“What do you want to be?” This question fills many students with dread. Unfortunately, there is no easy answer — finding a career takes experience. However, there is hope. Career research is key to determining your professional goals. I consulted Carl Dixon, Gulf Coast’s Career Specialist, to find out how students can discover the career path they want to pursue. Get started on your career research using the resources below.
Career Coach is Gulf Coast’s career and education exploration software. Its career assessment quiz matches you with careers and Gulf Coast programs that will prepare you for those careers. It also features information on job duties, wages, and local job listings for various career fields. Find out how to use this powerful tool by watching this tutorial video.
Dixon advises that students find a career path through Mycareershines.org, which is affiliated with the FloridaShines organization. After creating a student account, you can take the “Kuder Career Interest Assessment” and the “Kuder Skills Confidence Assessment.” These assessments will pin down your personality, goals, and talents to fit you with a suitable career.
Need career advice? Dixon guides students to pursue professional success. Once students finish the MyCareerShines assessments, Dixon recommends that they meet with him at the Career Development Center, which can be found at the Advising Center in SUE Room 208. Dixon is available from 8 AM to 4 PM Monday through Friday. He helps students achieve their career goals, write resumes, prepare for job interviews, find internships, and more.
The Occupation Outlook Handbook from the Bureau of Labor Statistics is the place to go when researching a career field. It contains information about job duties, job outlook, required education, professional organizations, and more. The Handbook is a crucial resource to find what you need to know about a career field.
If you don’t know what you want to do in life, that’s ok. With intentionality, time, and experience, you will find a career that fulfills you. Remember that Gulf Coast dedicates itself to providing you with resources and personal support to pursue your professional goals.
If you need career counseling, contact Carl Dixon at (850) 872-3835 or email him at cdixon@gulfcoast.edu.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sarah Faith Dorr
Student Author - Spring 2021
Sarah Faith Dorr is an English major at Gulf Coast State College who aspires to be a professional writer. Her mission as a student is to develop her writing skills while serving others. In addition to writing for Commodore Waves, she is a student tutor at Gulf Coast’s Writing and Reading lab. Her hobbies include reading classic literature (C.S. Lewis and Shakespeare are some of her favorites) and writing the occasional short story or poem. She also loves keeping up with the latest Disney movies — Star Wars and Marvel included.
