Career Exploration

Self assessment is the process of gathering information about yourself in order to make an informed career decision. It is the first step of the Career Planning Process

A self assessment should include a look at your:

Complete two or three assessment tools linked here:

Based on the results, list 10-20 potential career paths that you find interesting. 

A personality inventory looks at one's individual traits, motivational drives, needs, and attitudes. The most frequently used personality inventory is:

Personality type is a practical tool for investigating what works for you, then looking for and recognizing work that satisfies your preferences.

Cost: $15 MBTI for PVCC enrolled students, $20 for non-students. Available through:

Value inventories  play an important role in one's job satisfaction, include autonomy, prestige, security, interpersonal relations, helping others, flexible work schedule, outdoor work, leisure time, and high salary. 

The questions in an interest inventory ask about your likes and dislikes regarding various activities. The premise of this self assessment tool is that people who share similar interests will also enjoy the same type of work. Examples of interests are reading, running, playing golf, and knitting.

A skills assessment helps you figure out what you enjoy doing. You can use the results of the skills assessment to make some changes by acquiring the skills you need for a particular career.