Exploring
Are you thinking about your future but not sure how to get started? Start here! Assessing yourself and what you want is a key part of career planning, whether you’re launching a job or internship search, thinking of taking time off, or considering further study.
To learn more, schedule a meeting with Patricia Woods '00 or one of our other career advisers via a General Advising appointment on Handshake.
Skills, Interests, Values & Personality
When considering your professional and personal future, it's helpful to think about your skills, interests, values and personality.
- Skills are competencies developed through everything you do: jobs and internships, activities, courses and pastimes. A Smith degree builds a variety of highly marketable skills, some specific to a major and others gained across the curriculum.
- Interests are issues, activities or fields of knowledge important to you. Your interests may be part of your work or remain as pastimes. Connecting with people who share your interests is an important part of researching careers, opportunities, and options for further study.
- Values are qualities you consider important about your work and life. For example, some people enjoy working as part of a team, while others prefer to work independently. Your values influence how appealing you find different work settings and can contribute to your definition of success.
- Personality determines how you behave in interactions at school, work and in your personal life. Knowing more about your personality can help you identify careers and fields of study that might be a good fit.
Free Online Tools for Exploring
The following self-assessment tools provide insights; they are not prescriptive. It is a starting point that allows you to reflect and gain awareness.
Activities:
- Visualize your fulfillment levels by completing the wheel of life exploration tool.
- Track your energy to create awareness of things that bring you joy.
- Complete the Good Work Journal to assess themes in where your talents lie.
- Check in with your whole self by filling in this Love/Play/Work/Health Balance Sheet.
- Make an Odyssey Plan (video) using your visualization skills to guide you on your five-year plan.
Other Resources
Research & Talk with Professionals
Once you have more information about yourself, we suggest researching different career fields, reading a variety of job and internship descriptions, and talking with people whose careers interest you during informational interviews. It is extremely valuable to talk with professionals who work in your field of interest. Many Smith alumnae are willing to meet with current students.
Smith College Alumnae Career Paths
A liberal arts degree can take you anywhere—a fact that is borne out in the results of a recent survey that examined how alumnae are using their Smith degrees. In the face of national discussions about the relevance of the liberal arts today, the survey results underscore the real-world value of the academic depth and breadth of a Smith education.