Virtual Career Resource Center
Welcome to the Southwestern Michigan College Career Resource Center. Career development is a lifelong process. Southwestern Michigan College is committed to supporting students and community members as they navigate the cycles of change that are common in today’s world of work. In this web site, you will find the career exploration and development process mapped out to assist you in becoming more proactive and decided about determining your future career goals.
Self-Assessment
Assessments provide individuals with personally relevant information to generate possible careers for exploration. This page provides links to assessments you may use to explore your interests, personality traits, values and other personal information. These assessments are most effective when they are interpreted by a career counselor or academic advisor.
Occupational Research
One of the first steps you can take to plan your future is to do some basic research into the occupation(s) or academic options you are considering. It is often easy and tempting to make assumptions about a career field, based on testimonials from one or two people you have met in the field, what you see in the media, or what you hear from peers and family members. But by gathering concrete information from objective sources, you can make better decisions about your future. CareerLockerTM, an interactive career exploration and planning Web site, which includes career assessments; information about occupations, colleges, and employers; an e-portfolio; resume and budget programs is available for SMC students through the college portal, SMC Wired.
In addition, we have gathered together some Internet Resources that should help you obtain information about an occupation of interest and begin your career research. Just follow the link to these Internet Resources on this page to begin your research should include typical job duties, training and educational requirements, job outlook, salary ranges, and major employers in the occupation.
Guide to Career Decision Making/Choosing a Major
There are several things to consider when trying choosing an academic program or career, including knowing about yourself, knowing about your options, knowing how you make decisions and discovering/ addressing any barriers to your career decision making.>
Once you realize you need to make a career decision, the next step is to clarify what you know about yourself and the options before you. In looking at yourself it is important to consider your skills, interests, and values. In terms of your career journey, interests tell you what direction to pursue; skills tell you how long it will take to get there; and values tell you whether or not the journey is worth taking. In other words, interests are what you enjoy doing; skills are what you do well; and values are what motivate you to work. Clarifying this self-knowledge will help you to find options that might be a good fit for you.
The Career Resource Center is one of the places you can turn to for help in clarifying your self-knowledge. There are many resources available to help make clear each of the three main self-knowledge areas.
- What kind of activities am I interested in?
- What sort of values do I have that motivate me to work?
- What kinds of skills and abilities do I possess or need to develop?
The answers to these questions are important ones because they provide useful information for making career decisions and solving career problems throughout one’s life. This self-knowledge helps both expand and narrow the options that we are considering at any given point in life.
As you begin to formulate a sense of direction, remember to seek the guidance of an advisor who can help you develop an academic plan of study to fit your emerging career goals. To schedule an appointment, contact the Information Center in the College Services Building on the Dowagiac campus or call (269) 782-1000.
The Teaching and Learning Center, located in the College Services Building on the Dowagiac campus also has some career resources available for student use. These resources include resume writing, interview tips, cover letter writing and more.