“From my time at the Career Center, I have learned that it is never too early or too late to start thinking about your future. Extremely valuable experiences can be found here on campus and you have to take initiative to get what you want from them.” —KRISTEN, STONY BROOK STUDENT

Making Career Decisions

You’ve made many decisions in your life, including choosing to attend Stony Brook University. Making career decisions may sound scary, especially if you expect that a choice now will exclude you from other options in your future. In reality, we make decisions all the time. Some are easy; we don’t think about them – “I think I’ll leave for school an hour early this morning so I can study for my exam.” “I’m going to join the debate club to improve my public speaking skills.” Some decisions are more complex, and therefore may seem larger, have greater risk, and require more time and consideration – “Should I pursue the study abroad option or a summer internship?”; “Do I accept the position that pays more, or the one I know I’ll love?”

Remember that the purpose of a college education, like the one you’re getting at Stony Brook, is less to give you hard job skills than to teach you how to do things like write well and think critically – transferable skills that are essential in almost any job. Because of this, every major leads to a wide variety of career options. For example, did you know that studio art majors can become doctors (if they complete the requirements for medical school)? Your major is only ONE part of what your future employer or graduate school will consider when you apply: the key is to combine your academic study with experience that adds to your skills and refines your interests.

Career Development Process

The SBU Career Center would like to welcome you to one of the best experiences of your life. Throughout your Stony Brook University experience you will be engaged in an environment where you will thrive and grow to heights you have never imagined. However, in order to get the most out of your time here it is important to utilize the resources surrounding you. Your four-year career development plan involves reaching outside of your comfort zone and getting involved with your campus community by engaging in your interests. It’s okay to not know your intended career direction right away. Explore—relate—and discover the possibilities.

Four things you should consider as they relate to your career exploration:

• Understanding and Knowing Yourself
• Engaging in Experiential Learning
• Occupation Information Gathering
• Reflecting on Experiences

The Career Development Cycle model was created to help students better understand the process of career development. Over time, you will find yourself building up both your resume and your confidence in a particular career direction.

 

* Image Note: Under Information section, please note that Handshake has replaced ZebraNet as the Carrer Center Job portal 

The SBU Career Center can help with any aspect of the career decision-making process, from choosing a career or a major to finding out how to search for a job. Topics include:

• Relating majors to careers
• Researching occupations
• Obtaining experience through volunteer and internship positions
• Reviewing self-assessment inventory results
• Learning job search strategies
• Identifying and researching employers
• Learning the value of a college degree

Knowing about yourself is the basis for career decision-making. This process can be an exciting but scary time. But—it does not have to be scary. We challenge you to explore parts of the self-assessment process. Identify your interests by getting involved in a club/organization, part-time job/internship related to your field of interest or trying out a class of interest.

Activity: Sofia’s Dilemma

Sofia is a freshman. Her strong subjects in high school were math and physics. She is confused about how to choose a major, and whether that also means she should choose a career. She heard that quantitative skills are good for business and that business pays well. What exactly does that mean? What skills? What business? And how well exactly does it pay? Sofia visited the Career Center and found a dazzling array of career opportunities for students of math and physics: actuary, researcher in a national lab, university professor, computer programmer, teacher, Wall Street analyst, veterinarian, and financial advisor. She also discovered a broad range of salaries and years of training required. Sofia was overwhelmed by all this information. When her career counselor asked her if she also had considered applied math and economics, she felt faint. Fortunately she had taken economics in high school and hated it, so she turned that down easily. But applied math? Is it different from plain math and how? To what does it apply? Here are some of the mini- decisions that Sofia made:

1. She ruled out economics on the basis of her previous experience (she disliked it).
2. She read the Applied Math section of the Bulletin, including description of major, classes, and faculty specializations. This sounded intriguing enough for her to decide to take the first statistics course next term.
3. After studying the requirements for the math major, she felt less confident that she could do well in 300-level classes. She decided to give it one more try, and enrolled in a 200-level course.
4. After speaking with the physics advisor, she learned that this major involves many labs. She recalled that she was not fond of this type of hands-on science. She also didn’t feel like she blended well with the crowd at the physics department, and decided not to pursue physics.

Epilogue

At the end of the following semester, Sofia learned that she really loved statistics; she felt that formulas came alive when applied to real life problems. Meanwhile, the 200-level math class required a lot of effort and though she did reasonably well, she was not particularly excited about climbing to a higher level. Her mini-decisions allowed her to confidently choose Applied Math & Statistics as her major.

Yearly Checklists

Although no single path guarantees success, the following are steps are recommended:

Freshman

_____ Visit us and learn what the Career Center has to offer (we are located in W-0550 Melville Library at the foot of the Zebra Path)

_____ Use the Career Center’s online student database (Handshake) to access job and internship listings

_____ Learn more about yourself and your major and/or career options through self-assessment and research

_____ Join campus clubs/organizations to develop your leadership skills, meet new people, and build your resume

_____ Familiarize yourself with resources and departments available to you on campus

_____Utilize your “Freshmen Guidebook” and “Student Handbook”

_____Take advantage of your professors’ office hours and introduce yourself

_____ Enroll in CAR 110 – Career Development and Decision Making class for 2 credits

Sophomore

_____ Explore academic majors

_____ Attend one of our Job Fairs

_____ Develop or revise your resume, cover letter, etc. and learn how to conduct an effective job search

_____ Begin learning about occupations and industries of interest and conduct informational interviews

_____ Attend Career Center seminars and workshops to increase your knowledge in various areas including career exploration, interviewing skills, and job search techniques

_____ Get involved in community service and/or get a part-time job

Junior

_____ Investigate work experiences in your area of interest and secure an internship

_____ Enroll in CAR 210 – Career Planning for 1 credit

_____ Register for On-Campus Recruiting (OCR) for access to internship and job opportunities and attend company presentations to develop contacts and learn more about your industry of interest

_____ Plan ahead now and arrange a practice (mock) interview with a counselor so you are prepared for the interview process

Senior

_____ Obtain additional related work experience to expand your skills and increase your marketability

_____ Perfect your portfolio showcasing evidence of your accomplishments, and reflections of learning experiences you are proud of

_____ Increase your knowledge of the latest job market trends

_____ Target your companies/organizations of interest and start sending out your resume

_____ Apply for graduate programs if you are interested in furthering your education