Explore Your Options

two trails in the woods

Making a decision about your major or career path may feel overwhelming. Exploring your options is a process, and each action you take will create clarity for you.

 

Choosing a major

While choosing a major may feel important for your future, keep in mind that your major doesn’t always equal your career. Your major will provide you with specific skills and knowledge which can be applied to many different career paths.                                                          

 

Finding a career path

It may feel like there’s pressure to identify your career path and all the steps that will get you there. Careers are often not a linear process and can take many twists and turns along the way. Begin by identifying what you want to do in the near future and the steps needed to do that.

 

I just graduated ... now what?

You worked hard for your bachelor’s degree, but what’s next? Deciding on your next step may leave you filled with doubt and uncertainty, but Career Services is here to support you after graduation as well!                                                 

Career Assessments

There are a variety of career assessments that can help you better understand yourself and discover how that applies to the world of work. Increase your awareness of your skills, interests, values and personality through these assessment tools and activities. Some of these are best processed with a career advisor and others you can get started with on your own now.

Get started now

You can complete these assessments on your own as you explore your major and career options. Reach out to Career Services if you’d like to talk through your results.

Learn more about your strengths through this web-based assessment. You’ll gain valuable insights about what you do best and how you can intentionally use your strengths. You can also meet with a career advisor to explore how to apply your strengths to your career and well-being. To find out more and get access, come to a drop-in at Career Services.

Explore occupations and learn about the skillsets needed to obtain them by requesting a skills report. These reports show the most in-demand skills for thousands of different occupations. They also have information on job demand, expected growth, salary averages, top employers and industries. If you don’t have a particular occupation in mind, you can request an industry report. Industry reports provide a list of occupations available in an industry based on your degree. You can also request a report showing what CU Boulder alums did with their degrees after graduating.

Start on your own and connect with a career advisor

These activities can be started on your own, but then work best when you connect with a career advisor through a small group or individual appointment to process the activity.

A mind map is a nonlinear way of making connections that you can use as part of your exploration process. Complete the Design Your Life Mind Map   on your own and then connect with a career advisor as a next step.

Clarifying your values can help you identify what’s most important to you, understand how that impacts your worldview and help you make a decision. Below are two options for identifying your values.

  • The Career Values Card Sort is a simple, free and fun self-reflection tool for anyone to use and apply to their own careers at any time. It can also be used in great conversations with friends, managers, colleagues, family or your career advisor.
  • The Life Values Inventory was developed to help individuals and organizations clarify their values and serve as a blueprint for effective decision-making and optimal functioning. You’ll need to create a free account to use this tool.

Flip your traditional approach to finding a career by considering real-world challenges, not job titles. Sort through cards that identify a variety of challenges that need to be solved to help clarify your career interests.

Connect with a career advisor

The following career assessments and activities will need to be completed with a career advisor either virtually or in-person. Sign up for a career advising appointment to determine if these are a good fit for you.

Learn more about your areas of interest and how they might connect to a major or a career. You can also see how aligned your interests are with others who are happy in their careers. This is a great assessment if you want a starting point to explore careers, but don’t know where to start. We offer three versions of the Strong Interest Inventory, ranging in price from $13 to $20.

By exploring your personality, you will learn more about how you prefer to derive your energy, process new information and make decisions, and understand which environments are best suited for you. The cost for the MBTI starts at $25.

This assessment uses stories that college students can relate to, to help you better explore your preferences for the people, environments and tasks that engage you. The cost for TruTalent is $6.