Career Exploration
Not sure what career goal is best for you?
That is okay! Career Services can help you explore careers, set career goals, and choose the best college program of study to support your goals.
Steps to Career Planning
Your program of study must support your career goals!
Do not lose time and money changing your mind multiple times. Start planning your future today with these simple steps.
STEP 1: Learn about yourself and your interests – take a career assessment.
STEP 2: Explore careers.
- What they do on a daily basis
- Knowledge, skills, and abilities needed
- Education level and/or training required
- Future job outlook (are these jobs growing?)
- Who hires for these jobs
- Salaries – try Reality Check to see what salary you need for the lifestyle you want
Reality Check from the North Carolina Department of Commerce is a fun, new online tool designed to estimate the income necessary to support your desired lifestyle.
STEP 3: Read job ads.
Once you have an idea of the career for you, READ JOB ADS! They are the best way to stay informed of changing job duties, needed qualifications, and required education and training. They also tell you the job titles related to your chosen career, how many jobs are available, and who is hiring. Continue to read job ads throughout your college education to be ready for your job search when you graduate!
STEP 4: Discuss your career goals with your advisor!
Start today – take a career assessment and explore careers. YOU ARE WORTH THE TIME!
Take either the 6 question or 60 question career assessment. Both are easy and fast! Explore careers and the VGCC programs of study that support your careers of interest. See current regional information about job outlook, expected job growth, salaries, and who is hiring in our area.
Additional Resources
Still unsure? Continue exploring careers with these user-friendly websites!
NC Careers
NC Careers is all about career opportunities and jobs in North Carolina. It will walk you through the career exploration process and is very user-friendly. See what jobs are growing in NC, job salaries, and much more. This website has just about anything you may want to know about jobs in North Carolina!
O’Net
O’Net’s My Next Move is a quick and easy way to explore careers. See options for related careers you may have never heard of or considered. Quickly learn the daily activities, skills needed, and education and/or training required for each career. It also offers a great career assessment to find out your interests and direct you to good career possibilities for YOU.
CFNC
Plan your future with the College Foundation of North Carolina (CFNC) Learn about YOUR interests by taking the career assessments. Start with the Interest Profiler, Career Cluster Survey, and Values Sorter. Each assessment will give you suggested careers to explore once you complete it. Learn about the education needed and future job outlook. CFNC also has information about how to pay for college and links to apply for financial aid. Happy exploring!
CareerOneStop
CareerOneStop is an especially good option for job seekers who have recently lost their job, older career changers, job seekers who may have difficult backgrounds, those who need accommodations on the job, and much more.
