Self-Assessment Guide
Making a decision about what type of work you want to pursue after your education at Amherst College can be difficult. You might be feeling a lot of pressure to figure it all out before you graduate but may not have any clarity about the path you want to pursue. You are not alone! Many Amherst students need help considering or discovering their career options, and the Loeb Center welcomes and supports this type of exploration.
Wish you had your career all figured out? Do not despair!
- You do NOT need to have your career totally figured out before you leave Amherst. Most people change jobs and even careers many times over the course of their lives. You will probably change your mind about what you want to do more than you can imagine now.
- Beware of choosing a certain career path just because it’s clearer or easier. Sometimes the best ideas and opportunities arise out of uncertainty and chaos. Certainty about a career path does not correlate with long-term job satisfaction.
- Most career paths are winding with unexpected turns that are impossible to predict. Many, if not all, career paths are also impacted by external factors such as falling in love, having a family, finances, health/illness, etc.
How Self-Assessment Can Help
One starting point for exploring your career options is personal self-assessment. Your career decisions affect your lifestyle, health, and overall sense of satisfaction and happiness, and it is important to make informed choices based on who you are, what you value, and what you have to offer the world. The Career Center encourages all students to reflect on their interests, skills, values, personality, and family and cultural influences because it often yields important clues to finding meaningful opportunities that are a good fits.
Self-Assessment for Career Planning Guide
Approach the process by completing the focused reflection exercises linked in the following areas:
Then, finish your self-assessment with the final section, Summing It Up.
In each section, you will see DO exercises and REFLECT questions to help you process the information you are gathering. If you would like to discuss how to get started or what you are learning with a career advisor, do not hesitate to set up a 1-on-1 appointment. They may be able to help you make observations that are difficult to see because of how familiar you are with your own background.
Try to do as many of the exercises as you can; you may do them in any order and they do not have to be done all at once. The more you learn about yourself, the more you will begin to see what is important to you in life and in your future career. If there are certain exercises that you try but do not find helpful, you can skip them and move onto the next.
Self-assessment can be an exciting, eye-opening experience. Enjoy the process!