along with the RIT Office of Career Services and Cooperative
Education Career Counselors, can help you identify your strongest interests, skills, and traits and
transform them into a successful and exciting career. You can use this workbook to generate ideas, keep
track of research, or obtain suggestions of how to begin and continue your exploration.
Contents
Page
Assess yourself ……………………..………………..
Interests ………………………………………….
Values …………………………………………….
Personality ……………………………………..
Skills ………………………………………………
Exploring common paths in Liberal Arts
Find out more … Occupational research
Connect with others ………………………………
Attending graduate school ……………………
Skill Development …………………………………
My Summary ………………………………………….
Resources for more information ………….
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5-6
6-7
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9-10
11-12
There are many ways to explore careers in the Liberal Arts. We invite you to begin any place that feels
comfortable for you. There are four main components:
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Assess yourself
Interests | Personality | Values | Skills
For many, self-assessment is the first step in career exploration. Assessments and personal reflection will
help you to articulate your preferences and will be the criteria you use to evaluate career options.
Interests
Since you will likely spend over 90,000 hours of your life working, it makes sense to pick an occupation
that is something that you enjoy and will continue to want to learn about over the years. These
inventories will help you identify career-related interests and will provide suggestions of occupations
that are related to your interests.
There are many ways to identify your passions and interests. A starting point is this simple exercise:
My favorite courses
What I like about my major
Activities I am involved in and why
Ways I like to spend my free time
Websites I like to visit
Types of books I like to read
There are also assessments to help you organize interests:
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
O*NET Interest Profiler Answer 60 questions about activities that interest you, and receive of list
of occupations matching your interests
Strong Interest Inventory Career Counselors at the Office of Career Services and Cooperative
Education can give you access to take the Strong Interest Inventory, a commonly used assessment
instrument to identify your interests and occupations associated with them.
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Values
Work can provide a great deal of satisfaction when it fulfills our values.
Below is a sample list of some work values. Indicate whether they would have a positive (+), negative (-),
or neutral (=) impact on your work life:
Creativity
High earnings
Flexibility
Fun and Humor
Intellectual challenge
Risk-taking
Help others
Innovation
Work alone
Friendships
Fast pace
Predictability
Time freedom
Variety
Stability
Work-Life
Balance
Travel
Autonomy
Diversity
Teamwork
Structured
Physical challenge
Competition
Prestige
Power
There are also online activities to help you explore your values more in-depth, such as the Online Values
Sort.
Personality
Understanding aspects of your personality can help you identify work environments that are well-suited
for you. No single personality trait is advantageous over another, but being aware of one’s personal
preferences is an important step in making a satisfactory career choice.
Assessments can help you describe your natural preferences. Formal assessment is available in the Office
of Career Services and Cooperative Education.
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
Humanmetrics Jung Typology Test provides a free version of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
(MBTI), a popular personality assessment commonly used in career development.
Once you know your MBTI type, The Personality Page allows you to explore many aspects related
to personality such as career choice, relationships and personal growth.
Self-reflection is a great way to generate a list of traits you know describe you well. Here are some ideas;
indicate those which apply to you and cross out those which do not describe you.
Attitude
Positive
Personal Style
Assertive
Interpersonal Style
Humorous
Work habits
Efficient
Action-Oriented
Motivated
Tactful
Dependable
Straightforward
Energetic
Adventurous
Resourceful
Open minded
Independent
Enthusiastic
Detail Oriented
Realistic
Responsible
Cooperative
Take initiative
Objective
Persevering
Competitive
Decisive
Caring
Flexible
Encouraging
Risk taker
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My other personality traits include:
Based on my personality, I may be best suited for these types of work environments:
Skills
The skills you have and enjoy using may suggest occupations that will appeal to you. There are a few
online tools available that will help you connect skills to suitable careers.

O*NET Skills Search helps you use your skill set to identify occupations for exploration.
Skills I want to highlight in my job:
Skills I want to avoid using in my job:
Possible occupations that incorporate my skills:
Explore common paths
Many students find it helpful to review lists of possible occupations based on college major. This is a great
way to explore the variety of options available in each major. You will find a great number of occupations
in these lists; be sure to narrow them down based on your interests, personality, skills, and values.
What Can I do with this major?
RIT Liberal Arts Boot Camp resources: lists by major (also appears at end of this workbook)
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Use this space to record careers of interest:
Major
Options in my major that do NOT interest me:
Major
Find out more
Once you know the names of occupations that you are interested in, you’ll want to research it in depth to
evaluate how well it fits your personal characteristics and gain ideas of how you can prepare for
successful application to those positions when you are ready.
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Occupational Outlook Handbook from the Bureau of Labor Statistics covers hundreds of
occupations, describing work environments, job duties, salaries, and more.
O*NET Search for occupational information or browse by similar careers at this comprehensive
website. You can also search for occupations that use your skill set.
RIT Wallace Library Career Guide page highlights resources, career e-books, career videos, career
trends articles, and other articles related to career exploration. Many books and electronic books
with occupational information available at the Wallace Library.
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Use this table to keep track of your research:
Job title
Job tasks
Educational preparation
Pros/Cons of this job
Job outlook & salary
Connect with others
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 70% of all jobs are found through networking. This is an
organized way to use the connections you already have to grow your professional contacts. You can begin
networking any time, and the relationship building process will continue throughout your career.
