What subjects come to mind when you daydream

							                     Self-Discovery Exercises for Career Exploration


        Confucius once said, “Find a job you love, and you will never work a day in your
life.” When you consider that you may spend about 45 years of your life working 45
hours per week (105,300 hours altogether, or ½ of your waking hours), career choice is a
very important process that will greatly impact your life, the lives of those you love, and
even society. Do you want to become someone who trudges through life, living just for
the weekends? Don’t you want to enjoy your life 24/7, and invest yourself in a gainful
occupation that energizes you? Even though the process of vocational discovery,
choice, and preparation is life-long, how do you begin to figure it all out, prepare for it,
and create the future you desire?

       Don’t panic if you have no idea what you want to do. There are many ways to
learn about yourself, and about current and future occupations. Talk to the people who
know you well (parents, relatives, friends, teachers, youth leaders, etc.). Research
occupations through books, magazines, television, internet, and interviews. Try out and
develop your skills through the choices you make in community service, job shadows,
extracurricular activities, church/community involvement, hobbies, recreation, part-time
jobs, and classes. Take a career interest survey (such as the Self-Directed Search)
through your school, or over the internet. Evaluate the results of tests of your academic
and other abilities (Terra Nova, WKCE, PLAN, PSAT, ASVAB, ACT, etc.).

        Remember that not all valuable abilities and assets are measurable in academic
and extracurricular life in high school. What talents do you have that aren’t academic,
athletic, or artistic? There are many intangible but vital assets that don’t win recognition
and awards. Examples: organization, efficiency, neatness, people skills, listening,
encouraging, being a social catalyst, communicating ideas well, building and fixing
things, memorizing, decision-making, accepting others, speaking, writing, humor,
serving others, relating well to children or older adults, discernment, managing details,
etc.

        Remember that you are unique and unrepeatable in all of human history, with your
own interests, motivations, history, relationships, beliefs, needs, abilities, talents,
aptitudes, style, values, and personality. If you compare yourself with others, do so only
for the purpose of information and discovery, not to nurture feelings of superiority or
inferiority. Being recognized as the very best at something isn’t necessary for making a
useful and needful contribution. It’s a great big world out there with lots of needs and
opportunities, and there is a wonderful place for someone just like you! For help in
thinking about your interests and desires for the future, here are some questions and
exercises for you to consider. Pick some to answer, and talk over your thoughts and
ideas with someone who can give you helpful feedback and encouragement.

   1. If you could spend one day doing anything you wanted, what would you do?
      What activities would your “perfect day” include?

   2. Name 3 adjectives that others would use to describe you. What are 3 more
      adjectives that you would like to be true of you?

   3. What 3 things do you most value about yourself?
4. What toys, games, and activities did you enjoy as a child? Why?

5. What strengths, personality traits, and interests have you seen in yourself over
   the years? How can these be assets in a career?

6. What courses so far have you most liked or done well in? What subjects have you
   disliked or struggled with?

7. What hobbies and leisure activities do you like? List 10 things you love to do.
   What one new thing would you most like to learn how to do?

8. Read any good books lately? What’s one non-fiction book you’d like to read if
   you had time? What do you most enjoy reading about? If you could spend one
   day in a great library studying anything you wanted, what would you study?

9. What makes you laugh?

10. When have you been the happiest in the last year or two?

11. What types of television programs or movies are your favorites?

12. If you dedicated a day to volunteer service, what would you choose to do? Where
    would you most like to make a difference?

13. What subjects come to mind when you daydream? What subjects do you enjoy
    discussing with friends? If you doodle, what do you most often draw?

14. What are your pet peeves?

15. If you ran the world, what changes would you make?

16. If you won 10 million dollars which you could spend only on helping society, how
    would you use it? What if you could spend it any way you like?

17. How would you like to be remembered after your death?

18. What are your favorite kinds of people? Why? Who are your heroes? Why?
    What do you most admire in life? Who has made a difference in your life? In what
    ways would you want to be like them?

19. What are some things that you think you could do well that you haven’t done yet?

20. Describe yourself 15 years from now. Where do you live, and what kind of
    lifestyle do you enjoy (location, home, possessions)? What’s your typical day
    like? What other people are in your life? What are your home and work
    responsibilities? What are your leisure activities? What chores do you do? What
    bills do you pay monthly?

21. What three of these work values would you pick as most important to you?

   Security (stable, predictable)
      Status/recognition (power, intelligence, money, social usefulness)
      Self-expression/creativity/performance
      Financial reward/salary
      Service/contribution/helping
      Personal relationships-meaningful friendships, social and support network
      Environment (indoors, outdoors)
      Variety/physical activity
      Travel
      Authority/management/supervision
      Solitude/collaboration
      People/ideas/data/things/animals
      Technological development

   22. You have been selected for a team to help colonize another planet. Pick the 3 jobs
       you’d most like to have, and cross out those you definitely wouldn’t want. Are
       there any others not listed?

      Captain                                           Problem-solving team
      Chef                                              City planner
      Social director                                   Buildings and maintenance
      Accountant                                        Spiritual advisor
      Musician                                          Morale officer
      Teacher                                           Communications specialist
      Doctor/nurse                                      Science officer
      Child care director                               Security detail
      Tour guide                                        Commodities and supplies
      Computer technician                               Engineer
      Organization/scheduling                           Audio/video production
      Home designer                                     Assistant to any of the above
      Journals and documents

   23. Describe a time when you were deeply inspired.

   24. What fears or obstacles have you overcome in the past? What ones in the future
       would you most like to be free of?

   25. Do you have a career dream? What feedback have you received from others as to
       what you should do or what you are good at?

   26. Pick some things from your home that you no longer need or want. How would
       you go about enticing someone else to buy them?


   What now? Look over your answers to the questions you picked. Summarize your
responses. Can you find some patterns or common themes? Do you want to work with
people to help them physically, emotionally, or educationally? Do you like to work with
tools and machines to build and fix things? Do you most enjoy nature, the outdoors, and
animals? Do you work well with numbers, and data? Do you enjoy working with words,
and communicating ideas? Are computers and information systems central to your
favorite activities? How important are the arts to you? Do you have the makings of a
good salesperson or business manager?
       What career areas would your patterns lead you to explore? There are many
possibilities in each area. Look at each area below and cross off the ones that don’t
interest you. Then begin to research and explore the ones that do. Here are some
possible areas to consider:

Business/management/industry                       Transportation/travel
Human services                                     Engineering/design
Skilled trades/construction                        Education Arts/music/entertainment
Food Service
Health/medicine                                    Math/accounting
Media/communications/journalism                    Home design/décor/sale
Agriculture/natural resources                      Military service
Sports/recreation                                  Public affairs/service
High tech/computers                                Law
Fashion design/manufacture/sales                   History/global affairs
Science/research

       Narrow your career area. Determine the education and training necessary. Think
about ways that your vocational and personal or family life would connect or conflict.
Use the ideas listed to help you, such as job shadowing. Remember that who you are
and what direction you choose is a continual process throughout your life. Whatever
you do, don’t just sit and wait for something to happen to you. Get involved and enjoy
the process!