Exploring Careers
Career exploration plays an integral role in the career development process and helps you in discovering a career that is of interest to you! Once you identify some careers and occupations of interest, you will want to learn more about them and perhaps gain some experience as well. A Career Coach is available for you to meet with to further discuss career exploration!
Below are a few resources to help you get started!
Virtual Resources
- Vault: Provides in-depth intelligence on what it’s really like to work in an industry, company or profession and how to position yourself to secure your preferred job.
- Occupational Outlook Handbook: A great reference tool with a lot of information on occupations that provides a description of the job, working conditions, qualifications, salary and job outlook.
- Occupation Information Network: The O*NET system serves as the nation's primary source of occupational information, providing comprehensive information on key attributes and characteristics of workers and occupations.
- Princeton Review Careers: Allows you to create a career profile and learn about the work environment expected path and industry statistics.
- JobShadow.com: Review informational interviews with real-life professionals from 200+ industries.
- CareerOneStop: CareerOneStop helps people make better, more informed career decisions. CareerOneStop is ideal for job seekers, employers, human resource specialists and workforce development specialists.
- Iona University Ryan Library: The library features many electronic and hard copy resources that can be utilized for researching careers. Check valuable reference tools and databases available in the library!
Professional Organizations
Professional associations and organizations are a great way to gain industry insight and learn more about careers. We have compiled some professional organization resources that you might be interested in!
Getting Involved
Getting involved on campus can also help with your career exploration and increase your competitive edge. You want to optimize your college experience and make the most of it! Check below for different ways to get active.
Throughout your four years of college you will have many opportunities to participate in activities and experiences that will help you with your personal and career development. Co-curricular experiences will help inform your career planning and decision making as well as help you build skills to make you more marketable to employers after graduation.
- Aim for a high GPA since this will increase your chances of better employment opportunities as well as graduate schools.
- Consider a variety of coursework as well as use of electives and general studies to craft a well-rounded education. Interdisciplinary thinking is a valued skill in the workplace.
- Participate in a research project that is of interest to you and gain valuable experience. Ask a faculty member who is conducting research, if you can assist over the course of a semester or summer.
- Study Abroad and gain international experience that is sought after in today's global economy. Ask your First-Year Adviser for more information on study abroad programs.
Get involved in student clubs and organizations. Become an active member or take on a leadership role. Extracurricular activities are a great way to build your resume and develop your skills. Visit the Office of Student Development to learn more.
Volunteering allows you to build skills and experiences as well as contribute to an organization. Employers often look for volunteer experiences on a resume because it shows initiative and community involvement. Visit the Office of Mission & Ministry at Iona to learn more about volunteering.
An internship is a great way to gain practical work experience, build marketable skills and learn about a profession. Internships are offered for credit in most majors and paid internships are also available in many fields.