Multiple Career Planning

For many students in high school, college, and even some college graduates it is really hard for them to figure out what they really want to do. Over the years I have spent a lot of time talking to students trying to help them figure out their professional goals.

There are a lot of things you can do to try to figure things out including hiring a private educational consultant, like myself (College Strategies LLC), visiting a career counselor, or even taking career aptitude test. These resources and tools can help you narrow your choices so you can explicitly analyze what you like and what type of career opportunities may be available to you in your area of interest.

When I talk to students about how they are planning for their careers I often discover they feel restricted in having to make a single career choice. Many students feel they have to try to identify just one thing they would like to do or one career they would like to pursue. However, I am a firm believer that it is better to look into 2, 3 or even 4 possible career goals and use your time in college to prepare accordingly.

You have several options as a college student to prepare for multiple careers, you can double major, pick up a minor or double minor, or sometimes just taking classes in an area may be all the prep work you may need to do to get the initial experience necessary for a particular career. For example, the skills I gained from one desktop publishing class I took in college has come in handy in almost every job I have ever had.

Through careful planning you may find that adding a major or minor might not add too much time to your time in school. If you plan early enough, you may find that you can take classes in an area outside of your primary major and have them count as elective credit in your major, as they satisfy the credit you need for another major or minor. But I have to stress you really do need to plan to do this at the very beginning of your college career to make the most of your time and money.

As most find out, college is about planning. Getting into college requires planning, staying in college requires planning, and getting a career after college requires planning. So try to find people, resources or tools that will help you establish your plan. Once your plan is established constantly evaluate it in so you know what you have accomplished and what you have remaining to do. And finally, be alright with determining and preparing for alternative opportunities for the just-in-case moments that could occur.

Cordially,
Chrystal