Career Planning to Major Selection

Steps in the Career Exploration Process

The Student Success Center in partnership with Career Services encourages students to follow several steps to assist in the career exploration process. Students must keep in mind that this exploration is a process. Students should be proactive in career decision-making and plan to spend time at each step to fully explore their options. The more students are involved in each step, the more satisfied they will be with the end result.

Step 1: Visit the UND Career Walk-in Center

The Career Walk-in Center is located in McCannel Hall, Room 280. The walk-in center provides a free computer program called Career Lift Off. This program is an interest inventory that also measures values and abilities. This program gives the student a print-out of results, and is the first step in exploring personal awareness for possibilities of future majors. Within this computer program a student can do research on careers and find job descriptions and information in different career areas. The Career Walk-in Center has many resources available for students including books, websites, and other interest inventories. Students can reach the Career Walk-in Center for more information by calling (701) 777-3904.

Step 2: Visit with a representative within the Career Walk-in Center

Peer assistants are available from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the walk-in center to assist students with interpreting the results of the Career Lift Off. Also, graduate assistants are available for further conversations and to do more exploring about career paths.

Step 3: Visit with a Career Counselor at the Counseling Center

The Counseling Center is located in McCannel Hall, Room 200. Students are encouraged to bring their Career Lift Off print-out to their appointment. Career Counselors can offer individual assistance to students in choosing a major and exploring career options. For more information, students can reach the Counseling Center by calling (701) 777-2127.

Step 4: Enroll in Career Exploration

UND offers a one credit Career Exploration course, Counseling 101, which is taught in the fall and spring semesters. This is a part-term course taught in a classroom setting, which allows students to explore career options. In this class students complete the Strong Interest Inventory, the Myers Briggs Type Indicator, a self-completed assessment, assignments, and a final paper which asks students to explore possible career options based on information obtained in class.

Step 5: Talk to people and job shadow

A great way for students to find out about potential careers is to talk to people in the fields of their interests. Faculty within the areas students are interested in are great resources for students, along with academic advisors. A job shadow program, Altru Health System Shadow Program, is available for students who are interested in pursuing a career within a health field. Students can contact the program at (701) 777-5834 for further information. Students are encouraged to check out various careers by volunteering through UND’s Volunteer Bridge program. The Volunteer Bridge coordinator can be reached by calling (701) 777-4200. Another great resource for students are family, friends, other students, and relatives.

Step 6: Choose an Appropriate Major for the Chosen Career Path

After completing Steps 1-5, students should begin to think about possible majors based on career interests. Whether students are interested in fields ranging from Anthropology to Nursing to Mechanical Engineering, there are many opportunities available at UND – check out the 217 fields of study and 90 undergraduate majors available. Academic advisors, faculty, and career counselors are great resources for students as they match a major to a chosen career. Click here to find out more information on the process to declare a major.

To view the above information in a printer friendly format, students can access the
Steps in the Career Exploration Process handout here!

Other Resources

The U.S. Department of Labor has two websites that contain useful information for students to use. O*NET Online has detailed descriptions of the world of work for students. The Occupational Outlook Handbook is a resource for students to use, allowing them to research the training and education needed, earnings, expected job prospects, what workers do on the job, and working conditions for a variety of jobs.