Choosing a career path is most effective when you have a clear understanding of yourself, your knowledge and skills, and your priorities. Being intentional about aligning your personality and talents with the job’s requirements, while also exploring your interests, can help you identify fulfilling roles that lead to a satisfying career.
Whether you’re searching for options for the first time or considering a career change, this page is designed to help you reflect on your identity and discover meaningful, aligned, and fulfilling career paths in today’s job market.
In addition to the UMLO 1500 Career Exploration & Planning course, the following tools are available to support your career planning journey. Choose the ones that are most relevant to your goals.
Tools For:
Self-Reflection & Skills Assessment
- Evaluate (and re-evaluate) your preferences as they may change over time.
- Take stock of your competencies to help articulate your strengths and identify areas for growth.
Focus 2: Unpack your skills, interests, personality, and values to reveal how they align with occupations and job families.
Interest Profiler: Gain insight about your natural tendencies and how they relate to work.
There are various free interest profilers available to you, such as the O*Net Interest Profiler, the CareerOneStop Interest Assessment, and MassHire360 (instructions below).
- Go to the MassHire360 portal
- Log in by selecting the “Massachusetts Resident” tab and entering your city/town and zip code (international students select Lowell, 01854)
- Select the ‘Self-Surveys’ option on the top right of the screen
- From the ‘Learn About Yourself’ page, choose Interest Profiler and begin
- Save your results by downloading the generated PDF report
Schedule a meeting with a career advisor for individualized guidance and personalized support.
Meet with a career advisor to complete SkillScan for an in-depth look at your technical and transferable skills; or, consider how you can utilize your talents by getting involved with campus activities and experiential learning opportunities, engaging in practical application for ongoing development.
Understanding Career Options, Alignment & Fit
- Consider the broad range of possibilities that connect to your major and interests.
- Examine opportunities that match experiences you’ve had or want to learn more about.
What Can I Do With This Major?: See how your degree can be applied in a multitude of roles across various industries.Also, access affiliated professional associations and niche job boards in this resource.
O*NET: Find detailed information for jobs cataloged and updated regularly in this database sponsored by the US Department of Labor. Search specific careers by using the “Occupation Quick Search” feature.
Lightcast: Use this dynamic tool for a visual overview and to learn about job trend data, including practical information that can guide next steps in the search process.
Schedule a meeting with a career advisor for individualized guidance and personalized support.
Meet with a career advisor to review Challenge Cards for a shift in perspective and explore career options through a values-based lens; learn how Career Clusters can help you to narrow down options according to industry categories; or, ask us for tips on conducting Informational Interviews, which is another great way to decide what pathways to pursue.
