Ask your parent, guardian, or someone who knows you well the following questions about what they observed about your interests as you were growing up. Create a timeline using pictures and/or words to represent your career time travel.
- When you were in Elementary/Primary School, what activities were you involved in? What did you want to be “when you grew up”? What made you excited about this career path or job field? What did you imagine this job would be like?
- When you were in Junior High/Middle School, how did your involvement change from when you were in Elementary/Primary School? What did you want to be “when you grew up”? What sparked or influenced your interest in this career? What skills, abilities/strengths were you hoping to use in this career?
- Now think about your current situation as you enter College/University. What career path(s) interests you? What are the commonalities between your activities and interests when you were in Elementary/Primary School and Junior High/Middle School to those that you have now? How has your view of a career or work changed?
- What do other people tell you that you are good at? What skills/talents have you developed over time?
Use the information you gathered from your timeline to complete the following reflection activity:
- What did you learn about yourself through this activity?
- What patterns did you discover in your interests and activities over time?
- What differences did you see in your interests and activities as you grew older?
- What career paths do you think might align with your skills and talents?
- What are your next steps?
Log into your New Student Tab on the myPurdue portal with your career account and password to record the responses to the above reflection activity.
Want to Know More?
- Discuss your myCareerPlan activity and reflections with your Academic Advisor.
- Visit the Center for Career Opportunities career development web page.
- Schedule a Career/Major Exploration appointment to talk with a Career Services Consultant in the Center for Career Opportunities. Appointments are scheduled via the BoilerConnect platform.