Chapter Introduction
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Academic and Career Planning
Consider Your Interests, Values, and Skills
Develop an Academic Plan
Investigate Career Options
Academic and Career Planning Milestones
Keep Developing Your Career — Even While You Work!
My Personal Success Plan
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Think of people you know who have completed college and have entered the work world. If you asked them to describe their academic and career experiences, you’d probably hear a variety of responses. One person might say, “I always wanted to go into teaching, so it was easy to decide on my degree, major, and classes.” Someone else might say, “I thought I wanted be an anthropologist, but when I took some computer science courses and loved them, I changed my mind.” Another person may say, “I studied to get a job as an accountant, but after working in that field for a while, I wanted to try something new. I’m on my third career!”
As these responses suggest, everyone’s academic and career experiences are different. You can think of going through college and then entering the work world as a general path: You start school, choose an area of academic study, complete your degree or certificate, graduate, and then find a job. For some people, this process may be straightforward and easy. But many people find twists and turns along the way. Why? As you travel this path, you constantly learn about yourself — your dreams, your values, your interests — and you continually build new skills. You explore and experiment with different areas of study and with ideas about what careers might interest you. Along the way, you grow and change. Consequently, your plans may change. In the end, your academic and career paths will be unique to you.
This chapter helps you start your journey by providing the information you need in order to think critically about your options and make decisions that are right for you. The chapter will help you whether you’ve already chosen your major, classes, and career, or whether you’re unsure about one or more of these decisions. First, we explore how knowing your interests, values, and skills can help you start building academic and career plans. We then focus on the key components of academic planning, how to conduct career research, and important milestones in the academic and career development processes. Finally, we look at ways to keep developing your career, even after you’ve entered the work world.
Reflect
On Your Academic and Career Planning
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Take a moment to reflect on your Academic and Career Planning score on ACES. To review your results, click here.
This score measures your beliefs about how familiar you are with academic and career planning and how confident you are that you can create good plans. Do you think it’s an accurate snapshot of your understanding? Why or why not?
IF YOU SCORED IN THE HIGH RANGE and you believe this score is accurate, you may be very knowledgeable about crafting academic and career plans and confident in your ability to do so. However, plans can change, and strengthening your planning skills can help you feel confident that you’re continuing to make the best decisions for you. As you read this chapter, keep an open mind and use the new information you learn to solidify your plans.
IF YOU SCORED IN THE MODERATE OR LOW RANGE, don’t be discouraged. Many students question their ability to navigate the hundreds of courses their school offers, and many are anxious and unsure about choosing a major and a career. You’ll have plenty of chances to strengthen your planning skills in this class, as you learn about degree options, course requirements, career possibilities, and ways to use insights about yourself to make these important decisions.
MY ACES SCORE
HIGH
MODERATE
LOW
To find your Academic and Career Planning score, go to the LaunchPad for Connections.