Introduction to Finding Your Focus

In our current, ever-changing world of work, a shift toward boundary-less careers has emerged where finding continuous job opportunities in one employment setting is no longer attainable.  

Fast changes in information and communication technology, increasing globalization, and greater competition are causing a rapid transformation to the job market and the evolution of work roles and responsibilities. Traditional approaches toward careers with a linear progression of jobs, increasing in responsibility and prestige, no longer exists.

Today, taking greater personal and social responsibility and being less dependent on employers’ outcomes is becoming progressively the norm. Changes in the workplace will require you to manage your choices more proactively by being adaptable, self-initiating, and collaborative.

 

"These are skills that can be learned, and that you can use throughout your career development as the process of decision-making will repeat throughout your lifetime."
                                                                                                        – Dr. Susan J. Sears (1940 - 2012)
                                                                                                           Was a Professor in the Counselor Ed. Program
                                                                                                           at The Ohio State University for 25 years, and was also
                                                                                                           Associate Dean of the College of Education.

 

In this module, we invite you to be proactive and explore more about yourself and how an awareness of self supports your ideas about majors and careers. Our aim for this module is to help you find focus and a career path in which you can be successful. In this module, you will learn how to:

  • Explore interests, talents, personality, and educational and occupational goals.
  • Relate self-knowledge to majors and careers.
  • Identify personal decision-making styles.
  • Utilize decision-processing techniques to clarify and set realistic goals.
  • Integrate social responsibility into career plans and decisions.

On the next page, we'll discuss a tool to learn more about yourself and potential majors and careers.