Informational Interviews are a way to find out more about an occupation that you are interested in, get an
insider’s point of view, and maybe even discover hidden job opportunities.
LinkedIn is also a valuable resource for growing your professional network. To find out more, check out
Building to a great student profile and Using LinkedIn to connect with alumni
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There are many places to find networking connections. Consider reaching out to professors, upper-class
students, family members, friends, co-workers at an internship or on-campus job, and more!
Use this space to generate ideas of potentially helpful contacts.
5 people I can reach out to
How I hope they can help me
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Need to know about attending graduate school?
There are lots of helpful links for the graduate school application and selection process on our website:
RIT Career Services Graduate School Information
Skill Development:
You may consider looking to resources outside of your classes to enhance your skill development.
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The Student Employment Office posts a variety of opportunities for both on-campus and offcampus jobs
Volunteering and Community Service
The RIT Leadership Institute offers a wide variety of professional development opportunities and
volunteering and community service to increase students’ personal success skills.
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Also consider spending time developing top skills that employers are looking for. Below you will see a list
of skills employers consider “most important” when considering job candidates – regardless of field!
Top 10 Skills Employers are looking for:
Skill
How I demonstrate the skill
How I can develop the skill in the future
Verbal Communication
Teamwork
Problem-Solving
Planning & organizing
Processing Information
Analyzing data
Technical Knowledge
Using software
programs
Creating/editing
reports
Influencing others
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My Summary
Interests Interests Profiler
Values Online Values Card Sort
1.
1.
2.
2.
3.
3,
4.
4.
5.
5.
Personality Traits MBTI Test Personality Page
MBTI Type:
Traits that describe me:
Skills I have Skills Profiler
Skills I want to develop
1.
1.
2.
2.
3.
3.
4.
4.
5.
5.
6.
6.
7.
7.
8.
8.
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What I learned
Occupations I want to investigate:
I definitely want to avoid:
1.
1.
2.
2.
3.
3.
4.
4.
5.
5.
Places of employment that appeal to me:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Next steps (networking goals, people I want to connect with…)
1.
2.
3.
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College of Liberal Arts
Websites for Occupational Information
Advertising and Public Relations
RIT Advertising and Public Relations Website
RIT Coop requirement for Advertising and Public
Relations
RIT Career Overview for Advertising and Public Relations
RIT Career Services Online Resource List for
Advertising/Public Relations
Advertising-What Can I Do With This Major?
Public Relations-What Can I Do With This Major?
Communications
RIT Communications Website
RIT Coop Requirement for Communications
RIT Career Overview for Communications
RIT Career Services Online Resource List for
Communications
Communications-What Can I Do With This Major?
Criminal Justice
RIT Criminal Justice Website
RIT Internship Requirement for Criminal Justice
RIT Career Overview for Criminal Justice
RIT Career Services Online Resources for Criminal Justice
Criminal Justice-What Can I Do with This Major?
Economics
RIT Economics Website
RIT Career Overview for Economics
Economics-What Can I Do with This Major?
Economics for College Students-American Economic
Association
Economists -Occupational Outlook Handbook
International and Global Studies
RIT International and Global Studies Website
RIT International and Global Studies Career Opportunities
Global & International Studies-What Can I Do with This
Major?
What can I do with a major in International Studies?
Journalism
RIT Journalism Website
Journalism-What Can I Do With This Major?
RIT Career Overview for Journalism
RIT Coop Requirements for Journalism
Museum Studies
RIT Museum Studies Website
RIT Museum Studies Student Resources
Museum Careers from the Smithsonian
Archivists, Curators and Museum Workers from the OOH
Philosophy
RIT Philosophy Website
Philosophy-What Can I Do With This Major?
American Philosophical Association-Career Resources
Upcoming Events in Philosophy
Political Science
RIT Political Science Website
Political Science-What Can I Do With This Major?
American Political Science Association-Careers in Political
Science
Psychology
RIT Psychology Website
RIT Career Overview for Psychology
RIT Career Services Psychology Online Resource List
Psychology-What Can I Do With This Major?
Careers in Psychology-American Psychological
Association
Public Policy
RIT Public Policy Website
RIT Career Overview for Public Policy
RIT Career Services Public Policy Online Resource List
Public Administration-What Can I Do with This Major?
Sociology and Anthropology
RIT Sociology/Anthropology Website
Anthropology/Archeology-What Can I Do with This
Major?
Sociology- What Can I Do with This Major?
Urban Studies- What Can I Do with This Major?
Careers in Anthropology-American Anthropological
Association
Urban Studies-What Can I Do with this Major?
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Additional Websites
Occupational Outlook Handbook
O*NET
Informational Interviewing
Spotlight on Careers
Roadtrip Nation
Working for the federal government
Go Government: Finding your fit in a federal career
Federal occupations by college major
Pathways Programs (Internships for Students and Recent Grads)
Creating Your Federal Resume
RIT’s Career Services Office Guide to Finding a Federal Job
Working for the Federal Government from the Career Outlook (Parts 1 and 2)
Law School Resources
RIT’s Department of Criminal Justice Prelaw Advising
Law School Admission Council
American Bar Association Preparing for Pre-Law
Pre-law student services
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