Careers And Associate's Degrees

By Linda Jensen

Determining which career you are best suited for is difficult. Getting your first job in your ideal career can be even harder.

When someone just graduates from high school, they rarely know for sure what it is they want to do with their life. Taking stock of one's personality, strong points, weak points, likes and dislikes can often help in narrowing down the career possibilities for you. Getting the advice of others -- friends, family members and career counselors -- can also help.

The first step in choosing the ideal career is listing your strengths and weaknesses. What is it that you are good at? What activities are you bad at? It's much easier to do activities that you are good at versus struggling to accomplish things you are bad at. Think about what kind of work environment you want to be in -- an office, outdoors, huge company, small company, retail, industrial or service.

The second step involves examining all of the various jobs and careers in the state or region you want to work in and see how these occupations line up with your personal preferences and characteristics that you noted above. Picture yourself actually performing the work. Think about what your work day would be like. Consider the work hours, commuting, and relations with customers and coworkers. Try to find a couple that you think would be ideal for you.

The third step is taking action and preparing for your career. This involves getting the training, skills and certifications necessary in order to get that job that you want. This will include enrolling in formal education at a university, technical institute or community college, or maybe becoming an apprentice in a trade job. Many young people find that earning a one or two-year associate degree from a local community college is a good option. A good community college can be inexpensive choice to get the formal education you need.

Once you have acquired the preparation and formal training, your fourth step is to develop a strategy for getting your first job in that desired field. You will start with writing the best resume you can which describes your abilities, work and personal history. You will also compose a great cover letter to introduce yourself.

Most job hunters find that they have to network themselves and talk to everyone who can help them get their foot in the door of a company that interests them. Be sure to prepare for the job interview by finding out as much as you can about the company you are interviewing with. You should practice and rehearse answers to the typical job interview questions you will most likely be asked.

Even after you once get your first job, you will need to keep promoting yourself, learning new skills and taking further education in order to continue to advance. And don't worry, if you find that you entered the wrong career, most people have three or four different careers during their work life. Good luck to you.

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About The Author
Look for more about earning an associate degree, including associate degrees in criminal justice for getting prepared for careers in the high-demand criminal justice field.