Five Web Sites to Help in Your Quest to Choose a Career

Graduation is over, and you're excited that your college career has come to a halt. No more term papers or finals; no more pop quizzes or lectures. It's an extremely exciting time in any college student's life.

However, once you're done, then it's time to worry about whole new situations in your life: Where you're going to live? What will you do about health insurance? Do you know how to actually pay bills or rent? There are many new things that you come across in your life that you may have never had to worry about or even think about. The biggest thing I have realized is the biggest question for me to face is what I'm going to do with my life now?

Since I was born, things have been laid to me basically on a plate, telling me what I was supposed to be doing when in life. Elementary school to high school it was going to school, then even after school it was pretty set on me going to college; however, after that, there's nothing said or done. I know what I like to do and I know I want to start my own business some day, but right out of college that's not really an option- so what do I do until then? How do I choose a career?

The websites shown below are websites that I have come across in my attempt to find out what I should do with my life- whether it be what business I should start or what types of businesses to apply for. These are the top websites I've found. Maybe they can help you as well.

1.) http://www.essortment.com/career/pickcareerthat_smht.htm

What I particularly liked about this site is that they aren't telling you the answers to getting a career but more or less telling you how to figure out the best choice. Telling the reader to look at themselves and giving tips to look at. These tips are:
1.) Tip 1: Know your interests (and what you are not interested in)
2.) Tip 2: Know your strengths and weaknesses
3.) Tip 3: Know your likes and dislikes; talk about them.

2.) http://www.job-hunt.org/onlinejobsearchguide/article_first_job_after_college.shtml

This website caught my attention over others because it not only tells what you shouldn't do but what you should do. It makes a list of ideas of how to go about your job search- not only looking online or looking the newspaper but giving other ideas as well; for instance, highly recommending networking- just to go with the flow and ask the people around you. This is what makes this website unique.

3.) http://www.quintcareers.com/college-to-career.html

The reason I picked this site to put on my list is because it looks at even a different aspect than most of the websites thus far. It talks about many of the complications that occur, instead of just looking at what the positive of career choices. Subjects like: College Has Not Prepared You for Everything and Finding Employment Probably Won't Be Easy are a few specifics mentioned. In some ways having someone write about these topics makes it almost comforting because then one knows they're not crazy for thinking this.

4.) http://www.cals.wisc.edu/students/careerServices/10_steps_to_finding_a_great_career_after_college.pdf

The main aspects that I like about this site are mainly the way that it's set up. It's set up in a very simple, yet organized fashion. It puts the number and the issue and then talks about why they put that as a suggestion down. Another aspect that I really like about this site is the fact that they not only put the things to think about that one would normally not think about, but also those incredibly obvious things that one may just glance over if they weren't reminded. Like considering where the reader wants to live, their needs compared to wants, strengths, etc.

5.) http://careerplanning.about.com/od/careerchoicechan/a/myths_choice.htm

This website takes ten different myths that people have heard or come up with about choosing a career and go through each of these myths to come to answers about them. Some of the questions approached in this include: If my best friend (or sister, uncle, or neighbor) is happy in a particular field, I will be too, Making a lot of money will make me happy, and There's very little I can do to learn about an occupation without actually working in it. You'll be surprised by the answers told on this website, check them out and see if your thoughts correspond with those on the website.

I wish you luck in your career search as I am still searching to figure things out for myself. Just know that you are not alone in this quest. Many people make it seem as though once you're out of college you should have things, as they say, "figured out" in the career sense; however, that's not the case for many individuals. YOU ARE NOT ALONE! Keep your head up and don't settle for anything that won't make you happy.