"What do you want to be when you grow up?"

Have you ever been asked this question? Were you, oh say, 5 years old? Did you respond with something along the lines of, "a doctor" or "a veterinarian" or "a lawyer"? And perhaps you got a, "oh that's nice" response in return.

I have always found this question so amusing, especially now at my age (a number I choose not to disclose) because it wasn't until very recently that I finally figured out what I "want to do when I grow up". How are we supposed to know what interests and inspires us enough to want to do that "thing" everyday? Well, here's the thing, we're not supposed to know, but we can definitely try to figure it out through career exploration.

There are many online career exploration sites you can visit to get the process started, or you may visit your college's career planning department to see what tools they have to offer.

I personally like to use the Self Directed Search with students who are unsure of the career path they wish to follow. The Self-Directed Search® (SDS®) is a career interest test that asks questions about your aspirations, activities, skills, and interests in different jobs. From the responses, the SDS produces your personal three-letter Summary Code, which you can use to find occupations and fields of study that match well with your personality.

The SDS is based on John Holland’s theory that both people and working environments can be classified according to six basic types: Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional. These personality types are known together as RIASEC.

Here is a short video on the SDS and what it's designed to do...

Now, please complete the SDS for yourself and share your results on the class Wiki page.