Determine my Career Interests

Interests

• What have you always wanted to learn more about?
• When time seems to fly by, what are you usually doing?

Values

• What type of work do you find most meaningful?
• In what situations do you feel the greatest sense of fulfillment?
• If you could change or improve something about the world, what would it be?

Strengths

• What seems to come easily or naturally to you?
• In what circumstances do you feel like you are able to thrive?
• What would people who know you well say is your best quality or trait?

In most cases, your major does not dictate what you can do in your career. However, if you are looking for some ideas as to how to use your major and your coursework, the What Can I Do with My Major tool shows you all the types of employment that are typically associated with a specific major. As you are using the tool, take note of any career paths or options that stand out and strategies you might want to consider to gain practical experience.

You can access the tool here.

The Vault Career Insider Guides are an excellent resource for exploring different industries and jobs. Each guide provides baseline knowledge of the industry landscape, types of work available, tips on getting hired, recruitment and interviewing strategies, typical careers, compensation and lifestyle, and key terminology. As you are reviewing the Vault Guides for the industries that interest you, write down everything that surprised you, interested you or concerned you.

CMC offers a no cost version of these guides to all our students. You can access the guides here.

Our annual Peers + Careers events are a series of panel events in which upperclassmen share their experiences about their own career exploration, including networking, internships and the job search. These events are specifically tailored to first- and second-year students and are a great, low-pressure way to connect with your peers. In these sessions you can start learning about the different interest cluster areas and better understand the resources that can help you succeed at CMC.

Watch out for email notifications about upcoming Peers + Careers events. You can register for these events on Handshake.

Job shadows are half- or one-day experiential learning opportunities that allow CMC students to gain an insider’s view into a specific role within an industry and observe on-the-job activities. You will be able to observe first-hand a typical day on the job, hosted by an alumnus/a or parent, and begin to understand the skills and attributes necessary to succeed in a particular field. You do not have to have previous experience in the career field to participate in job shadowing. In fact, this experience is meant to be a chance to explore new careers and practice your networking skills.

Watch out for email notifications about upcoming Job Shadow opportunities. For more information about Job Shadows, click here.

Another great way to explore and figure out your career interests is to join one or many of the many clubs and organizations on campus. The CMC clubs are all led by students and there is a wide array of options that are open to all students, including identity-based clubs, academic and professional clubs, service and athletic clubs, music and arts clubs, and special interest clubs and publications. There are also an extensive list of clubs and organizations to join across all the 5Cs.

To access a complete list of all current clubs and organizations, and to learn how to start a club of your own, access the ASCMC website.