Career Exploration: A How-To Guide
I want to start by saying do not be me.
I went to school and earned a degree. I never learned about the career field and I hated it. Totally and completely hated the career field. So learn from me and make the time to do a career exploration. You deserve to find a career you will find rewarding and, hopefully, enjoy.
If you are considering skipping career exploration and researching your school because you do not have time, consider the cost to you in time and effort earning that degree or certification. Do you really not have the time to invest in making sure your field and the school is the right one? If you do not invest the time up front, you could end up wasting your time and effort.
Often there are these great free programs that sound like an opportunity we should not miss, but beware, even if they are "free", your time costs you something. Your efforts cost you something. It may cost you time from your family or friends. It may cost you time learning something else or even cost you time that could be spent relaxing. With that being said, you will have to spend some of your valuable time in preparation. The time spent in preparation to determine your path and find the right school will pay off more than you can imagine. This time is well spent.
So what does a career search look like? There are a number of steps to a search. I am going to go through a step-by-step thorough career exploration. Often people only do the first three or four steps, but each step here can really make a difference.
Assessments. Take some assessments to find out your preferences. This is one of the first steps. There are tons of assessments available to you (check the resource below). Spouse Education and Career Opportunities (SECO) has some of the top career assessments. O*NET online from the Department of Labor has a couple to get you started.
Research. Once you have identified careers, you want to do some research to narrow down your selection further. O*NET online is my go-to for this. This site has detailed information about careers and even provides a list of related careers. You can select a career and it will provide you a list of typical job duties, salaries, educational/training requirements, and more! This site is an amazing (and free) resource.
Narrow Down the Fields. Next you want to narrow your choices down to 3-5 career fields. Really look at they field and what tasks are typical, education required, and opportunities in the fields. Imagine yourself doing the work. Would you enjoy it? Could you envision yourself doing this for five to ten years?
Talk to People in the Career Fields. This is probably the most important step, and the step that people skip most often. You need to talk to people in the field and in different types of positions so you can deepen your understand of the career field and the opportunities. For example, if you are thinking about getting into Nursing, talk to some who work at a hospital (and in different departments), clinic, nursing home, and school. This will help you better understand the breadth of the field and build your network (more on networking later this month)!
OCONUS tip: Most occupations have civilian or military counterparts on the installation. This includes career fields such as medical, education, accounting, legal, management, human resources, and just about any other career field.Job Shadow or Volunteer in the Career Field. This step can be very beneficial. Talking to others and exploring careers is one thing, actually seeing people at work or working in the field is something else. My niece was considering being a doctor. She was working as a nurse's aide and was able to job shadow with a physician she respected. She realized she wanted to be a nurse and have more hands on because of her own personal experience working with nurses and her job shadowing a physician.
OCONUS tip: Talk to those on base. See about job shadowing or volunteering for the organization. There are amazing opportunities on base.Start Preparing for Your Career! Once you have identified your future career, start preparing. Work on obtaining any certifications or education requirements. Build a network. Join professional organizations. Identify what skills you need, both technical and "soft" skills. Work on these and keep those who you talked to that are in the field (and job shadowed) updated on your progress. As you continue to build your relationship with them, you can ask them to mentor you if you feel the connection.
One of the great things about being a military spouse, military service member or veteran is that there are tons of FREE resources to help you do this. Some of these services are available to anyone.
Your family center's Employment Readiness Program offers a variety of services. They should have career exploration resources and workshops available for you.
Spouse Education and Career Opportunities (SECO) offers free career counseling with certified career counselors. This includes many different types of career assessments and various tools. They have amazing assessments!
America's Job Centers offer free career exploration to anyone. Each local center includes the opportunity to take career assessment inventories. These centers have resources and programs specifically for veterans and many have programs specifically for military spouses. Visit your center to find out what specific programs they have.
School Career Centers offer a variety of services to help you explore which career is right for you. Some schools even offer this service as a for-credit course. These services are often offered before you even register for classes at the school and are often available for alumni. Check out your local technical schools, community colleges, colleges and universities to see what they have to offer.
OCONUS Tip: The education center on post has these services available so be sure to make this one of your stops.
Invest in yourself. Make the time for career exploration. This invest of time is much less that completing a degree or certification program in a field that is not right for you.
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Rose Holland has served the military community for over 30 years in a variety of roles as a volunteer and family program staff. Through this work, she has seen many inequities imposed upon military families. Her passion to assist military families is driven by her own experience as a military spouse of almost 33 years and has shaped the service she provides. Rose became an activist for military families in the area of career and employment, serving as a career counselor and providing corporate and local organizations insights into the military world and helping the community understand the hidden talent pool of military families.
Rose has a BBA in Finance from the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, a Master’s in Theological Studies with a focus on pastoral care from Saint Norbert College in DePere Wisconsin, and a Doctorate in Education with a focus in Educational Sustainability at the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point. Her dissertation project focused on military spouses in federal employment and their perceptions of perceptions of federal position during the pandemic.