Explore Careers

Briefcase Explore Careers Icon

…you can fail at something you don’t want, so you might as well take a chance doing what you love.

Jim Carrey

Students explore careers for different reasons.

  • Looking to identify careers that relate to your interests, personality, skills, and values?
  • Re-evaluating your life purpose or goals?
  • Trying to figure out what occupations you can pursue with a particular major?
  • Wondering how to prepare for your top career choice?

Take action!

  1. Log back in to Focus and click Combine Assessments under the Self Assessment section to see suggested careers. Click at least 2 of the occupations suggested and read the information provided. Confused about how to do that? View this Focus tutorial video (or transcript) for guidance on how to use the Focus Assessment for career exploration.
  2. Make an initial list of careers that you wish to explore further. Search for those careers by keyword on ONet Online. Click on tasks, activities, interests, and values that appeal to you to identify other careers that share those factors.
  3. Use LinkedIn to identify people employed in careers that interest you. The Career Services networking page has a number of resources to help you use LinkedIn effectively for career exploration. Consider registering with Network USF to connect with alumni for mentoring and advice.
  4. Put on your “journalist” hat and conduct informational interviews with the people you identified.
  5. If you already have potential majors in mind, view the "What Can I Do With This Major?" page for ideas.
  6. Write or draw in a journal or talk to people you trust about the career options you are considering. Reflect on what you have discovered.
  7. Narrow down your initial list of careers to the ones that interest you most!
  8. Check out these additional career research tools and infographics for further exploration.

Be inspired!

Check out this video with Andrew Luong and Haley Johnson discussing their decisions to switch to majors in Finance and Accounting after considering the future careers that they wanted to pursue based on their interests. For more stories like theirs, we encourage you to check out our Youtube Channel or visit the Explore Their Path blog to learn about faculty, staff, students, and alumni in majors and minors that you are considering!

Video and interview by USF Office of Marketing and Communication.