How can you pick a career you're good at, that you find fulfilling, and that will also help you meet your personal and financial goals? The truth is, there is no way to determine a "perfect" career, but there are some ways to research both your own interests and the job outlook for different career pathways that can help you make an informed decision about your goals.
What makes a good career fit?
It’s likely that your career interests will evolve over time and that many paths could be fulfilling for you. According to a 2018 report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average person changes jobs 10-15 times in their lifetime! Those job changes might be promotions, lateral moves within an organization or entirely new paths.
When determining whether a potential job is a good career fit, consider three things: purpose, abilities, and demand.
Purpose
Does the job or career field give you a sense of meaning? Perhaps you are good with numbers, so you think you should become a CPA. However, if taxes don’t create a sense of purpose for you, that might not be a good goal. If working with youth provides more fulfillment for you, consider using your skill with numbers to become a math teacher or a financial advisor for the Boys and Girls Club.
Abilities
What skills or abilities do you need to achieve your goals? Some abilities are innate, while others can be developed. For example, maybe you want to be in agriculture but have a bad back. You may find a lot of joy in agricultural sales, research, or consulting, which wouldn't require as much lifting as a production role. Maybe you want to be a wildlife biologist, but you don’t yet have the scientific credentials. Research the requirements, then determine whether you’re willing to do the schooling and seasonal assignments to get there.
Demand
Do job openings exist in the career fields you're interested in? Are the job openings located in places you want to live? What are starting salaries like, and how do they compare with your cost of living needs? Read job boards and use other career research tools when considering your plans — you might discover that there are not as many opportunities in your region as you initially expected, or you might discover entirely new career paths. These are good insights! It’s important to investigate how market realities intersect with your desired path.
Researching your purpose and abilities: self-assessment tools
Focus2 is an online career self-assessment, free for Oregon State students to use. It combines four assessments that ask about your work interests, values, personality and leisure preferences, and then matches you with real career options.
Interested in a Meyer’s Briggs-based assessment of your personality type that will measure your introvert vs. extrovert tendencies and more? Check out the free 16 personalities quiz. Results include insights into your top strengths and skillsets, and generalized career fields where you may excel.
The What Can I Do With This Major? career research tool is produced by a partner university. It includes common career paths, majors, and advice. It's meant to serve as general research tool, and listed majors will not match all of OSU's majors and programs exactly.
University Exploratory Studies Program
The University Exploratory Studies Program (UESP) is a resource for Oregon State students who are still deciding on a major or are thinking of changing their course of study. UESP academic advisors help guide students toward picking a major that meets their personal values, interests and career aspirations.
Researching demand - job outlook & salary research tools
Job Boards
One of the best ways to determine what you might like to do is to reference real job boards like Handshake, LinkedIn, or Indeed.
Even if you aren’t ready to apply, use Handshake and other job boards to research job titles, requirements and how you can gear your OSU training at the career you want.
Job Demand & Salary Research Tools
My Next Move is a site based on U.S. Department of Labor data that lets you browse careers by industry, keyword or interest. Need inspiration? Hit the “bright outlook” button to see jobs that will grow rapidly and have lots of openings in the next few years.
More job demand and salary research tools:
Employment Data Search Tool
Once you’ve spent some time learning about yourself, it’s time to learn about what real opportunities and jobs exist so you can chart your path to them. Remember that career development and exploration is a lifelong process.
You don’t have to map out your whole life! Just take the first step.