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It is important to have a sound understanding of oneself in preparation for career planning. Gaining this deeper understanding of your values, interests, strengths, preferences, skills and abilities will allow for a better fit when researching career opportunities or choosing a degree program. The exploration phase is all about understanding yourself and figuring out what degree program and career path aligns best with your interests, skills and values.

• Reflect on your past and current experiences to identify common themes. Ask yourself: What subjects interests me? What motivates me? What skills do I have and what skills do I want to gain?
• Learn about your personality type through online assessments and meet with a Career Counsellor to interpret the results with you.

Now that you have an idea of your values, skills and interests, you can start researching your options and opportunities. Find out about different career paths and possibilities that interest you by researching: online, through people and trying different experiences.

• Review web resources for more details on careers of interest.
• Research if your career of interest requires additional training or education.
• Connect with professionals in your field of interest and conduct Information Interviews in order to gain more insight into the field
• Use social media to connect to organizations, learn about career paths and network with professionals.
• Attend career events, such as Career Fairs and Networking Nights to meet with and learn from industry experts.
• Look for experiential learning opportunities, such as co-op, internships and volunteering, to get hands on knowledge of potential career options.
• Use ChatGPT to learn more about your degree or career path. Here are a few examples of prompts to input:
  • “What are some entry-level positions for ______ major?”
  • “I have interests in history and biology [insert your own interests]. What are five career paths that match my interests?”
  • “I want to discuss a promotion with my manager, how do I begin a salary negotiation discussion for [role title]?”
  • Learn more about AI and your career!

In your research you will identify the next steps necessary to get you where you want to go. Planning will allow you to narrow down your research to targeted goals.

• Establish SMART GOALS to help you move towards your career objectives. Think of possible alternatives in case things do not go according to plan.
• Maintain your connections in your professional network and use your network to pinpoint opportunities to gain experience in your field.

This step is action-oriented!

• Move forward with your goals and execute your well-thought-out plan.
• This can be:
  • Applying to grad school
  • Re-connect with individuals you spoke with in your research stage regarding job possibilities
  • Gaining additional training or qualifications needed for potential career paths
  • Developing your resume