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Summary & Resources

Summary & Resources

Module Summary

You are not alone if you are struggling to figure out which career path to choose. The profes-
sional landscape in the United States offers tremendous choice and flexibility, which can be
overwhelming for people who aren’t sure what they want to do. Fifty years ago, it was not
uncommon for people to spend their entire career with the same company, whereas today
many workers change employers 10 or even 15 times in their lifetime. And that’s okay!

Some people are fortunate enough to know exactly what they want to do with their lives. For
most people, however, discovering a career path that matches their personality, strengths,
and abilities—and provides a good balance with the other aspects of our lives—is a process of
trial and error. You can find a fulfilling career for yourself—one that matches your personal-
ity, strengths, and abilities and provides a good balance with other important aspects of your
life—by engaging in the seven-step career development process recommended by Ashford
University Career Services and outlined in this module. The first step in this process is to
look inward. Through self-exploration, you can identify dominant personality traits, personal
strengths, and interests that are important to you. Using the personality assessments and
inventories described in this module, you can discover careers that match your own personal
profile. You can continue your career self-discovery by answering questions that are designed
to help you identify your interests, talents, and work preferences.

Another important part of choosing a career involves identifying the skill sets that you have
to offer a potential employer, including hard and soft skills, as well as those you may have
learned in a previous job that can be transferred to a new role at a different company. This
module provided you with a wide range of resources to help you discern and categorize these
skills. In Module 8, we will show you how to take what you’ve learned about yourself in this
module, highlight that information in the next steps of the career development process, and
begin your new career!

Critical-Thinking Questions

1. How does a typical career path today differ from what someone might have experi-
enced 50 years ago?
2. How are career changes regarded in the United States today?
3. In your opinion, how important is personality in your choice of career? How might it
affect your job satisfaction?
4. Your friend Natasha is unhappy in her current job and wants to make a change; how-
ever, she’s not sure what she would rather be doing. What advice would you give her
to help her make a decision? Which resources would you recommend?

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